Supports healthy joints, lean muscle, and beautiful coat for large breed dogs
Supports lean muscle and beautiful coat for adult dogs
Supports lean muscle, for dogs who prefer smaller kibble
With delicious chunks in a decadent gravy
With delicious chunks in a decadent gravy
Grain free, easy-to-digest food that is gentle on the stomach. Nourishes skin & promotes lustrous fur.
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Fleas and ticks are not just a nuisance, they're also a real threat to your pet's health. Dogs and cats not treated with flea and tick medication, either in the form of a topical treatment or a flea and tick pill, can suffer everything from flea allergy dermatitis (which causes your animal to bite and scratch himself and sometimes lose his hair) to tapeworms.
Since a single female flea can produce up to 2,000 eggs in her three-week lifespan, a dog can become infested quickly. 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.
Luckily, there are many types of flea and tick medications available to stop these tiny terrors from making their home on your dog or cat. The most popular kind of effective treatment is a topical medication generally applied once a month. A newer preventive measure is a flea and tick pill. Are you curious about which of the two methods might work best for your pet? Here's a look at the pros and cons of each type of treatment.
Oral flea and tick medication treatments—which come as chewables or pills — are ingested by your pet, rather than applied to his body. The medicine is transmitted to adult fleas when they bite your pet. There are different active chemicals used in different flea and tick pill medications, some of which last a few days and others that last a month. The most common active chemicals in oral treatments include:
Topical flea and tick medication, also called "spot on" medications, are generally applied between the pet's shoulder blades so the pet can't lick it off. Most topical medications last a month. Some topical medications not only kill fleas and ticks, they also repel them. The most common active chemicals in topical medications are:
Young pets may need several visits in their first year for vaccinations. Adult pets generally benefit from annual check-ups, while senior or special-needs pets might require more frequent visits.
Some pet owners complain that flea and tick medications don't work as well as advertised, but veterinarians and flea and tick medication producers told The New York Times that when the products are used correctly, they do work. Problems crop up when pet owners make mistakes in applications or have unrealistic expectations about how the treatments work.
Veterinarian Michael Murray told The Times that since fleas reproduce so quickly, by the time you notice them on your dog they could have produced two or three generations of offspring.
"That means by the time you start treating your pet you've got this massive amount of flea biomass in your home, flea larvae and pupae," Murray says. "It can take as little as three weeks or as long as several months for that to run its course."
A study published in Veterinary Parasitology seems to back up the veterinarians and flea product makers. The ninety-day study found that topicals were 88.4 percent effective, while oral treatments were 99.9 percent effective. There were 128 dogs from five states involved in the study.
Whatever your choice in flea and tick preventative, it is important when buying any medication that you make sure that your vet has approved the medication's use in your pet and that you are purchasing it from a reputable source. It is also important to consider heartworm treatments. If your chosen flea medication doesn't protect against heartworm, make sure to talk to your vet about how to protect your pet.
If you are wondering which treatment is the best option, please consult with your veterinarian. They will ensure to get your pet on the correct treatment plan. If you need to find a veterinarian in your area, please visit our Vet finder.
Kara Murphy is a freelance writer and pet parent who lives in Erie, Pa. She has a goldendoodle named Maddie.
Supports lean muscle, for dogs who prefer smaller kibble
Advanced nutrition to support hip & joint health from day 1
Supports lean muscle and beautiful coat for adult dogs
Supports healthy joints, lean muscle, and beautiful coat for large breed dogs
Learn what a pet's microbiome is, how it contributes to your pet's gut & overall health, and why nutrition is important in maintaining healthy microbiomes.
Concerned about your pet's environmental impact? Learn how sustainable pet food can help you care for the planet without compromising pet nutrition.
Learn how the science of predictive biology plays a role in formulating your pet's food to interact and work with your pet's biological process.
Learn why nutrients like antioxidants & amino acids can help improve your pet's immune system, as well as top antioxidants to look for in pet food.
Our low calorie formula helps you control your pet's weight. It's packed with high-quality protein for building lean muscles, and made with purposeful ingredients for a flavorful, nutritious meal. Clinically proven antioxidants, Vitamin C+E, help promote a healthy immune system.
Our low calorie formula helps you control your pet's weight. It's packed with high-quality protein for building lean muscles, and made with purposeful ingredients for a flavorful, nutritious meal. Clinically proven antioxidants, Vitamin C+E, help promote a healthy immune system.