Archive for the ‘General Interest’ Category
Mild winter means more trouble with fleas, ticks
February 6th, 2012 | 
Author: No one has been complaining about the lack of snow and wintry conditions so far this season, but then again, dogs can’t talk.
According to entomologist Mark DuBois, the unseasonably warm weather to begin this winter has resulted in an increased number of ticks and fleas pestering animals.
“Fleas and ticks become an issue as temperatures stay relatively warm, because lots of organisms are dormant when it gets really cold,” DuBois, a professor at Illinois Central College, said Thursday. “If it’s not that cold, there’s a greater likelihood they’ll be out.”
DuBois said that a hard winter sends ticks and fleas into a state of hibernation, but with the recent mild conditions, they’ve remained somewhat active.
Dr. Scott Demanes, a veterinarian at Demanes Animal Hospital, said after 20 years of practice he can’t recall seeing tick and flea cases in January like he has this year.
“It may have happened a few other times, but there’s been many more cases than expected this year,” said Demanes, who reiterated that temperatures never dropped low enough for a sustained period this fall and early winter to kill off the fleas and ticks.
Kim Scott, a curator of animals at the Peoria Zoo at Glen Oak Park, suggested that the warm weather doesn’t only allow insects to survive, but brings the fleas’ and ticks’ breeding grounds right to them.
“With warmer conditions, fleas and ticks survive in the brush and by burrowing down through leaf litter,” said Scott, “and then animals running through the brush pick them up.”
Scott said that longer winters obviously help eliminate problems with insects, but there are other preventative methods to control fleas and ticks.
“The most important thing we can do for the animals here at the zoo is keep the area clean,” said Scott, who suggested not leaving animals in areas where insects thrive and keeping animals on heartworm and flea prevention medication year-round.
“There are products to keep ticks away, but with fleas, it’s not just the animal but the environment that needs to be treated,” said Demanes, who suggested that professional spraying prevents flea egg development and continues working for months.
Demanes said the weather has finally been consistently cold enough this month to extinguish the insect problem outdoors, and although insect activity indoors still mandates attention, at least there’s a clear area of focus.
“Now is a good time to try and kill the insects, because you know you don’t have to go outside, so you can concentrate on the animal and the environment in the home,” said Demanes.
Flea and tick prevention
- Keep animals on heartworm and flea prevention medication year-round.
- Provide animals with skin treatment medication if dermatology issues arise.
- Professionally spray the area where the animals are, as fleas can easily embed their eggs in the carpet of a home.
- Keep animals’ environment clean, washing any materials in personal quarters, like beds or blankets, often.
Eric Engel can be reached at 686-3194 or eengel@pjstar.com.
Article source: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1368166493/Mild-winter-means-more-trouble-with-fleas-ticks
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Putting the bite on bedbugs
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Hotels, dorms and local groups work hard to keep little suckers at bay
Christopher Onstott / Portland Tribune
Grant Walter of Home Forward Pest Control inspects for bedbugs in the couch cushions of an apartment with an LED light during a routine inspection.
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“Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” The old bedtime saying has taken on new meaning for thousands of Portlanders in recent years, ever since the local bedbug population mushroomed.
Infestations at homeless shelters, hotels, apartments, hospitals and college dorms have served as a wake-up call, prompting a variety of countermeasures.
But bedbugs remain a stigma here, in contrast to places like New York where they’ve long been ensconced. That keeps people and businesses from reporting or acknowledging the problem – making it difficult to track the growth of Portland’s bedbug population and determine if and where we’re making headway.
“Nobody can give you a really clear picture, because we don’t have that data,” says Margaret Mahoney, co-chairwoman of a bedbug work group formed by Multnomah County to forge community-wide solutions.
Homeless shelters and other low-income housing providers stepped up first in Portland, when bedbug sightings grew more common during the past few years. Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) built a “warming room” to kill bedbugs in homeless peoples’ luggage and possession before they could move into the new Bud Clark Commons apartments in Old Town. Central City Concern even developed its own bedbug-resistant bed and made it available to others.
But experts say anti-bedbug efforts in other sectors have lagged or been less effective, including those of the hotel industry and purveyors of secondhand furniture. Portlanders working on the front lines say it would be better if all affected parties, including TriMet, movie theaters and the hotel industry, participated in community-wide efforts.
“For a long time, the hotels said, ‘We don’t have a problem,’ ”says Mark Schmidt, Portland branch manager for Sprague Pest Solutions Inc.
“I don’t understand why we’re having such roadblocks with some partners in the community,” says Corey Ray, housing director for Portland State University.
Even the Multnomah County Health Department was initially reluctant to address the issue, says County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, because bedbugs were not deemed a public health threat.
Kafoury helped organize a one-day Bedbug Summit last March, bringing together a variety of affected players. The county is taking the lead role, though it’s not always getting the information or cooperation it would like.
“We know the importance in tracking the problem and knowing what the growth rate is,” says Ben Duncan, bedbugs program specialist for Multnomah County Health Department’s environmental health section.However, Duncan says, “There’s very little regulation or mandatory reporting.”
Despite the lack of comprehensive data on the scope of Portland’s bedbug problem, there are some indications of a problem here:
• In 2011, bedbugs were detected in 180 low-income housing units operated by Home Forward, says Ken Combs, core maintenance manager for the nonprofit agency. That’s 15 percent of its high-rise apartments.
• Schmidt, whose pest-control company counts many hotel owners among its clients, estimates that 3 percent of Portland hotel rooms have bedbugs. “I haven’t seen the numbers change much,” Schmidt says.
• Portland State University gets two to three reports of bedbugs in its dorms each quarter, says John Eckman, executive director of PSU auxiliary services. Every Northwest university, except for Eastern Oregon University, has reported problems with bedbugs, Eckman says.
• Though the city of Portland plays a minor role in the bedbug issue, 86 tenants have complained to the city Bureau of Development Services about bedbug infestations in their residences during the past four years, says agency spokesman Ross Caron.
Real bloodsuckers
Bedbugs are tiny, reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they’re sleeping. They initially inject victims with an anesthetic, so people don’t realize they’ve been bitten until later – sometimes days later – when bite marks appear.
Bedbugs congregate where their victims sleep, and they come out at night. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, behind wallpaper, in light switches and floorboards, even inside alarm clocks and portable bedside stereos. They spread by hitchhiking rides on bedding, clothing, luggage and furniture.
Though bedbugs don’t carry disease, they can cause considerable stress and sleeplessness, and are very difficult to eliminate.Kafoury says the local bedbug problem first came to her attention when many senior citizens and disabled people reported being traumatized by them.
“You have folks that really get debilitated by this issue,” Duncan says.
Some tenants have been billed hundreds of dollars when bedbugs were spotted in their dwellings, and others have been evicted, Duncan says. That makes some people afraid to report bedbugs, making them harder to contain.
County officials fear people are misusing pesticides in an effort to kill bedbugs, rather than hiring professionals. In addition, Kafoury says, “There are pest control companies out there that don’t know what they’re doing either.”
The bedbug population in the United States fell dramatically by the mid-20thcentury, beaten back by pesticides. But the numbers started growing as the insects developed resistance to pesticides, and with increased international travel. Long a scourge in New York City, elsewhere on the East Coast and in the Midwest, the bedbug population started growing here about three to five years ago.
Though they’re more common among transients, who often live in unsanitary conditions, bedbugs have been found in million-dollar Pearl District condos and high-end downtown hotels. They also may be found in homes, apartments, hotels, buses, airplanes and movie theaters.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rich or poor person,” says Kasandra Walton, a pest control technician for Home Forward. “They don’t discriminate. They like everybody.”
Aggressive programs
One day last week, a crew from Home Forward sprayed Robert Jarkow’s apartment at the Hollywood East high-rise in Northeast Portland. It was a precautionary move, which Jarkow appreciated, because several of his neighbors have reported bedbugs. “They have not been very happy,” he says.
Home Forward has an aggressive strategy to keep bedbugs under control, and now handles it all in-house with three trained pest control technicians.
“The numbers that we started at, and where we’re at now, we’re totally on top of it,” Combs says.
Staff concluded that some bedbugs were brought into the apartments via furniture donated by the Community Warehouse, and on a futon purchased on Craigslist. “We put a halt to anything coming in before we checked it,” Combs says. They eliminated free clothing exchanges on site, and started providing free encasements for mattresses, which suffocate bedbugs.
When bedbugs are discovered, technicians treat the units three times, every two to three weeks. If bedbugs are still there on a fourth visit, the treatment cycle begins anew, Walton says. Follow-up inspections are held every two months.
Home Forward invested $33,000 to build what is believed to be the first heating room for bedbugs in Oregon, after hearing about similar facilities in Canada. “It’s basically a big sauna,” says Rachael Duke of Home Forward.
Incoming residents to Bud Clark Commons are asked to place their belongings in the room, which is heated to 194 degrees. That kills the bedbugs and their eggs in a couple hours, without the need for chemicals. As a result, there’ve been no bedbugs reported at the homeless apartments since they opened six months ago, Duke says.
Used furnishings a concern
Bedbug experts say mattresses left on the street for all-comers to take, or other free exchanges, are a particular hazard for spreading bedbugs. It’s believed that some people put bedbug-infested furniture on the street to avoid the expense of hauling it to a dump.
Organizations like Community Warehouse, a Northeast Portland furniture bank that provides donated goods to low-income people, have a particular challenge with bedbugs. They get several truckloads of donated furnishings a day, and make it available to about 50 low-income families a week, says Tom Elston, program manager.
Elston acknowledges that his organization gets one to two calls a month from people claiming bedbugs have been spotted in the donated bedding and other furnishings. “There’s been some buildings that won’t allow furniture in from Community Warehouse,” he adds.
But Elston, who is an active participant on the county bedbug work group, insists bedbugs are under control at Community Warehouse because of its extensive screening program. Every week a dog trained to sniff out bedbugs comes to the warehouse to “inspect” the entire facility, including newly donated items.
“We’ve passed 62 inspections in a row,” Elston says. “We don’t have a problem at all –zero.”
However, Elston is convinced that many hotels are doing less than they should to counter bedbugs. When there are guests staying there, it’s unlikely a hotel will close a whole wing to deal with an infestation, he says.
Hotels are particularly vulnerable because they are way stations for travelers, including those coming from overseas, where bedbugs are more common.
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Article source: http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=132813755975557900
Putting the bite on bedbugs
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Email story link
Hotels, dorms and local groups work hard to keep little suckers at bay
Christopher Onstott / Portland Tribune
Grant Walter of Home Forward Pest Control inspects for bedbugs in the couch cushions of an apartment with an LED light during a routine inspection.
ADVERTISEMENTS
“Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” The old bedtime saying has taken on new meaning for thousands of Portlanders in recent years, ever since the local bedbug population mushroomed.
Infestations at homeless shelters, hotels, apartments, hospitals and college dorms have served as a wake-up call, prompting a variety of countermeasures.
But bedbugs remain a stigma here, in contrast to places like New York where they’ve long been ensconced. That keeps people and businesses from reporting or acknowledging the problem – making it difficult to track the growth of Portland’s bedbug population and determine if and where we’re making headway.
“Nobody can give you a really clear picture, because we don’t have that data,” says Margaret Mahoney, co-chairwoman of a bedbug work group formed by Multnomah County to forge community-wide solutions.
Homeless shelters and other low-income housing providers stepped up first in Portland, when bedbug sightings grew more common during the past few years. Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) built a “warming room” to kill bedbugs in homeless peoples’ luggage and possession before they could move into the new Bud Clark Commons apartments in Old Town. Central City Concern even developed its own bedbug-resistant bed and made it available to others.
But experts say anti-bedbug efforts in other sectors have lagged or been less effective, including those of the hotel industry and purveyors of secondhand furniture. Portlanders working on the front lines say it would be better if all affected parties, including TriMet, movie theaters and the hotel industry, participated in community-wide efforts.
“For a long time, the hotels said, ‘We don’t have a problem,’ ”says Mark Schmidt, Portland branch manager for Sprague Pest Solutions Inc.
“I don’t understand why we’re having such roadblocks with some partners in the community,” says Corey Ray, housing director for Portland State University.
Even the Multnomah County Health Department was initially reluctant to address the issue, says County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, because bedbugs were not deemed a public health threat.
Kafoury helped organize a one-day Bedbug Summit last March, bringing together a variety of affected players. The county is taking the lead role, though it’s not always getting the information or cooperation it would like.
“We know the importance in tracking the problem and knowing what the growth rate is,” says Ben Duncan, bedbugs program specialist for Multnomah County Health Department’s environmental health section.However, Duncan says, “There’s very little regulation or mandatory reporting.”
Despite the lack of comprehensive data on the scope of Portland’s bedbug problem, there are some indications of a problem here:
• In 2011, bedbugs were detected in 180 low-income housing units operated by Home Forward, says Ken Combs, core maintenance manager for the nonprofit agency. That’s 15 percent of its high-rise apartments.
• Schmidt, whose pest-control company counts many hotel owners among its clients, estimates that 3 percent of Portland hotel rooms have bedbugs. “I haven’t seen the numbers change much,” Schmidt says.
• Portland State University gets two to three reports of bedbugs in its dorms each quarter, says John Eckman, executive director of PSU auxiliary services. Every Northwest university, except for Eastern Oregon University, has reported problems with bedbugs, Eckman says.
• Though the city of Portland plays a minor role in the bedbug issue, 86 tenants have complained to the city Bureau of Development Services about bedbug infestations in their residences during the past four years, says agency spokesman Ross Caron.
Real bloodsuckers
Bedbugs are tiny, reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they’re sleeping. They initially inject victims with an anesthetic, so people don’t realize they’ve been bitten until later – sometimes days later – when bite marks appear.
Bedbugs congregate where their victims sleep, and they come out at night. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, behind wallpaper, in light switches and floorboards, even inside alarm clocks and portable bedside stereos. They spread by hitchhiking rides on bedding, clothing, luggage and furniture.
Though bedbugs don’t carry disease, they can cause considerable stress and sleeplessness, and are very difficult to eliminate.Kafoury says the local bedbug problem first came to her attention when many senior citizens and disabled people reported being traumatized by them.
“You have folks that really get debilitated by this issue,” Duncan says.
Some tenants have been billed hundreds of dollars when bedbugs were spotted in their dwellings, and others have been evicted, Duncan says. That makes some people afraid to report bedbugs, making them harder to contain.
County officials fear people are misusing pesticides in an effort to kill bedbugs, rather than hiring professionals. In addition, Kafoury says, “There are pest control companies out there that don’t know what they’re doing either.”
The bedbug population in the United States fell dramatically by the mid-20thcentury, beaten back by pesticides. But the numbers started growing as the insects developed resistance to pesticides, and with increased international travel. Long a scourge in New York City, elsewhere on the East Coast and in the Midwest, the bedbug population started growing here about three to five years ago.
Though they’re more common among transients, who often live in unsanitary conditions, bedbugs have been found in million-dollar Pearl District condos and high-end downtown hotels. They also may be found in homes, apartments, hotels, buses, airplanes and movie theaters.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rich or poor person,” says Kasandra Walton, a pest control technician for Home Forward. “They don’t discriminate. They like everybody.”
Aggressive programs
One day last week, a crew from Home Forward sprayed Robert Jarkow’s apartment at the Hollywood East high-rise in Northeast Portland. It was a precautionary move, which Jarkow appreciated, because several of his neighbors have reported bedbugs. “They have not been very happy,” he says.
Home Forward has an aggressive strategy to keep bedbugs under control, and now handles it all in-house with three trained pest control technicians.
“The numbers that we started at, and where we’re at now, we’re totally on top of it,” Combs says.
Staff concluded that some bedbugs were brought into the apartments via furniture donated by the Community Warehouse, and on a futon purchased on Craigslist. “We put a halt to anything coming in before we checked it,” Combs says. They eliminated free clothing exchanges on site, and started providing free encasements for mattresses, which suffocate bedbugs.
When bedbugs are discovered, technicians treat the units three times, every two to three weeks. If bedbugs are still there on a fourth visit, the treatment cycle begins anew, Walton says. Follow-up inspections are held every two months.
Home Forward invested $33,000 to build what is believed to be the first heating room for bedbugs in Oregon, after hearing about similar facilities in Canada. “It’s basically a big sauna,” says Rachael Duke of Home Forward.
Incoming residents to Bud Clark Commons are asked to place their belongings in the room, which is heated to 194 degrees. That kills the bedbugs and their eggs in a couple hours, without the need for chemicals. As a result, there’ve been no bedbugs reported at the homeless apartments since they opened six months ago, Duke says.
Used furnishings a concern
Bedbug experts say mattresses left on the street for all-comers to take, or other free exchanges, are a particular hazard for spreading bedbugs. It’s believed that some people put bedbug-infested furniture on the street to avoid the expense of hauling it to a dump.
Organizations like Community Warehouse, a Northeast Portland furniture bank that provides donated goods to low-income people, have a particular challenge with bedbugs. They get several truckloads of donated furnishings a day, and make it available to about 50 low-income families a week, says Tom Elston, program manager.
Elston acknowledges that his organization gets one to two calls a month from people claiming bedbugs have been spotted in the donated bedding and other furnishings. “There’s been some buildings that won’t allow furniture in from Community Warehouse,” he adds.
But Elston, who is an active participant on the county bedbug work group, insists bedbugs are under control at Community Warehouse because of its extensive screening program. Every week a dog trained to sniff out bedbugs comes to the warehouse to “inspect” the entire facility, including newly donated items.
“We’ve passed 62 inspections in a row,” Elston says. “We don’t have a problem at all –zero.”
However, Elston is convinced that many hotels are doing less than they should to counter bedbugs. When there are guests staying there, it’s unlikely a hotel will close a whole wing to deal with an infestation, he says.
Hotels are particularly vulnerable because they are way stations for travelers, including those coming from overseas, where bedbugs are more common.
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Article source: http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=132813755975557900
Ticks, Fleas, and Your Dog: 3 Questions You've Been Itching to Ask–Answered!
Tick and flea bites can cause your dogs discomfort and have them itching and scratching frequently, but are they harmful? In their article “Home Remedies for Dogs with Fleas,” Shanna Freeman and Dr. William Fortney write, “Some dogs are extra-sensitive to flea saliva. One bite may be enough to bring on the unbearable itching of flea-allergy dermatitis (FAD).” These little critters can also make your pet susceptible to bacterial infections and hot spots, which can spread and become difficult to control. According to the National Pest Management Association Inc., fleas can even transfer tapeworms to pets and cause anemia.
HOW DOES MY DOG GET TICKS AND FLEAS?
In his interview for WebMD, flea and tick expert Professor Michael Dryden says that it can happen when a flea-infested animal roams around your neighborhood carrying flea eggs or female fleas. The latter may leave eggs scattered around your area. “And then those eggs developed into adults and those fleas jumped onto your pet,” he explains. Fleas are known to jump over six feet and latch themselves onto any furry pet they can find.
Dryen says a female flea can lay as many as 40 to 50 eggs per day–that’s 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. And these eggs can hatch in 1 to 10 days. “Over 4,000 eggs are deposited in cracks and crevices along floors, behind dog cages, or even ceilings,” Dryden says in his research entitled “Biology and Control of Ticks Infesting Dogs and Cats in North America.” And once they hatch, they can survive for weeks without feeding while waiting for a suitable host.
HOW CAN I GET RID OF THESE PESKY PARASITES?
If your fur baby only has a few (thank God!), you can remove them manually. Professor Dryden recommends grasping the flea or tick as close to the skin as possible with a tweezer and then extracting the parasite using slow, steady pressure. “The tick should not be crushed, twisted, or jerked out of the skin,” he warns. Doing any of these could detach the tick’s body, leaving the head still latched onto your pet’s skin, which could in turn cause infections.
According to Jenna Stregowski, RVT, on the other hand, there are three effective ways to eliminate fleas. In her article “All About Fleas on Dogs” she includes:
1. Spot-on topical treatments like Advantage and Frontline
“Typically, the spot-on treatments need to be applied monthly,” she says. It can kill adult fleas, and some even have ingredients that can sterilize fleas. They are usually water-resistant, which means you can bathe your dog a few days after the application.
2. Oral flea prevention or treatment
This releases chemicals into your dog’s blood and can kill the parasites once they bite your dog. It should also be given once a month, and a dog should not be given more than one type of oral treatment at a time.
3. Shampoos, dips, and topical sprays
These might not last as long as the previous treatments mentioned, but they can instantly remove fleas. “Flea shampoos, dips, and sprays should not be used in conjunction with topical spot-on treatments, as they may cancel each other out or even cause chemical toxicity,” she warns.
HOW CAN I ELIMINATE TICKS AND FLEAS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT?
This can be done by destroying tick and flea habitats. Dryden suggests “cutting or removing grass, weeds, and brush piles between fences and along property lines.” Acaricides (or pesticides used to kill ticks and fleas) can also be sprayed into cracks and crevices around your dog’s cage or sleeping area, along the boards of the ceiling, and other areas your pet frequents. “If ticks continue to be a problem, restricting a pet’s access to tick-infested environments, such as tall grass, weeds, and forested areas, may be necessary.”
For more on pet care, check out these articles:
- 10 Things You Should Do for Your Dog This Year
- How to Toilet-Train Your Puppy: A Guide for First-Time Dog Owners
- Mommy, Can I Keep Him? 12 Things to Remember When Giving Your Kids Their First Pet
- Canine Companions: 5 Reasons to Get Your Kids a Dog
- What Every Pet Owner Should Know about Vaccines: 5 FAQs and Their Answers
- 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking a Vet
- 16 Basic Items Every New Pet Owner Must Have
- Doggy-Dangerous Munchies: 20 Food Items Not to Feed Your Pooch
- Canine Cribs: 6 Tips for Creating a Dog-Friendly Home
- Fur Files: 10 Things to Consider before Adopting a Pet
- Wipe It! 5 Ways to Deal with Your Pet’s Messes
- Food for Your Fur Baby: 5 Things You Should Consider When Picking Dog Chow
(Photos by LOLren, CMDrGravy, and breakmake respectively via Flickr Creative Commons)
Article source: http://www.femalenetwork.com/pets/ticks-fleas-and-your-dog-3-questions-youve-been-itching-to-ask-answered/
Ticks, Fleas, and Your Dog: 3 Questions You've Been Itching to Ask–Answered!
Tick and flea bites can cause your dogs discomfort and have them itching and scratching frequently, but are they harmful? In their article “Home Remedies for Dogs with Fleas,” Shanna Freeman and Dr. William Fortney write, “Some dogs are extra-sensitive to flea saliva. One bite may be enough to bring on the unbearable itching of flea-allergy dermatitis (FAD).” These little critters can also make your pet susceptible to bacterial infections and hot spots, which can spread and become difficult to control. According to the National Pest Management Association Inc., fleas can even transfer tapeworms to pets and cause anemia.
HOW DOES MY DOG GET TICKS AND FLEAS?
In his interview for WebMD, flea and tick expert Professor Michael Dryden says that it can happen when a flea-infested animal roams around your neighborhood carrying flea eggs or female fleas. The latter may leave eggs scattered around your area. “And then those eggs developed into adults and those fleas jumped onto your pet,” he explains. Fleas are known to jump over six feet and latch themselves onto any furry pet they can find.
Dryen says a female flea can lay as many as 40 to 50 eggs per day–that’s 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. And these eggs can hatch in 1 to 10 days. “Over 4,000 eggs are deposited in cracks and crevices along floors, behind dog cages, or even ceilings,” Dryden says in his research entitled “Biology and Control of Ticks Infesting Dogs and Cats in North America.” And once they hatch, they can survive for weeks without feeding while waiting for a suitable host.
HOW CAN I GET RID OF THESE PESKY PARASITES?
If your fur baby only has a few (thank God!), you can remove them manually. Professor Dryden recommends grasping the flea or tick as close to the skin as possible with a tweezer and then extracting the parasite using slow, steady pressure. “The tick should not be crushed, twisted, or jerked out of the skin,” he warns. Doing any of these could detach the tick’s body, leaving the head still latched onto your pet’s skin, which could in turn cause infections.
According to Jenna Stregowski, RVT, on the other hand, there are three effective ways to eliminate fleas. In her article “All About Fleas on Dogs” she includes:
1. Spot-on topical treatments like Advantage and Frontline
“Typically, the spot-on treatments need to be applied monthly,” she says. It can kill adult fleas, and some even have ingredients that can sterilize fleas. They are usually water-resistant, which means you can bathe your dog a few days after the application.
2. Oral flea prevention or treatment
This releases chemicals into your dog’s blood and can kill the parasites once they bite your dog. It should also be given once a month, and a dog should not be given more than one type of oral treatment at a time.
3. Shampoos, dips, and topical sprays
These might not last as long as the previous treatments mentioned, but they can instantly remove fleas. “Flea shampoos, dips, and sprays should not be used in conjunction with topical spot-on treatments, as they may cancel each other out or even cause chemical toxicity,” she warns.
HOW CAN I ELIMINATE TICKS AND FLEAS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT?
This can be done by destroying tick and flea habitats. Dryden suggests “cutting or removing grass, weeds, and brush piles between fences and along property lines.” Acaricides (or pesticides used to kill ticks and fleas) can also be sprayed into cracks and crevices around your dog’s cage or sleeping area, along the boards of the ceiling, and other areas your pet frequents. “If ticks continue to be a problem, restricting a pet’s access to tick-infested environments, such as tall grass, weeds, and forested areas, may be necessary.”
For more on pet care, check out these articles:
- 10 Things You Should Do for Your Dog This Year
- How to Toilet-Train Your Puppy: A Guide for First-Time Dog Owners
- Mommy, Can I Keep Him? 12 Things to Remember When Giving Your Kids Their First Pet
- Canine Companions: 5 Reasons to Get Your Kids a Dog
- What Every Pet Owner Should Know about Vaccines: 5 FAQs and Their Answers
- 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking a Vet
- 16 Basic Items Every New Pet Owner Must Have
- Doggy-Dangerous Munchies: 20 Food Items Not to Feed Your Pooch
- Canine Cribs: 6 Tips for Creating a Dog-Friendly Home
- Fur Files: 10 Things to Consider before Adopting a Pet
- Wipe It! 5 Ways to Deal with Your Pet’s Messes
- Food for Your Fur Baby: 5 Things You Should Consider When Picking Dog Chow
(Photos by LOLren, CMDrGravy, and breakmake respectively via Flickr Creative Commons)
Article source: http://www.femalenetwork.com/pets/ticks-fleas-and-your-dog-3-questions-youve-been-itching-to-ask-answered/
