Experts offer tips for flea and tick prevention

DELMARVA – It’s easy to let your guard down this time of year when it comes to fleas and ticks, and keeping up with preventative measures.

But experts say the changing season doesn’t necessarily mean the pesky bugs are going away. Dr. Marianne Bailey with the Queenstown Veterinary Hospital says ticks tend to stick around until the ground freezes. Because that can vary annually, she says it’s best to keep your furry friends on a year-round tick and flea preventative.

“I think just making sure every pet is on something and honestly year round is my recommendation. Because just like we don’t know when the ground is gonna freeze and the ticks are gonna die, we don’t know when the ground is gonna thaw and the ticks are gonna come back. A lot of times you don’t know they’re back until you find them, and then you’re already kinda behind.”

According to Dr. Bailey, there are several products on the market for cats and dogs. For cats, she recommends a chewable or a topical product that covers flees, ticks, and heartworm. There’s also multiple chewable options for dogs that cover ticks, flees, heartworm, or a combination of the three. A flea and tick collar is also an option for pups.

Regardless of what method you choose, Dr. Bailey says it’s important to keep all your pets on some kind of flea and tick prevention, even if they only stay indoors.

“If you have a cat that stays inside but a dog that goes in and out they could bring in fleas and that’s a big concern.”

Dr. Bailey recommends keeping up with regular heartworm prevention treatments if you aren’t already using an all-in-one product.