The Best Flea Treatments For Aussie Dogs – Our Vets Discuss.

Did you know an adult female Flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day?

You read that right – 50 eggs a day!

And from egg to adult, Fleas can mature in a matter of weeks in the right conditions. So if your dog or cat is itchy, read on!

This article could prevent your home from turning into a flea circus. Full disclaimer: Our Vets run www.fleamail.com.au, Flea, Tick & Worming made easy for Aussies. However, we’re not backed by any pharma companies. We simply use the best.

What are Fleas anyway?

Fleas are small, wingless parasites that survive by feeding on the blood of cats, dogs, and humans. Because they feed on warm-blooded animals, Fleas are extremely good at surviving all year-round, from our harshest Aussie summers to our coldest winters.

A Flea’s entire body is made to eat, with a head that’s encompassed by sharp spikes, and with a mouth that’s designed to pierce through a host’s skin and feed on their blood.

What are the early signs of Fleas?

Given the size of Fleas, you likely won’t see them until your dog is “scratching an itch”. To check your dog for fleas, use a fine-toothed comb and brush while looking for small brown dots moving about. Extensive flea bites can also lead to anaemia and hair loss, so it’s important to get hem early.

Fleas can also gravitate to a dog’s ears and tail, so be sure to check there too.

Keep an eye out for “Flea dirt”, the poo fleas leave on your pet’s fur. If you moisten Flea dirt on a tissue it will turn red, since it is mainly ingested blood.

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How do dogs and cats get Fleas?

As the “circus” name eludes to, Fleas are capable of jumping nearly a foot in the air vertically!

This makes it easy for fleas to get onto a dog, cats or humans. Fleas love warm temperatures too, so in summer they’re everywhere, in winter they’re searching for your pet’s warm fur!

After a single feeding, Fleas can survive for months without a meal, yikes.

Let’s get to it, preventing Fleas!

Like EVERYTHING, prevention is better than cure when it comes to Fleas, and we recommend total parasite protection (like FleaMail) because Fleas can carry other diseases. FleaMail uses oral protection, but there are other methods available.

Here are your options:

1. Oral Flea treatments for dogs.

Many Vets (including our FleaMail Vets) prefer oral treatments as, depending on the product, also protects against more parasites than Fleas like ticks, heartworm, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.

It should be noted, no single oral flea treatment for dogs can protect against all parasites. At FleaMail we use a combination of leading Australian parasite prevention products for comprehensive protection.

2. Topical Flea treatments for dogs.

Applied directly to your pet’s skin, normally between at the base of the neck or shoulder blades, topical flea and tick treatments are often referred to as “spot-ons”, a parasite prevention liquid that’s spread over your pet’s entire body and sweat glands.

Due to the chemicals used, the unknown protection and the possibility of children coming into contact with your pets, we do not recommend spot-ons at FleaMail.

3. Flea Collars for dogs.

Flea collars are exactly what they sound like, a collar with a concentrated chemical to repel and kill fleas, and some ticks.

A flea collars intends to disperse the active ingredients over the animal’s entire body, but as you can imagine, there can be a large concentration of chemicals on your pet’s neck, and the rest of their body exposed. For these reasons, the FleaMail Vets tend to avoid Flea and Tick collars.

4. Powders, Sprays and Shampoos.

Another approach for controlling Fleas are sprays, powders and shampoos. These were more popular 15-20 years ago before oral treatments caught up. Flea powders and sprays need to cover your pet’s entire body, even between their toes, but always avoid their eyes and mouth (very tricky as all pets lick).

We avoid Flea shampoos and powders, they’re just inconvenient and can be very toxic.

Looking for the right Flea treatment products?

We’ve prepared a list below, so you can do your research. If you’ve any questions, please just get in touch with the FleaMail team on our contact us page – and our Vets will get back to you!

1. FleaMail: ww w.fleamail.com.au
Comprehensive Flea, Tick & Worming by Aussie Vets.
The FleaMail protection plan includes:

– Monthly Simparica liver chew for fleas, ticks and mites.
– Monthly ValuHeart heartworming prevention.
– Every 3 months Cazitel liver tablet for intestinal, tape, lungworms and giardia.

2. Sentinel Spectrum: www.sentinelpet.com
NOTE: Does NOT cover Ticks and Mites.

3. Nexgard: www.nexgard.com.au
NOTE: Does NOT cover Mites and Tapeworms.

4. Bravecto: www.bravecto.com.au
NOTE: Does NOT cover Mites, Intestinal and Tapeworms.

5. Comfortis Plus: www.comfortis.com
NOTE: Does NOT cover Ticks, Mites and Tapeworms.

6. Advantix: www.advantagepetcare.com.au
NOTE: Does NOT cover Paralysis Ticks, Mites, Intestinal, Tape and Heartworms.

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Ticks, 7 Signs Your Dog Or Cat Has One.

by Dr Evan | Parasites

Ticks are everywhere in Australia, and if you live anywhere near the coast, you’ll know all about our dreaded paralysis ticks too.

And while your dog or cat can get a tick at any time of year (they don’t die off or hibernate, see here), September starts official paralysis tick season in many areas of Australia. Come September, your pet should be fully protected against these nasties.

But what are ticks?

Ticks are oddly not related to fleas, but actually related to spiders (arachnids). Unlike spideres however, ticks require a “blood meal” from a host, most often an animal to grow and reproduce. Australian ticks have 4 stages in their life: Egg, larva, nymph and adult. At all stages except the egg stage, a tick must take a blood meal.

What makes paralysis ticks so dangerous?

When a paralysis tick bites or feeds, it injects a neurotoxin into the bloodstream of the animal. A paralysis tick’s toxin then causes paralysis of the animal’s muscles.

Because of this, paralysis ticks are the most deadly tick species in Australia, one bite can kill a large dog. There are two paralysis tick species in Australia, the Australian and the Tasmanian paralysis tick.

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How to spot a tick on your cat or dog.

1. Finding a tick in, or around your home.

If you find a tick on your carpets, curtains or anywhere else, your dog is likely the carrier and probably bought it in the house. Check your dog or cat straight away, using the next point.

2. Give you dog or cat a full rub down.

What you are looking for is a small bump, that could vary from the size of piece of sand to a small pebble. If you feel any abnormality, grab the torch and get as good of a look as you can. You can’t miss a tick when you find one.

3. Your dog acts strange.

After a tick bite, especially a paralysis tick, your dog may show symptoms of a fever, weakness or not wanting to play like normal, no appetite, different shivering (for small dogs who can do it for other reasons) and any unusual panting. If you notice any of these sign, please see a vet!

4. Excessively nipping or licking.

While ticks are often in places where dogs can’t reach easily, your dog may excessively nip or lick if it knows it has a tick. Pay close to attention if your dog keeps nipping one, or a few spots, and investigate with a flashlight immediately. Common areas are your dog’s ears, groin or under their front legs.

5. Unusual scabs or skin irretations.

A tick may have had it’s fill and left your dog already, however the signs are often still there. Many dogs excessively nip or lick at the bite site. If you notice this behaviour or find scabs on your dog’s body, make sure to conduct a closer examination.

6. Unusual head shaking.

Ticks can often crawl into a dog’s ear canal, as they like to hide in warm, damp places. If you notice your dog shaking their head more than normal, get out a flashlight and look very carefully for a tick. Note, the tick may be tiny at this stage as your dog will feel them in their ears more than other places.

7. Keep the tick for identification.

Once you’ve removed the tick (see video link below), keep the tick in a jar or zip lock bag so you can get it identified by your vet if need be. If you notice any signs in your pet, or are the least bit concerned, please contact your local vet straight away.

How to remove a tick.

Bush tick, paralysis tick or other species, here’s what you need to do if you find a tick on your pet. Firstly, try not to panic! When you panic your pet will too, and you may try to remove the tick the wrong way (if you’re in a rush), which can cause even more pain and complications.

Across is a video Dr Evan, FleaMail’s Vet recommends for remove a tick. AND REMEMBER, prevention like FleaMail is always better than the cure.

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The Best Flea Treatments For Aussie Dogs – Our Vets Discuss.

What are Fleas anyway?

What are the early signs of Fleas?

Flea, Tick & Worming delivered to your door.
For less than $1 a day.

How do dogs and cats get Fleas?