Dog's Help

Dogs and cats are two household creatures most prone to flea and tick attacks. These small insects use them as host for the propagation of their future progeny, sucking their blood and laying their eggs in the meanwhile. Removing them, then, becomes highly important.

How to Control Flea and tick infestation?
This is an extremely simple question which has a somewhat complex answer. Tick and flea control is a two pronged attack. In the first wave, pet owners have to get rid of fleas and ticks from the body of their dog. In the next wave of attack they have to eliminate these small insects from the environment of their dogs.

Removing Fleas and Ticks from the environment of the Dogs
Factors Responsible For their Growth: Fleas and ticks can be eliminated from the dog's environment by controlling the following factors responsible for flea and tick growth.

* High temperature and humid environment
* Organic debris and feces of adult fleas and ticks consumed by the larvae for their nourishment and growth.
* Moisture

It is highly essential to rid the dog's surrounding environment of the above three factors. Work hard to rid it of moisture and all types of organic debris. Keep the place/kennel clean and use a disinfectant to kill micro- as well macro-scopic germs. Further, do not allow pets from outside to enter the household. They can be unknown carriers of fleas and ticks.

Removal of Fleas and Ticks from Your Dog
The regular method of treating your dog for fleas and ticks is by applying insecticides to its skin. However, this method does not guarantee 100 per cent results as insecticides work only on adult fleas and ticks and not on their larvae. Further, these insecticides have little or no residual effects. As a result, the ticks and fleas returning to your dog are protected against it and you need to do the treatment all over again.

There are some flea and tick control products other than insecticides available in the market. These include sprays, spot application products and oral medications. Apart from them you also get flea collars for dogs. However, ensure that these collars do not get wet and do replace them once every six months.

A Word of Caution!
You have to be cautious when you are administering medical treatment (sprays, oral and spot application medication). All of them have to be used with great care as not all types (and especially pups of almost all breeds) react favorably to them. Ideally, these should be administered in consultation with a vet. If it's not possible to avail the services of the vet then dog owners should strictly follow the instructions given on the pack.