The Importance of Regular Flea Treatment for your Dog

Prevention is better than cure. Regular use of a quality flea treatment spot-on product will prevent fleas from living on your pet long enough to reproduce. Using a product like Advantage or Frontline Plus consistently at monthly intervals will mean that any flea which finds your pet will die without laying eggs; breaking their life-cycle.

Once fleas have become established there is no one quick solution to eradicate them. Fleas only spend the adult portion of their life cycle on your pet. Flea eggs, larvae, pupae, and immature adults all live in your dog’s environment, your garden, your home, your car.

A dog with fleas will drop flea eggs everywhere they go, this means that when you find one adult flea on your dog, there will be a hundred more in their environment.

Total eradication of fleas will take at least three months and requires cleaning and treating the environment, as well as using a quality spot-on treatment product at regular intervals.

I only treat my dog for fleas when I see them

Waiting until you see fleas before treating them with a flea product is not an effective approach. Fleas like to hide away in thick areas of hair cover and very often owners do not notice the presence of fleas until their pet develops a hypersensitivity or the infestation is so great that their numbers are difficult to hide. Occasionally bites on human family members are the first sign of your unwanted guests living in the sofa or floorboards.

In the vet practice, most diagnoses of flea infestation come as a surprise to the owner who perhaps brought their pet in for an unrelated reason. It is easy to miss the signs of fleas, particularly if it is your first experience dealing with a flea problem. Protect My Pet has previously published a blog to help you spot the signs of fleas, click here to read more.

My dog does not play with other dogs, so he won’t catch fleas

Fleas do not often leap from dog to dog. Rather they lie in wait in the environment and wait for a potential host to come along, then they use their powerful legs to jump onto the animal to feed and reproduce. This means that fleas may be lying in wait for your dog in any number of locations; in the wooden floor cracks of the local dog-friendly café or in the park where foxes roam at night.

Cats and ferrets also suffer from the same types of fleas that infest dogs, so ensure all your pets are regularly treated for fleas to prevent a build-up of the various flea life-cycle stages in your home.

Why a Flea Subscription is the perfect solution

A flea subscription box for your dog means that you will never forget to treat for fleas again; their flea spot-on product will simply arrive in the post when it’s time to dose. You can rely on Protect My Pet to remember which product and dose your pet requires, and when, ensuring 24/7 protection against fleas.

Protect My Pet keeps the likes of fleas, ticks, and worms at bay in a more sustainable, convenient, and cost-effective way. They will deliver personalised parasite treatments through your letterbox when your pet is due.

Top 10 Tips for Dog Health & Happiness

As an independent, UK-based company employing a small, professional veterinary team, Protect My Pet believes in providing quality care in a socially responsible way. The brands they use in their boxes are some of the most reputable on the market, and they only prescribe the doses that your pet needs. That way, you can keep your costs down while they work to reduce waste.

As a Priority Paws member, you can enjoy an exclusive offer to sign up to Protect My Pet with 20% OFF your first three months. There are no hidden terms or lock-ins, just a commitment-free subscription that you can cancel any time.

Visit www.protect-mypet.com to sign up today to protect your pet the easy way!

Written by Protect My Pet’s Head Veterinarian; Lindsay Rose MA VetMB CertAVP CertVBM MRCVS. Adapted for Pets Pyjamas.