By Heidi Clayton
Hopefully, warmer weather will be coming soon. It will be time to protect your dog against fleas and ticks.
When asked about the risks of using flea and tick prevention, my approach is there is always a risk-cost benefit to the medications and topicals you can give your dog. It is up to you to choose what works best for your dog’s health.
I spend a great deal of time outside with my dogs either at home or they all go to the farm with me to walk in the woods and visit our horse. Since I am in the woods daily, my dogs are vaccinated for Lymes disease. In the summer, I find ticks on my dogs nearly daily. Given our lifestyle, I feel the risk of them getting Lymes is higher than suffering from any side effects of the vaccine.
The symptoms of Lymes range from joint stiffness to lameness. If left untreated, it can result in neurological issues, kidney failure, and cardiac issues. I would prefer my dogs continue to live an active lifestyle rather than risk them developing these problems.
In addition to getting the Lymes vaccine, I also use a topical flea and tick preventative on all my dogs. There is no shortage of ticks in the shore area. Those of you who live near the beach have no shortage of fleas. A flea infestation in your house can be a nightmare. I prefer to use a topical preventative as opposed to the multi-coverage pills available. My only reason is none of the monthly “cover-all” pills have been tested on breeding stock animals, but they may be right for your dog. Flea and tick preventatives are stored in a dog’s sebaceous gland and will attack the flea’s or tick’s central nervous system when they bite your dog. This prevents them from spreading their disease.
It takes 24-36 hours for a tick to transmit Lymes in a dog. On a light-colored dog, you might see a tick and be able to remove it in time. However, they may go undetected on darker dogs. Using a preventative lessens the worry that they will have contracted Lymes.
Fleas by the way carry the tapeworm. When a dog bites at the flea that is biting them, they often swallow the flea. The tapeworm larvae, which are extremely hearty, will then live in your dog’s intestines where they will grow and reproduce thus infecting your dog with worms.
If you choose to use a multi-coverage pill that protects your dog from fleas, ticks, heartworms, and sometimes hook and roundworms, you will need to get a prescription from your vet. Topicals are available at most pet stores. You should also talk to your vet about the possibility of seizures from using the products Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, and Credelio. All of these products contain “isoxazoline” which the FDA is investigating as the cause of reported seizures. I have used topical products on all my dogs for years and have never witnessed any ill effects.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
