Fort Lauderdale Pet Sitter discusses how to prevent fleas and ticks in South Florida
Being a pet sitter in Fort Lauderdale has really opened my eyes to the ongoing problem of fleas and ticks in South Florida. Up north winter would kill them off therefore we really only had to worry about fleas in the spring. Down South it is an entirely different story.
I offer cage free dog boarding in my home so I ask every client if there dog is on a flea and tick preventative and if so, what do they use. First off I am shocked at the number of people in Fort Lauderdale that do not use any flea and/or tick preventative. We live in the land of bugs, it is a must.
For those who do I have noticed an unsettling trend. The veterinarians have been moving dogs off of topical preventatives and putting them on a pill preventative. The popular ones I am hearing are Comfortis which controls fleas and Trifexis which controls fleas, parasites and heartworm. Though I am sure they are good products they do nothing to control or prevent ticks.
Fleas are an enormous problem for pets. Even pets that don’t go outside can get fleas. And furthermore once you have a flea in your home it can be a monumental problem for you.
A single flea can live up to 100 days and can produce over 2,000 offspring. Think about having 2,000 fleas in your home.
Flea bites are very uncomfortable for both dogs and humans. Fleas and ticks live off of your dog’s blood and they carry many dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to your dog. In severe flea bit infestations a dog can get what is called flea bit anemia.
Ticks usually like to hang out in damp areas and in tall grass and weeds. It is important to keep your lawn mowed and to walk your dog on a path and try to keep them out of the tall grass.
Another way to curb fleas and ticks in South Florida is to have a pet control spray on a regular basis.
I find the best topical flea AND tick preventatives to be K9 Advantix II, Advantage II, Revolution and Frontline Plus. Most of these can be purchased at 1.800 pet meds.
Be sure to protect your dog from fleas and ticks in South Florida. Here is a related article that was published in The Sun-Sentinel.
I’m sure Florida is a bad spot for fleas. They love the hot, wet weather.
Vacuuming as much as you can in your house is a good, cheap way to fight fleas.
It is interesting how dogs seem to attract ticks. Having the right tick control seems paramount in situations like this. It makes sense that Florida would be a hot spot for them.
My original question,can fleas live on the beach? My dog is on Advantex2 and no fleas and no more ticks. My dad is not a dog person who says fleas will eat him up there, your opinion, thanks
Another question, my dad’s wife had a heart replacement done 4 years ago, they say she can’t be around dogs or animals due to immunity issues, her brother has a dog, but he’s clean, so that’s ok, she also works at a mall with who knows how many and what kind of people.he won’t be around forever and was really not around much in my life, should I go out of my way or let them live in there dillusional life? Any truth to the immune thing? My wife’s oncologist said a dog is fine for her before she passed, she just didn’t really want one but she got attached in her last two mos.He was 3 months old German Shepherd
Oh man, we just got rid of lice. I hate hearing about this kind of stuff after itching for a few days. Hopefully my dog doesn’t get fleas anytime soon. I’ll feel his pain for sure.