Everything You Need To Know About Flea Prevention

Being a pet parent, you may face a flea infestation on your dog or cat at least once in their lifetime. Fleas can disrupt the lives of your pets and cause many health problems. Most sensible pet owners are often looking to prevent their pets from these catching these nasty pests in the first place.

There are easy ways to prevent your pet getting fleas, allowing you to keep them safe and protected. Regular monthly flea prevention methods are recommended by most veterinarians, but it has been found that people do not always remember to do this, and their pets often suffer from fleas as a result.

In this article, we will reflect on how we can protect our cats and dogs from fleas and discuss flea prevention in those pets that are already suffering from some disease.

Flea prevention in pets

The cheapest and easiest way to deal with fleas is to prevent them in the first place. The reason for this is that the cost, time and inconvenience associated with eradicating an outbreak of fleas is much higher than simply using regular flea prevention methods. As we all know, prevention is easier, better, and cheaper than cure!

Can you prevent fleas in dogs?

Yes, fleas can be prevented in dogs, although they are generally more susceptible to fleas. There are different flea prevention methods for dogs. Some common methods are outlined below:

• Decrease the time of your dog’s outdoor activities.
• Do not allow them to come in contact with stray or wild animals.
• Check regularly for flea eggs and fleas on their fur and skin.
• Brush their coat regularly.
• Be extra careful in hot climates as fleas prefer to live in hot, humid climates.
• Consult your vet and use monthly flea preventative products. There are different flea repellent pills, topical solutions, and collars available to repel fleas, and you can use them on a regular basis.
• After using the prevention method on your dog, the second step is to protect your home and living area. Learn from your vet how to get rid of fleas in your home.
• As soon as your puppies reach the age of eight weeks or older, consult your vets and begin flea prevention for puppies.

Can you prevent fleas in cats?

Fleas can seriously affect your cats. Cats are a bit more sensitive, so it’s essential to pay attention and protect your furry friends from this nuisance. There are different things you can do to keep fleas at bay.

• Limit the amount of time outdoors.
• Do not allow your cat to come into contact with other animals affected by fleas.
• Bathe your cats with flea repellent shampoos that will kill existing fleas and prevent new fleas from hatching.
• Wear flea collars that can kill and repel fleas.
• Routinely wash their bedding.
• Use monthly flea prevention for cats, such as flea pills or spot on treatments.
• Consult your veterinarian for flea prevention for kittens. Flea prevention methods are generally adopted when kittens reach the age of six to eight weeks.

How to prevent fleas in pets with allergies?

Like humans, pets also have sensitive skin and allergies and can suffer undesirable reactions from certain products. Occasionally dogs and cats can react badly to flea preventative medications (tablets, spot on solutions, collars). These reactions can be short lived (less than 24 hours) and only mild, but in some cases dogs and cats can have quite adverse reactions that last days and can result in sickness and unwellness. If your dog or cat has an adverse reaction to any form of flea treatment (or any other medication/treatment for that matter) you should always consult a vet immediately.

Suitable flea prevention for dogs with sensitive skin is oral treatments such as chewable tablets and pills. These tablets are an excellent alternative for those pets that have sensitive skin or suffer from some type of allergies.

There are very few side effects from chewable tablets and monthly pills. Topical treatments can also be used on dogs with sensitive skin or allergies, but there can occasionally be more adverse reactions, and extra care should always be taken with dogs and cats that suffer from allergies or sensitive skin.

Heartworm and flea prevention for dogs

Heartworm prevention in dogs is very important, and as a responsible dog parent, you should give your dogs a heartworm preventative dose regularly and all year round.

Can garlic help prevent fleas in dogs?

It is generally believed that garlic can cause toxicity in dogs- that belief stems from research done on dogs suffering from cancer, and they were given garlic in high doses. But garlic for flea and tick prevention is given in small doses and can help fight fungal and bacterial infections and also boost the immune system and prevent fleas. Fleas hate the smell of things like garlic and brewer’s yeast. Whilst anecdotal evidence suggests that garlic can be a good natural form of flea prevention, there is no specific scientific evidence to show how effective it is in preventing fleas.