Which Dog Flea And Tick Control Is The Best

Fleas or ticks can infest your pet all year round, they are not only annoying for the dog but can also transmit diseases. If your pet is infected, you want to act to get rid of the parasites quickly. Fortunately, there are a number of products that you can use to not only treat your four-legged friend but also protect them from re-infestation.

Which Dog Flea And Tick Control Is The Best

There are a lot of preventive flea and tick products on the market. Here are some of the most effective and widely used flea and tick control agents. Which dog flea and tick control are the best particular for your pet is hard to say, you may want to consult a veterinarian before starting treatment.

Topical Treatments to prevent parasite infestation

Topical Treatments are are some of the best proactive measures to prevent flea and tick infestation of your dog.

There are two groups of repellents:  synthetic and natural products.

Synthetic products are highly effective, but some animal lovers fear that the possible side effects could harm the health of their pets.

Natural – Plant-based products may not be as effective but may have fewer side effects.

You have to decide which ones you prefer after carefully weighing the benefits against the risk between tick-borne disease and possible side effects from tick repellants.

About Ectoparasites and Flea and Tick Control in Dogs

The parasitic relationship between a parasite and a host, in which the parasite lives on the host’s body surface without killing the host animal, is called the ectoparasitic relationship. The parasitic animal is called an ectoparasite.

Fleas and ticks are very common ectoparasite that infests dogs and other pets. They live on the skin, hidden in the coat of the dog.

Fleas cause flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) in dogs. And it accounts for half of the dermatological reports in dogs and cats. Whereas ticks are the vectors of various diseases, for example, it is a vector of Lyme disease.

Why Prevention is Important?

A whole lot of internal and external parasites can infest animals whether they are wild or pets. Infested animals are at risk of infection from pathogens transmitted by those parasites. Pets like dogs and cats may be largely infected by fleas and ticks. Pets become infested outside the house or through other animals such as other dogs, or rabbits, squirrels, etc. Parasite infestation can occur all year but they are more prone to it in the fall and spring seasons. Taking proactive action and preventing flea and tick infestation is critical to the animal’s well-being and should not be neglected.

Prevention and control of tick infestation can reduce the risk of other diseases. Ticks are a vector for many diseases such as Lyme disease, rocky mountain fever, ehrlichiosis, and others. Many of those vector-borne diseases can be transmitted through parasites from the pet to humans. So protecting dogs and other pets from fleas and tick infestations will also reduce the risk of humans catching nasty illnesses.

Year-round flea and tick control in pets is an important measure of reducing the spread of dangerous diseases. It keeps not only the pet safer but also prevents your family from serious health problems.

Tick and Flea Control Products

Whenever you see any signs and symptoms of tick or flea disease, start the treatment for it as soon as possible. There are many medically approved products for their treatment. There are various treatments such as:

• Topical treatments, spot-on or collars
• Oral treatments, pills, or other feed supplements

What to look for in fleas and tick control?

Different natural and synthetic products can be used for the treatment of ticks and fleas. There are many natural methods that you can use to control the parasite infection in your dogs.

• Synthetic products ver are effective to kill larvae and adult parasites.
• There are chews for dogs and pets. These chews keep the dogs preventive of the fleas and ticks for 12 weeks.
• Topical treatments are used that prevent the dogs from flea, ticks, and other ectoparasites for almost many days.
• Collars are used to prevent dogs from fleas and ticks. The collars are often more effective than other topical treatments.
• Chemical-free sprays are may be an alternative for the control of parasites in dogs and pets.
• Shampoos are used to fight acute infestation or as preventative measures. Shampoos are effective and give instant treatment.
• Oral treatment including pills is also available in different doses. These may be prescribed by a vet.

Topical Products Vs Oral Treatment

Both treatments are effective for the treatment and control of ectoparasites such as fleas and ticks in dogs. Let’s compare topical products vs oral treatments to see the difference between both.

Topical Products

The products include the following treatments.

Spot-on

The spot-on tick and flea treatment products are effective. The spot-on can be applied instantly. It provides long time prevention of 30 days from the parasites like fleas and ticks etc. These are in a liquid formulation. And these are present in the designed dosage package. It is applied n the back and between shoulders. Apply in different spots at these locations. It is absorbed instantly and starts its action in the system of dogs.

Collars

These are the parasite repellents. These are applied to the pet’s neck and seeps into the system. These collars release gas that repels the fleas and ticks. The collars are effective for the neck and face of the dogs. Provide prevention from the fleas and ticks for 8 months. These are less expensive and are easy to use.

Oral Treatment

There are oral chews and pill treatments for fleas and ticks.

Pills against flea and ticks

Oral pills are for all parasitic treatment and prevention. These are flavored and soft chew tablets. These are to be given to the dogs every month. And don’t cause any mess like topical treatment can cause. So one can also use these oral treatments for fleas and ticks in dogs.

Synthetic vs Natural

When it comes to tick repellents, there are two groups, products with chemically synthetic active ingredients and products based on active plant ingredients. Natural products are very popular with consumers, but synthetically produced tick repellants are more effective.

Synthetic Products

Synthetic insecticides act either as a true repellent (turning bugs away) or as contact poisons (insects die on contact). They can be applied in the form of: spot-on, collars, sprays, oral and topical applications.

Pros

• Synthetic treatment is used for various disease prevention and treatment.
• These are mostly waterproof products.
• These can kill the larvae and adult fleas and ticks.
• These are safe products and can be used for sensitive dogs.
• Provide long-term treatments.

Cons

• Synthetic products are expensive and the price varies for different products.
• Smaller dogs may get allergies to some products.
• These products may cause side effects in animals.

Natural Products

There are many home remedies and recipes for do-it-yourself repellents, such as shampoos that you can mix, homemade sprays where you add essential oils to a carrier liquid or dog treats that repel ticks.

Natural remedies are based on essential oils or other terpenes obtained from plants. In their pure form, they can be very irritating and may have unwanted side effects. They must be used diluted.

Commercial products are available to be applied as spot-on, collars, sprays, oral, and topical applications.

Pros

• Safer for the animals.
• Are affordable and natural.
• Environmentally friendly products.
• Possibly fewer side effects for the animals
• Repels the parasites such as fleas and ticks.

Cons

• Not as effective as synthetic or other products.
• May have to be reapplied more often.

So which dog flea and tick control is the best?

Pets like dogs and cats that roam outdoors and are in contact with other pets are prone to pick up fleas and ticks. These ectoparasites cause discomfort in your pet and may transmit diseases in animals and humans.

Taking proactive measures and reducing the risk of infestation by fleas and ticks and other ectoparasites is essential to protect your family and your pet from diseases transmitted by those parasites. Fortunately, many topical and oral treatments, either synthetically made or as natural products are available.