As summer gets ever closer, most of us are looking forward to spending a lot of our time outdoors with our family, friends, and pets.
While there’s nothing wrong with that in principle, outdoor environments are always teeming with pests like fleas and ticks. Exposure to these pests can make us and our pets susceptible to Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, or general irritation.
Flea and tick infestations are tough to control once they take root, which means prevention is the best policy. Below are four ways you can protect your pets from fleas and ticks:
Adopt a Year-Round Approach
Although the two pests are more active in the summer, they are resilient and cunning enough to survive the winter and the other seasons by hiding indoors. This means you shouldn’t wait until winter to put your preventative plans into action.
Visit your vet for advice on the best treatments during each season, and be sure to administer them as advised. This way, you prevent the pests from hatching and potentially causing problems later on.
Inspect Your Pets Regularly
Flea and tick infestations take some time to develop in a host, meaning you’ll be able to see a few signs if you’re vigilant enough.
Ideally, inspect your pets before they return indoors after an outdoor playing session and remove and kill any pests. Pay particular attention to areas like the ears, under armpits, and between the nooks and crannies in the skin.
Pests love to hide in these warm areas, which also happen to be largely inaccessible to both you and the pet.
See the vet immediately if you notice some pest bites on your pet’s skin.
Keep the Pet’s Sleep Area Clean
Sometimes, it may be hard to prevent tiny fleas and ticks from entering your pet’s sleeping area and as such, cleaning the area and the pet’s bedding is one of the most logical ways to get rid of any pests that manage to get in.
It would be best to try to do the cleaning every week, using pet-friendly chemical detergents or a vacuum cleaner.
Don’t just stop at the pet’s bed; wash all your floors (especially under furniture), and vacuum all rugs, carpets, and even couch covers.
Keep Your Yard Clean and Wildlife-Free
Ticks are fond of tall grass, while the much smaller fleas tend to hide in warm, shady, and moist areas.
If your pet is constantly playing in the yard, you need to keep it clean and simple so the ticks have nowhere to hide. Regular mowing and trimming of shrubs will get the job done nicely.
Further, take measures to keep wildlife away from the yard, as most of them are infested with pests. In addition to installing a fence, keep your trash cans tightly locked, seal all openings in your house and garage, and avoid leaving food and water bowls outside overnight.
The above measures are all you need to keep your pets safe from ticks and fleas in most cases. However, if you’re still experiencing problems, you may want a pest control company involved.
