Flea & Tick Prevention: Keeping Your Pets Safe from Fleas & Ticks 

Providing your cat or dog with proper parasite prevention is an important part of pet care. Flea and tick problems cause pets to suffer from discomfort in the form of itchiness, pain, and disease. If your pet is dealing with a flea or tick infestation, contact us at Alum Rock Animal Hospital to make an appointment with our veterinarian for an evaluation.

How to Avoid a Flea or Tick Problem

When dealing with parasites like fleas or ticks, it is best to use parasite prevention tactics to keep them from being a problem at all. Make sure to trim your lawn and use pest control tactics if necessary. Check your pet for the presence of fleas and ticks before they enter your home after being outside. A flea comb or tweezers can be helpful in removing these parasites, and preventative medications works well at keeping parasites from becoming a problem.

What to Do if Your Pet Has Fleas or Ticks

If you notice that your dog or cat has fleas or ticks, a trip to see our veterinarian is best. A veterinarian will check over your pet's body to ensure it is not suffering from medical problems as a result of an infestation. Medication may be needed to treat skin issues. A topical parasite prevention medication can be prescribed to give to your pet monthly protection against future outbreaks.

Keeping Fleas and Ticks from Returning

Fleas and ticks usually die off in numbers during cooler weather, but emerge once again when the temperature rises. For this reason, it is best to use a topical solution to stop fleas and ticks from using your pet's body as a host. Our veterinarian can prescribe this for your pet. In addition, wash your pet's bedding and sweep or vacuum your floors regularly.

If your dog or cat has a flea or tick problem that you cannot handle on your own, our veterinarian at Alum Rock Animal Hospital in San Jose can help. Simply give our office a call at 408-258-2735 to set up an appointment for an evaluation.