Flea and tick season is almost here – are you ready?
Let’s talk about fleas and ticks 101 – what is the difference between the two? Do you even know? Here is a quick guide to help you understand the pests you could be dealing with, and ways to help manage them.
The difference between Fleas and Ticks:
Fleas – let’s talk about these first. Most likely, the type of flea you will find on your dog is the cat flea. It has four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid on the dog, but fall off within a few hours onto whatever the dog is laying on – a bed, carpet, or couch for example. After the larvae emerge, they feed on adult flea feces, organic debris, eggshells, and other flea larvae. They develop into adult fleas by cocooning themselves in a pupae. After 8-28 days, the adult flea emerges if conditions are favorable.
Ticks – While there are several species that you might find on your dog, it is usually the ixodid, or hard, ticks. Again, they have a few life stages: larva, nymph, and adult – but they molt and feed off a different host between each stage.
Both types of pests can be managed – with flea and tick prevention you can get from your vet. These can be topical or oral types of treatments (wait for next week’s blog!)
Related: How to Prevent Lyme Disease In Your Dog
Managing Fleas and Ticks
Ticks:
- Check for ticks daily – especially if you live in wooded areas, areas prone to tick infestation, or if you’ve just taken a walk in the woods.
- Keep grass and weeds cut short.
- If you can, remove grass, weeds, and brush piles between fences, along property lines, and near buildings.
- Landscape with plants that do not attract deer.
Fleas:
- If you’re already infested (which you are if you find just one flea on your dog), treat all you animals in your house so fleas can’t reproduce.
- Treat the indoor environment to remove all traces of eggs, larvae, and pupae by vacuuming daily and washing bedding regularly in hot water.
- Treat your yard to reduce the population of bugs outside.
Summarized from Dog Fancy Magazine
Related: Heartwoms: What you Need To Know About Them To Keep Your Dog Healthy
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