Flea Control - Stay Flea Free For The Summer

If you're in the southern hemisphere, we are starting to come into the summer months. Summer means warm, sunny days which everyone enjoys it. Unfortunately we aren't the only ones who love a good ray of sunshine. Warm days mean that fleas can go through their life cycle quickly, going from egg to adult in less than 14 days. If you are caught unprepared, you can quickly end up with some itchy, unhappy pets and a flea problem that will be hard to get rid of. Here are a few strategies to ensure you stay flea free this summer:

Use Regular Flea Control If you use a flea control product on all the pets in your house every month, you can sit back and relax. Your chances of getting a flea problem are very low. This is especially true if you are using a product that kills adults like Comfortis, Frontline Plus, Advocate or Revolution. If you are using a product that uses an insect growth regulator (IGR), like Sentinel Spectrum, you should be safe, but you need to keep an eye out for adult fleas which could introduce an infestation. If you aren't using anything for flea control, or if you are a bit haphazard, now is the time to correct your misguided ways. Prevention is better than cure!

No trespassers It is very common for a flea infestation to be transmitted by infested animals straying onto your pet's territory. Stray cats and other wildlife can carry heavy burdens of fleas, and will often choose the same resting places as your pet. Eggs from the trespassers' coats will fall into the environment and begin to develop. Two or three weeks later, and the eggs have hatched and could jump onto your pet.

Try to discourage stray or feral animals from coming to your property and sharing space with your pets, and you will have less of a chance of a flea outbreak.

Be vigilant Check your pet for fleas and other parasites daily. Not only will they enjoy the scratch, but you will be able to detect a possible problem before it becomes one. Finding one flea on your pet generally means there is at least six to twenty actually in residence. Now is the time to act! If you aren't using flea control then start with an adulticide like Comfortis, Frontline plus, Advocate or Revolution. If your pet is on an IGR then it may be wise to give it a Capstar tablet for fast knockdown of fleas before they can lay eggs.

Summer is a major danger time for fleas. Get a nasty infestation now and you could be fighting fleas for months. Do yourself and your pet a favour. Make sure you are giving your pet good quality, monthly flea control.

About the author: Simon Heikkila is an Australian veterinarian who wants to help you make the right choices about the best flea control for your pet. For more information see his website about flea control, or read more about comfortis flea pills.
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