Spring is here and it is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. The flowers and trees are blooming, baby animals are being born and the days are longer. My favorite outdoor activities are beginning; like baseball, hiking and boating. With the beautiful weather however, we also get the unwelcome return of many external parasites like fleas, ticks and mites that plague us and our pets, even our indoor pets. The television is full of commercials with this year’s newest products to treat and prevent our pet’s infestations. It can all be confusing and I am going to do my best to give a brief synopsis of the veterinary products that are out there for you to use to help protect you and your pets. I will keep this discussion to veterinary prescription only products.
1.) Topical medications: There are a great number of topical medications in many different drug classes on the market today. We have once monthly use products that protect against fleas and ticks. In dogs these include Frontline Gold, Vectra 3D and Revolution and for cats Frontline Gold and Revolution. Newer to the market, you can use Bravecto for dogs and cats which protects against fleas and ticks for 12 weeks after each dose.
2.) Oral Medications: In the last few years there have been oral products that have come onto the market, which are mostly for dogs, because who really wants to try to give a cat an oral flea medication. Nexgard and Simaparica are oral, once monthly chewables that protect against fleas and ticks for 30 days.
3.) Collars: Seresto collars are available for both dogs and cats and offer an alternative to topical medications and protect against fleas and ticks for 8 months. The Scalibor collar is also available but only for dogs and protects against fleas and ticks for 6 months.
- In the clinic we carry Bravecto and Revolution for cats and Nexgard and Revolution for dogs. We can order any of the other products for you through our online pharmacy and have them shipped to your home if you would like to try one of the other products that are available.
Fleas and ticks give me the creepy crawlies but more importantly can expose our pets to unwanted and sometimes even fatal diseases. While there is no one right answer for every pet, we will be happy to help you decide what products are best for you, your pets and their lifestyles to keep the entire family happy and healthy to enjoy all of your warm weather activities.
