Most of us have been enjoying the fabulous summer weather this year, but over the past week it’s been cloudier, and much more humid. This is ideal for fleas to breed, and I’m expecting a big upsurge in flea cases over the coming days and weeks.
While they rely on the temperature being above a certain level, both fleas and ticks don’t like bright hot sunshine very much. It dries them out, so they spend less time searching for a host, and more time staying under cover. The reduction in sunshine, and especially the increase in humidity is much more to their liking.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
So it’s important to use a good flea control product now before the problems start, because it’s much easier to keep fleas away than to eliminate an established infestation.
While some animals can harbour quite large numbers of fleas with no visible problems, many will have a miserable life as a result. My current favourite treatment for dogs is Simparica, a highly palatable once a month tablet that also deals with ticks and mites.
For cats there’s a 6 monthly flea preventative injection called Program. Program is great at preventing infestations from developing, and people love not having to remember to apply spot-on treatments every month. However, it’s not the best at eliminating established infestations, so in that case, or if tick cover is also required, I prefer Stronghold Plus. Stronghold Plus is the latest generation of anti-flea and tick treatment, providing a full month of cover against both fleas and all the tick species in our area.