Since a single female flea can produce up to 2,000 eggs in her three-week lifespan, a dog can become quickly infested.

Tick bites are even more dangerous. A single tick bite can transmit Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and other diseases. Signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses may take anywhere from 7 to 21 or more days to appear, according to the Centers for Disease Control. When it comes to choosing between a topical or oral preventative, efficacy, and safety are two important factors to consider.

A ninety-day study published in Veterinary Parasitology (the top reference publication for veterinarians) involving 128 dogs from five states, and found that topicals were 88.4% effective, while oral treatments were 99.9% effective. For this reason, Kennesaw Mountain Animal Hospital prefers oral preventions over topical.

Topicals vs. Orals

When it comes to topicals, administering a liquid to the skin invites various factors into play; should your pet shake off immediately after application (which most do), some of the medication may not remain on the skin; bathing and swimming can remove some of the medication, thereby, weakening efficacy by shortening the time frame in which your pet is protected. This means that the last week or so of the month, your pet is susceptible to a possible flea infestation, tick-borne disease, and heart-worms from a mosquito bite.

Safety

The safety of the product means its effects on your pet. Are adverse reactions a possibility? After much research, our Doctors have determined that our preferred Flea & Tick Preventions are Credelio®, and Simparica Trio™. It is important to note that if you have a pet with a history of seizures, let our doctors recommend which flea and tick preventative product is the best for your pet.

Flea allergy dermatitis is a very common diagnosis and is caused by the saliva from a flea bite. If the pet is allergic, you will begin seeing signs of scratching, chewing, constant grooming, redness, hair loss, etc. Once the skin is broken from the irritation, infection soon follows. Flea prevention is the best way to keep infestations from occurring, thereby causing skin infections. At Kennesaw Mountain Animal Hospital, we can’t stress enough that prevention is key. Prevention from possible illness means prevention against additional stresses on your pet; stresses from future medications and treatments which could have been avoided by a simple, once-a-month chewable.