Itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy! When the weather warms up, one thing you can be sure of, the fleas and ticks will be out and about in full swing. In areas where the climate is warm and humid year-round, fleas and ticks can be a nuisance year-round. Even dogs that live indoors most of the time can be susceptible to fleas, from either short potty visits, or even by humans bringing them into the house.

However, with today's advances in flea and tick control, these little pests don't have to be a problem for you or your dog...that is, so long as you use these products preventatively, year-round, or throughout flea and tick season.

How Can I Tell if Fido has Fleas?

If Fido already has fleas, chances are you'll know it from the scratching that both you and Fido are doing. However, here are a few more obvious signs of a real flea problem:

• Scratching. Is Fido scratching frequently? Scratching is one sign of a potential flea problem. Even occasional scratching could be indicative of fleas, but scratching alone is not enough to identify fleas as the culprits. Typically, you will see scratching in addition to one or more of the following other symptoms.
• Black dots in fur. Tiny black specks found in Fido's fur, bedding or brush is another possible sign of fleas. While these motionless black specks are not the fleas themselves, they are possibly flea dirt. If these tiny specks turn into black or reddish stains when placed on a wet napkin or papertowl, odds are they are flea excrement, and you are likely to have a flea problem.
• Fleas visible on Fido. If you check Fido's fur carefully, down near the roots and can see tiny moving black specs, these are likely to be fleas!
• Flea bites. Have you noticed that members in your household have been getting bug bites recently? Flea bites are puffy round spots, with a tiny visible hole in the center. They are extremely itchy, and typically, you will find more than one bite. If you or any member of your household develops these bites, be sure and check Fido, right away.

What do I do if Fido has Fleas?

The best way to handle fleas is to handle them before they become a problem! If you live in an area where fleas are seasonal, early on, your best best is to use some form of preventative flea control (see below). If you live in an area where fleas are a year round concern, start early on in your dog's life with preventative flea control and check your dog constantly for signs of fleas.

However, if it's too late for preventative treatment, you must break the life cycle of the flea. Any fleas that are visible to you are less than 1% of your flea problem. The remaining 99% are the little buggers that aren't visible to the naked eye, which are the eggs which haven't yet hatched.

The best treatment is a multi-pronged attack, where you will need to treat both your dog and your dog's environment. Start by administering a fast acting flea control medication to Fido. Products like Advantage, Frontline or K9Advantix work within 12 hours and thus should interrupt the lifecyle of the flea. However, even though you've now addressed the fleas on Fido, you must also handle the fleas around Fido's living area, which could be in the rug and on furniture.

Vacuum rugs and all furniture thoroughly. Pay close attention to any areas where fleas may be hiding. Be sure to empty your vacuum cleaner or dispose of vacuum cleaner bags to make sure the fleas can't return. In addition, all of Fido's bedding and favorite toys must be washed in hot, soapy water. This should be done weekly to keep Fido's things pest free.


Primary Types of Flea and Tick Control

The best for of flea and tick control is preventative. That is, you treat Fido for fleas before he gets them. There are several great products available to prevent infestation of fleas and ticks. These are:

Program Flavor Tabs. This brand name flea and tick control medication is lufenuron, which is a pill that you give your dog once a month with a meal. Although this medication technically does not repel fleas, when a female flea bites Fido, the female is now contaminated with a chemical that will prevent any eggs the female lays from hatching.



Advantage, Frontline, K9Advantix. These products come in small tubes that are to be dispensed between Fido's shoulders. With Fido's own natural movements, this medication, imidacloprid, is dispersed all over Fido's body and supposedly kills 98% of Fido's fleas within 12 hours of application. This treatment is water repellant and must be reapplied in 30 days.


Capstar. This tablet is used for immediate flea control, and begins working 12 hours after ingestion, and up to 24 hours afterward. The primary use for this type of flea control is for particular circumstances where either Fido will be around a group of other dogs for a short period of time, like a playgroup or dog park, or will be in an environment where fleas are more likely to be, on a nature hike.


Sentinel. These tablets are for both flea,heartworm, hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm control and prevention. They must be given once a month to work properly. The flea control component in these tabs is lufenuron, the same active ingredient in Program, and therefore it works the same way, by breaking the egg cycle of the fleas. The worm control component is milbemycin oxime and these tablets have the advantage of treating both fleas and various types of worms, minimizing the need to administer two medications.