Fleas & Ticks

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 Photos of Fleas

What Are Fleas & Ticks?

Fleas: are blood sucking insects. They live on the skin and in the hair of animals. Their bodies are hard & compressed so they can move through the hair easy. Their legs are built for jumping high and fast. They do not have wings. They are a dark reddish brown color.

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Photos of Ticks

What are Ticks:
Answer: Just like flea’s – Ticks also live off sucking blood from their host. They are related to spiders, scorpions & mites. Ticks have 8 legs with soft round bodies. There are over 800 different kinds of ticks. Below is just 2 examples of ticks that are attached and sucking blood from dogs.

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What are The Symptoms of Flea’s & Ticks?

Fleas: dogs that have fleas usually bite & scratch at their skin alot. You may even notice balding patches on your pet if you have a really bad case. Flea bites leave the skin irritated, red, and of course are itchy. Alot of dogs are allergic to flea bites, so that can cause “allergy” reactions as well.

Ticks: kindof burrow their face into the skin and suck blood for about 12 to 24 hours. So you can usually see their bodies sticking up from the skin very easily. They are not like fleas that are super tiny and jump around alot biting here and there. Wherever the tick decides to settle in and suck blood does becomes irritated, swollen, hypersensitive, and can even cause skin damage to that localized area.

Are Flea’s & Ticks Contagious?

Fleas: Fleas are not considered “contagious” (like a bacteria or virus), however, they are “transmittable” which bascially just means that if you come in direct contact with them, they may or may not jump on you.
Ticks: ticks are the same as fleas in this sense. They themselves are not “contagious” like a bacteria or virus would be. But ticks are transmittable, so if you come into direct contact with them, they may or may not burrow into you. Ticks are often found in places like shrubs, lawns, garden plants, trees, bushes, etc….. However, I do need to add that even though ticks themselves are not “contagious” they are known to carry very serious diseases (like lyme disease, tick born fever and rock mountain spotted fever ) which ARE contagious if they carry that and then suck into your blood.

How Do I Know if My Puppy Has Fleas or Ticks?
Answer: Have the vet check for them. Also, discuss with your vet if fleas and ticks are a problem in your area. Because some states it’s a real problem to keep fleas or ticks away from their pets, while other states rarely ever get them on their pets. If your area does have a problem with fleas or ticks, then you will need to get your pet on a preventative to reduce your chances of infestation.

What is the Treatment for Fleas & Ticks?

Fleas: Insecticides, flea collars, Flea Shampoo’s, Flea Bombs, External medicines like: Frontline & Advantage. or Once-a-Month pills like Program. If your pet has allergies to fleas, then you might need some allergy meds. Or if the flea bite has become infected, you will need some anti-biotics / ointments.
Ticks: the tick will need to be removed by grasping the tick with some tweezers and gently pulling it out of the skin. The longer the tick is in there, the more likely for disease transmission. Aftercare meds / ointments may or may not be required.

How Can I Prevent My Puppy From Getting Fleas & Ticks?

Fleas: you can buy things like: flea carpet powders, foggers, flea boms, and / or spray adulticide & insect growth regulators. Keep the environment clean & vacuumed. Regularly Wash bedding, blankets, etc…Keep your pet on some kindof of a “preventative” that your vet recommends for your area.
Ticks: well, this is a tricky one. Ticks are hard to “control.” If you have a tick problem in your area, your going to need a professional exterminator. As we have stated above, there are about 800 different types of ticks. So they can tell you which are common for your area and their suggestions on how to best keep everyone safe from them. You can try tick collars & topical ointments but discuss with your vet if they have noticed good results with preventative methods like this for your area.

What Age Will My Puppy Most Likely Get Fleas & Ticks?
Answer: Pets and people can pick up fleas & ticks at any age. It’s all environmental

What Product is Best for Flea & Ticks?
Answer: Please discuss this with your vet. With that said, click the link below to compare the 3 most popular flea & tick preventatives.

1. Frontline Plus
2.  K9 Advantix II
3.  Revolation

Disclaimer: We Are NOT Licensed Vets.  DO NOT try to diagnose or treat animals based off this or any other information you find on the internet.  This page is just BASIC INFORMATION  to help bring awareness to the different health issues that are common in animal. If your pet is having any kind of medical issue, please seek PROPER professional treatment from a licensed vet who is trained and set up to handle such matters.

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High Quality Products to Help Soothe Fleas Painful Bites

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