Dear Liz – Is it too early to start flea and tick prevention for our pets? I’ve already seen bugs out there!
Signed, Scratching in Southington
Dear Scratching – It’s never too early!!! With the thawing going on hot and heavy now, it’s time to get that protection ON! And I’m not just talking about fleas and ticks.
Mosquitoes will soon be hatching (if they’re not already) and that means heartworm transmission. Any time there is standing water, the right temperature and mosquito larvae, those pesky boogers will be flying about and spreading heartworm where ever they can.
It takes 6 months for heartworm to actually be developed enough to show up in a test, so getting your pet (dogs AND cats) protected now is extremely important.
For those of you using heartworm prevention, make sure you’re up to date with it. I can tell you from experience that treating heartworm in dogs is VERY expensive and very painful for your pet. It’s not treatable in cats, so make sure your cat is on prevention!
There is that new Vectra 3-D out, too – It’s applied just like flea prevention products (between the shoulder blades) but it also wards off mosquitoes, which is a great thing!
Remember, too, that gnats will soon be out and about as well so protect your dog’s ears as well! Those nasty little black bugs will bite when they can and leave very uncomfortable welts!
If you, like me, don’t like to put multiple products on your pets, check with your vet to see if there is one product that can cover most of the little buggers. Or check into natural products that might help as well, with out any side effects.
So while most of us are thrilled with spring being here, we need to remember that our pets might not be so happy if they’re being bugged by bugs!
