It’s flea and tick season again.  Not only can these pests make your fur babies uncomfortable, they can invade your house and wreak havoc with humans.  Unfortunately for us, fleas and ticks like warm, humid environments (hello Georgia) so it is critical to treat your pets year round to prevent infestations and keep pets safe.

There are more than 2,000 types of fleas.  Their eggs are deposited in your yard from other animals with fleas and once these eggs hatch they latch on to the closest pet they see.  Their bites can cause an allergic reaction that makes your fur babies bite and scratch at their skin.  This can lead to damage to the skin, hair loss, and infection.  If a pet has an infestation of fleas, especially smaller pets or young animals, the blood loss from the fleas can result in anemia or death.  Pets should be treated for fleas each month and watch for signs like excessive scratching.  If you do end up with fleas in your house treat the entire house as well as all animals.

Ticks like to hang out in tall grasses or shrubs and simply wait for their next meal to walk by.   Both animals and humans are at risk of serious diseases from tick bites. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are transmitted by tick bites and can cause serious illness and even death.  Perform tick checks regularly on your pets.  If you find a tick use tweezers to gently remove it by getting as close to the mouth parts as possible and pulling it out.  Never use your fingers or any kind of flame as you may injure your pet.

Talk to your veterinarian to see what they recommend for our region and your type of pet.  Never use medicine for dogs on cats and vice versa.

For those of you who use Animal Medical Clinic, they have some rebates available right now on flea and tick medication.

Simparica, which is a monthly pill.  Get $15 back on a 6 month supply or $35 back on a one year supply with a mail in or online rebate.

Bravecto, which is a pill given every three months.  A two-pack is $15 or a four-pack is $35.

Give them a call at 770-487-1338 or stop by their office to pick up some.

As always PTC Pets is available for all of your pet sitting or dog walking needs give us a call at 770-362-8073 or go to ptcpets.com and book a visit now.