Dog Has Fleas, Ticks? Your Dog's Playmates May Be to Blame
By Jennifer Kvamme, DVM
Even if your dog stays close to home, fleas and ticks are canny creatures, and they have ways of making it into your home, even with preventions in place. Here are just a few of those ways...
Other Pets (or Playmates)
Dogs and cats love getting close to each other - whether for rough-housing, grooming or just simple greetings. This provides fleas and ticks the perfect opportunity to seek new hosts. Your pet may encounter these dogs and cats and a friend's house, at the park or - in the case of multi-pet homes - in your very own home.
Wild Animals
Unfortunately, there is no way to keep every wild animal out of your yard -- not even with a tall fence. No yard is an island unto itself, and squirrels, raccoons, and other small rodents will find ways to get into your yard, carrying fleas and ticks along with them.
The more visitors you have to your yard, the greater the chance of an infestation arriving on the back of another animal. Feral cats roaming your property are also carriers of fleas and ticks. This is one reason not to encourage wild animals to come into your dog’s domain by leaving out offerings such as corn, nuts, and seeds. Even a bowl of water, left out for when your dog is outside, is an invitation for other animals to hang about.
Human Transportation
You and your human visitors can also be unwitting carriers of fleas and ticks. Anyone coming into your home could be a carrier of fleas. They can be brought in from the person’s own home or pet without their knowledge.
If you like to spend time hiking in areas where fleas and ticks are prevalent, it’s easy for a few to hitch a ride on your pants leg, socks, shoes, etc. These parasites are well-adapted at finding ways to attach to potential hosts in order to find their next blood meal.
Be Pro-active
Because fleas and ticks are so good at what they do, you will need to be extra vigilant during the peak flea and tick season -- typically the warm weather months from spring through early autumn (in the southern states, flea and tick season can be all year long). If you notice just one or two insects on your dog, treat it seriously, before it becomes a full blown infestation.
If your dog is very young or old, or if she has any underlying health condition, visit your veterinarian for advice on the best preventive medications and the safest way to use them. Your doctor will be able to show you the proper way to apply these medications and recommend just the right dose for your dog’s age and weight.
For the outside, there are some plants that are known for their flea repelling characteristics, and it is worth it to try anti-pest landscaping. However, it is often easier and more effective to use chemical pesticides and repellants for yard and perimeter treatment, especially when dealing with an infestation that is already in full progress.
If you do already have a flea and tick problem, you might want use the tried and sure chemical remedies for this season, so that you can comfortably enjoy the rest of the season, saving the reliance on flea repelling landscaping for next spring. It’s much easier to start early, keeping parasites from getting a foothold, than it is to try to eradicate them after they have had a chance to breed and establish themselves in your home and on your dog.
Image: Andrew Bardwell / via Flickr
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