Tick and Flea 101: Choosing The Right Tick and Flea Preventive For You And Your Pet
What’s that crawling on your wall? A tick! Tsk. And your mind is in overdrive to buy that tick and flea preventive you saw on your Facebook feed.
Sad to say in the Philippines, ticks and fleas are present all year round. Yes, more so during the summer months.
The good news though, there are tick and flea preventive products that are readily available for you to use on your dog. So much so that you might be confused which one to choose for your dog.
Here are the types of Tick and Flea Preventives in the market today:
Tick and Flea Preventive: Topical Medication
Topical Medication for fleas and ticks include powders, sprays, shampoos and spot-on treatments. The first three mentioned can last from a day to a week. Sprays can last longer as long as your dog does not get wet.
As you can see, the effectiveness is very short and is best used when coupled with other flea and tick preventive.
Spot-on treatments may be the best topical medication, one such medication is Frontline Spot On.
Spot-ons are applied on the base of your dog’s neck or in between the shoulder blades where they cannot reach with their tongue. The medication spread to the sweat glands of your dog which repels the ticks and fleas. Your dog can go swimming and the medication will still be effective for as long as 30 days.
Tick and Flea Preventive: Oral Medication
A popular solution to tick and flea prevention is the oral medication for dogs. This comes usually in chewable tablets that are palatable to your dogs for easy giving. Your dog might think it’s a treat but is actually a medication to kill off those parasites.
In today’s market there are various chewables you can choose from for your dog. Some focus on killing adult fleas, flea eggs and ticks in your dog as well as in your home. Others include preventing heartworm disease, treating roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
Most if not all of the oral medication that comes in chewable tablets lasts for 30 days. So you have to give this to your dog monthly. Simparica, a new product in the market can last up to 35 days.
Tick and Flea Preventive: Collars
Another type of tick and flea preventive is the collar. Yes, you read that right: a dog flea collar. These dog collars have active ingredients that kill off fleas, flea larva and ticks. A known dog and cat flea collar is Seresto.
With Seresto, you just simply place the collar on your dog’s neck and you have a tick and flea free pet and home for the next 8 months. Take note though, effectiveness may shorten if your dog loves to take a swim.
So there you have the top 3 tick and flea preventive products that you can choose from. If you are still confused, you can discuss the best one for your dog with your vet.
Enjoy peace of mind,
Dr. Sixto Carlos, DVM, MS
Makati Dog and Cat Hospital
Serving Pet Parents near Mandaluyong, Makati, and BGC
“The St. Luke’s of Pet Hospitals” – from a Happy Client