How to Keep Fleas and Ticks Off Your Pets
Summer is the hardest time of year to keep your pets free of fleas and ticks. Every year you seem to have to go through the same battle with the pests again, but there are several things you can do to keep them safe from these little bloodsuckers. All it takes is a little diligence and a few products that really do work.
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Things You'll Need
- Topical flea and tick preventative such as Frontline Plus, Advantix and Revolution
- Tick collar such as Preventic
Instructions
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Bathe your dog every two to three weeks. Wash your pet regularly with a gentle pet shampoo, and brush his coat thoroughly. Groom with a flea comb, keeping a small bowl of soapy water beside you, and rinse off the comb as you work. It will remove the fleas and eggs. Get into a habit of brushing your pet every day, and combing them with the flea comb at least once a week. Your pet will lose the fleas, and will love all of the attention. Do not wash your dog more frequently than once every two weeks or you will risk drying out his skin, making him itchy.
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A little cider vinegar in your cat's water dish will repel fleas. Mix a little garlic into your pet's food. When they eat it, their body will give off a smell that fleas hate. You can add raw, chopped garlic, garlic tabs, garlic powder or garlic oil to your dog's kibble or canned food. For keeping fleas off of cats, put a 1/2 teaspoon of cider vinegar into your cat's water dish for three consecutive days.
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Vacuum your dog's favorite chair or sofa regularly to remove fleas, flea eggs and seed ticks. Clean your pet's bedding regularly. If your pet has a pillow or blanket she lays on regularly, wash it at least once a week. Keep a blanket on a favorite chair or sofa and throw it in the wash regularly. Or sprinkle borax on the chair or sofa, leave it for thirty minutes and then vacuum it off of the furniture.
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Ticks rarely bother cats. Cats lick themselves so often they find and swallow ticks before they can embed themselves. Treat the floors the same way. Sprinkle borax on the floors - carpet, linoleum or wood, let it sit for thirty minutes and vacuum. The fleas will eat the borax, and it will kill them. If you do this once a week you will break the fleas' life cycle, and they will slowly disappear. Or use a commercially-available flea or tick powder to kill fleas and ticks. Use as directed on the package.
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Keeping your cat indoors is the best way to keep him parasite-free. Use a topical flea and tick preventative. There are a number of products available online, at your veterinary clinic or in pet stores. Not all tick collars work, but there is a collar called Preventic that does work well. Any of the over-the-counter preventatives will work well for keeping fleas and ticks off your pets. For best results, alternate their use. Use one product one month, and another one the next.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your pets indoors, especially during times with fleas and ticks are most prevalent.
New sod and mulch is often a vehicle for ticks. If you or a close neighbor has recently added new sod or mulch to your yard, be extra diligent.
References
Resources
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