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Flea, Tick & Lice Prevention

Fleas prefer temperatures of 18-27°C so warmer weather is the perfect opportunity for an infestation. Flea infestations often occur in homes during September and October, due to wetter weather, pets spend more time indoors and the central heating in homes provides fleas with an ideal environment to reproduce quickly.

Dogs and cats often get fleas from contact with other animals or from the environment. The strong back legs of the flea allow it to jump from host to host. Flea bites cause itching for the host, but a hypersensitive pet can be itching all over from a single bite, leading to hair loss, inflammation and secondary skin infections, known as Flea Allergic Dermatitis.

Checking Your Pet For Fleas

The first signs of fleas will be itching and specks of ‘flea dirt’ on the pet. Flea dirt looks like dark specks of pepper on the skin surface. If you see this, pick some off the pet and place on a damp paper towel. If after a few minutes there are tiny specks spread out like a small blood stain, your pet definitely has fleas!

Flea Life Cycle

Fleas can complete their entire life cycle in less than 3 weeks, going through 4 stages: egg, larvae, pupae and adult.

An adult female flea will live for several weeks on a host (dog, cat or human!) and will lay 20-30 eggs per day.

The eggs will fall of into the yard, bedding or carpets, and develop in crevices. Under ideal conditions, an egg can take as little as 1 day to hatch, although usually it takes around 5 days.

The larvae are negative phototaxic, meaning they will move away from light, and it is in dark crevices that they will feed on flea dirt and organic debris until they are ready to spin a coccoon.

The adult flea will emerge from its cocoon when it detects heat or vibrations, signs of a nearby host.

Depending on the heat and humidity in the area the flea life cycle is taking place in, this cycle can take anywhere from 3 weeks to a few months time.

Dealing With An Infestation

Any sign of fleas should be treated as an infestation, there will be many more that you don’t see.

With any flea treatment it is necessary to treat all of the animals in the home to achieve complete success.

It is also necessary to treat the environment in which the pet lives. All bedding should be washed in hot, soapy water, and carpet should be vacuumed and the vacuum bag thrown away.

The house is then ready for chemical treatment.

Foggers with Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) are the most effective way to treat inside the home. These will not only kill adult fleas but the other life cycle stages as well.

Sprays with IGR are useful for outdoor kennels and beds.

When treating pets, ensure that the treatment used will kill fleas at all stages of the life cycle.

Flea tablets are often designed to kill any live fleas within 24 hours, a very effective way to provide instant relief to your pet. However, these must be used in conjunction with a Spot-On preventative as the tablet will stop killing fleas after 48 hours.

The most cost effective method is to treat all pets in the house year round with a Spot-On that will prevent both flea and tick infestations. Most products are designed to be used every 4 weeks for full protection. It is much cheaper and less hassle to treat with a preventative regularly than deal with an infestation that requires your entire home to be treated.


Ticks

Ticks are spider-like, egg shaped insects which can vary from 1mm to 1cm in length. A tick will feel like a small bump on your dog's body, if you walk in areas prone to ticks you should check your dog after each walk. Ticks should be removed from the dog as soon as possible to prevent disease spread.

Part the fur to expose the tick, and then spray Beaphar Tick Away from a distance of 5 cm for approximately 3 seconds. In most cases the tick will fall off automatically. If the tick is still present after 3 hours it will be easily removable with a tick removal device.

Always use a tick removal device, rather than normal tweezers or your hands, as if the tick is squeezed it can release blood back into the pet's body, or its head remains in the dog’s skin is more likely to cause infection. Use a combined flea and tick preventative at all times to protect your pet.

Ticks transmit microbes which cause disease in pets and humans, most commonly Lyme disease and Babesiosis.


Lice

Lice are small parasites that can live on the skin of your dog or cat, they survive by chewing on the pet's skin, or sucking their blood, depending on the type of louse. Adult lice are flat, 6 legged insects who can be very difficult to spot on your pet due to their small size, however their nits (eggs) can often be spotted, appearing as small white dots stuck to individual hairs.

Lice are species specific so will rarely move from dogs to cats, or affect owners. In affected pets, lice can cause excessive scratching, dry coats, hair loss and anaemia in extreme cases or young animals.


How To Apply Spot-On Treatments

Select the appropriate treatment for the parasites your pet needs treated for, the type of pet you have, and their weight.

Follow package instructions, most are similar to the method used in the video above.


Choosing The Correct Product