Flea and Tick Prevention

What is flea and tick prevention?

Flea and tick prevention consists of a variety of products used to control flea and/or tick infestations on your pet and to prevent infestations inside your home. Fleas are small insects that are parasitic; they feed on blood from animals and/or people. Ticks are a type of arachnid (like spiders, scorpions, and mites) that are also parasitic.

How can my pet get fleas or ticks?

Fleas and ticks can be found worldwide. Fleas can live in many climate zones, but they prefer humid and shady areas, such as under a leaf. They can also be carried by many different wild animal hosts, such as foxes, skunks, raccoons, birds, and rodents. They have incredible jumping ability and can easily jump onto you or your pet as you walk by.

Ticks can also live in many climate zones, and prefer humid and shady environments, especially areas with woods, shrubs, weeds, and tall grasses. Ticks can be carried by a variety of wild animal hosts such as deer, horses, and rodents. Ticks cannot jump like fleas, but will grab you or your pet as you walk by via a behavior called questing.

Why is flea and tick prevention important?

Fleas and ticks can cause two specific problems. One, they can cause discomfort and skin irritation through their bites, and in some cases can cause severe allergic reactions in both pets and people. Two, they both can carry diseases and can cause illness both in pets and people. Some of these diseases can be deadly and others can cause severe, chronic, and lifelong illness. Prevention is key to avoid these problems.

Prevention is also important because both fleas and ticks can infest the home. Because they have different life cycles (see handouts "Flea Control in Cats", "Flea Control in Dogs", "Ticks in Dogs", and "Ticks in Cats" for more information on life cycles), treating an infestation is much more difficult (and costly) than preventing an infestation.

What kinds of illnesses can fleas and/or ticks cause?

Fleas and ticks can transmit many infectious diseases when they take a blood meal from either pets or people. The most common flea of North America can transmit murine typhus, flea-borne spotted fever, cat-scratch disease (bartonellosis), and flea tapeworms. Other flea species can transmit salmonellosis, plague, rodent tapeworm, murine trypanosomiasis, dwarf tapeworm. Fleas in general can transmit hemoplasmosis and tularemia.

Each tick species is known to transmit specific infectious diseases, including but not limited to the following: Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, rickettsiosis, tularemia, cytauxzoonosis, and hepatozoonosis.

How do I know if my pet needs flea and tick prevention?

Fleas and ticks are small and can sometimes be difficult to identify on your pet. Physical examination is the most useful method to identify signs of fleas or ticks. Using a flea comb can help identify the presence of adult fleas or flea dirt. Flea dirt (flea feces) looks like brownish-black granular “dirt” that will dissolve and turn red when placed on a wet paper towel. Fleas prefer the head and neck area of cats, and the rump and tail area of dogs.

Ticks, depending on the life cycle and feeding stage, can vary in size. They can be as small as a pin head or poppy seed or as big as a pencil eraser. Ticks can attach anywhere on the body, but prefer dark and hidden areas like the ears, armpits, groin, tail, and between the toes.

Sometimes finding the flea or the tick is difficult, especially on cats because they are constantly grooming. Sometimes the only sign of fleas and ticks is skin irritation, and in these cases, flea and tick prevention is used as a treatment trial.

Some areas of the world have fleas and ticks present year-round, while others have flea and tick “seasons”. However, because both fleas and ticks can survive in a variety of climates and can live inside your home and on your warm pet, many veterinary professionals agree that year-round prevention is recommended when possible.

What are the different kinds of flea and tick prevention?

There are many products on the market. Some are over the counter and some are prescription. Some are stand-alone products and some are in combination with other treatments/medications. Some are applied to the skin, some are worn as a collar, and some are given by mouth (orally). Some are given daily, some are given monthly, and some can last for several months. Depending on your lifestyle, your pet’s lifestyle, and your needs and preferences, your veterinary team will help you choose a product that works best for you and your pet.