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Is your pet starting to scratch a lot? Do they seem bothered or irritated for unknown reasons? Chances are during this time of the year; your pet has encountered fleas or ticks.  During the peak months of summer, fleas and ticks are at full strength and can be a major threat to humans and their pets. The purpose of this article is to provide you with some advice on flea and tick prevention for pets.

Fleas and ticks can do more than just make your pet itch. They can also make your pet quite ill. When flea infestations get heavy in your pets, the accumulations develop grayish larvae. Furthermore white eggs give dogs a salt and pepper appearance that makes the infestation easily identifiable. Ticks can be harder to spot and often attach themselves close to the neck or ears. There are three steps you can take to stop or prevent a flea or tick infestation. The first is step is to protect your property. Since fleas and ticks are coming from the outdoors or other animals your pets come in contact with, make sure your property is well protected. If you limit the access wild animals have to your yard, you can protect your dog from fleas and ticks.  Ticks also like to hide in grasses and trees and can attach themselves to you and your pet without being detected. The best way to avoid this is by mowing your lawn frequently, trimming shrubs and trees, and removing any decayed plants or dead leaves from the yard. These are all great hiding places for fleas and ticks and can wreak havoc on your pet if they roll around or play in infested areas. Vacuum your home frequently and throw away the dirt collected to maintain a healthy environment inside your home as well. The second step is speaking with your local veterinarian. I recommend speaking to your vet before utilizing any kind of flea and tick prevention products as some chemical ingredients may prove to be harmful to your pet. Therefore, always remain cautious about which products to use for your pet. Some products may only specifically protect fleas or ticks and not both. Other products may protect against both and against additional parasites. There also some products that will aim to kill these parasites, but offer no prevention against them. For all of these reasons, you should talk to your vet before making a final decision. The last step would be to act on using a specific product. Many flea and tick prevention products come highly recommended and there are plenty of options to choose from. There are also topicals, tablets, and injectables available for use on all pets. Follow all instructions when using these products and to use them with consistency. Missing doses can be problematic and will lead to an infestation that will be tough to remove once started.

If things ever get worse than they should be, contact your local exterminator and vet immediately. Ticks and fleas can spread diseases to both you and your pets. Follow these steps to avoid any problems and to have an itch-free summer.