Springtime means that flowers and trees come back to full bloom and everywhere is cheery once again. With spring also comes bugs and pests that you would need to protect your dog from. You can easily get products that prevent your pet from becoming infested with fleas and ticks. Petland.com provides the best resources in terms of education and products to help you come out triumphant.
Why is it important to prevent fleas and ticks? Here’s why:
The Tick Problem
Ticks are tiny creatures that feed on animal blood. Unlike fleas, they aren’t insects, they are arachnids comparable to tiny spiders. They thrive in warmer climates, particularly spring and summer. Ticks can be found in grass and often jump on to your pet’s skin from there.
A tick bite can cause irritation at the bite site or become progressively infected. If the tick keeps up with feeding, your pet could end up with anemia or blood loss. Ticks also spread diseases, prominent of which is Lyme disease, typically transmitted by deer ticks.
Lyme disease may cause inflammation in your pup’s joint, making walking difficult.
The Flea Problem
Fleas are tiny insects that primarily derive nutrition from their host’s blood. Amongst the over 2,000 flea species, only the cat flea presents a huge problem for pet owners. Although known as the cat flea, they bite dogs, and humans as well.
They are able to jump up to 6 inches in the air to lodge their bodies in a host. They typically drain blood and may consume up to 15 times their own body weight in a day. Their actions cause constant discomfort in the form of itching. This may result in your pet losing hair as a result of constant scratching leaving red and inflamed skin.
Anemia is a major side effect of flea infestation and your pup would experience low iron levels.
Conclusion
It’s no use planning a cure when you can get ahead of the situation and work on preventing it altogether. Get right on with preventing your pet from getting infested.
