Its October, the season for creepy crawlies of all kinds! We've had a fairly wet summer leading to a heavy tick season this year on St. Croix and many pet owners have been coming in to SMVC, asking what they can do to prevent infestations. We've also had a lot of questions about a liquid tick product being dispensed by other veterinarians and why we aren't dispensing ... and what we do recommend instead.
At SMVC, we carry only safe, effective, FDA-approved products such as
- Vectra topical spot on
- Frontline topical spot on
- Frontline spray
- And our newest product, Certifect
- For maximum effect, we recommend combining any of the above products with a Preventic collar which lasts for 3-months and is water-proof.
Remember that conventional monthly flea and tick preventatives don't necessarily prevent ticks from getting on your pet. When a tick bites into the skin, it ingests the toxin and dies before it has the chance to transmit disease. Preventic collars are one of most powerful and successful tools in the tick battle, because they help to prevent the tick from getting on your pet to begin with. However, they don't repel fleas, so if you are having a problem with both - we recommend combining products.
And along with using an FDA-approved product, we recommend pet owners with fenced-in yards use an outdoor spray or powder sold at hardware stores. You can discuss flea and tick problems with your Pest Control company and ask them to spray your yard and focus on areas frequented by your pet.
Be sure to check your dog for ticks when it comes in at night, from the beach or after exploring in the bush. Look between toes, ears, and on the underbelly - areas where ticks commonly like to hide because there isn't a lot of hair to climb in. For this reason, short-haired dogs tend to have more problems with ticks.
It's important for pet owners to understand that the liquid products being dispensed by some veterinarians is a home-made treatment that has not been studied or proved to be safe and effective for use in dogs (It has only been approved for cattle and horses). Additionally, this oral product won't protect your pet from intestinal parasites like the FDA-approved veterinary label products we carry. Intestinal parasites are not only a problem for your dog, they are also a public health issue. Many intestinal parasites are known as "zoonotic" meaning that they can be transmitted from animals to humans, particularly children. So, you want to be sure that the method of pest control that you are using for your pet is safe, effective and comprehensive.
We are very excited to have in stock the newest product in this battle against the wee-beesties, Certifect. Read on in our newsletter to find out the benefits of Certifect and to learn more about why a small tick can cause big trouble.
Some ticks can take 2-3 years to complete their life cycle.
