How to Protect Your Dog from Fleas & Ticks This Summer

Summer isn’t all sunshine and roses, unfortunately. With the warm temps and plentiful vegetation, you’ve probably seen an uptick in inconvenient creepy-crawlies like fleas and ticks. An increase in pest populations is just a part of summer. The problem is, it can pose additional risks to our dogs.

Fleas and ticks are unsanitary, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for dogs and their human families. With the arrival of summer, responsible pet owners need to mitigate the risks. Consider the essentials of flea and tick prevention for dogs in more detail.

Why Flea & Tick Risks Increase in Summer

Fleas and ticks are threats to dogs year-round. In summer the risks tend to increase for a variety of reasons.

Warm, Humid Weather Fosters Outdoor Parasites

The inhospitable, cold winter months tend to kill off a lot of bug and insect life. Conversely, warm and humid spaces (such as fresh summer grass) can create perfect conditions for flea and tick populations. Therefore, they’re likely to be much more numerous this time of year.

Increased Pest Life Cycles

Summer weather can also make it easier for fleas and ticks to multiply. Warmer temperatures improve the flea and tick lifecycle by creating ideal conditions for these pests to breed, lay eggs, grow and develop. Put another way, the average flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, and if all of these eggs have ideal conditions in which to hatch & develop, it’s much easier for full-blown swarms and infestations to arise. The warmer temperatures also make it easier for pests to mature, meaning that you’re more likely to have more full-grown, biting fleas and ticks around at one time.

More Outdoor Time = More Exposure

Your pup deserves to get outside and explore their world in the summer. It’s just an unfortunate drawback that such a good thing comes with the risk of fleas and ticks. The more time your dog spends outside sniffing through the grass, digging a favorite hole or exploring new places, the more exposure they have to fleas and ticks in their natural habitats.

Signs Your Dog May Have Fleas or Ticks

Fleas and ticks may be small, but they can do a lot of damage to our pets. It’s important to keep an eye out for telltale signs that your pup has a problem, and take appropriate action if they do.

Common Flea Symptoms

A dog with fleas can exhibit both physical and behavioral issues, such as:

• Red, itchy skin that may also appear inflamed (hot spots), flaky or scabbed
• Flea dirt (flea excrement), which can look a lot like regular dirt or sand.
• Hair loss and excessive grooming
• Restless behavior (e.g., scratching, scooting on the belly)
• Biting or chewing at the skin

Fleas are also sometimes easy to spot with the naked eye. They often appear as small, reddish-brown insects on the dog’s fur. In particularly severe flea situations, you may also be able to see them moving or jumping about on the dog.

Common Tick Symptoms

Tick bites can transmit a variety of illnesses to your dog, including the well-known lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A few common signs of tick-borne illnesses in dogs include:

• Lethargy and fatigue 
• Fever
• Limb swelling and muscle pain
• Limping
• Weight loss 

The challenge with these symptoms is that they may also indicate other conditions that aren’t related to ticks. However, if you notice a visible tick on your pet and they begin to appear sick, then there is a chance that they may have a tick-borne illness. Seek veterinary care as soon as possible under these circumstances.

Best Flea and Tick Prevention Methods for Summer

Rather than having to deal with a flea infestation or tick-borne illness in your dog after the fact, prevention is a safer (and often cheaper) route to go. While you should use prevention year-round, it’s even more important to do so during the summer. Fortunately, there are multiple flea and tick prevention methods on the market. These treatments can provide safe and non-toxic protection for dogs while delivering a knock-out punch to unwanted critters.

Topical Treatments

Topical flea and tick treatments contain pesticides in liquid or gel form that you apply to your pet’s fur (usually between the shoulder blades, where your dog can’t lick it off). They absorb into the dog’s body, where they enter the sebum (oil) that the dog’s skin excretes. As the sebum is excreted, the pesticide works to kill the pests.

Oral Treatments

Pill treatments typically work by adding the pesticides to the dog’s blood. When the pests bite the animal, they ingest the pesticide, which then goes to work to kill them. The challenge with pill treatments is that the pest still has to bite your pet to ingest the blood. Therefore, there’s a remaining risk that they could transmit a disease to your dog.

Flea & Tick Collars

Flea and tick collars work similarly to topical treatments. Most contain highly concentrated pesticides that absorb into the dog’s skin and are then spread across the body via skin oils. Others may also contain chemicals which are alleged to make your dog less appealing for fleas and ticks to land on.

Natural Prevention Options

Natural flea and tick prevention methods abound, although they may not be as effective as chemical methods. Still, they may prove helpful in many scenarios, such as if your dog is allergic to the ingredients in chemical solutions. Things like peppermint oil, garlic oil, certain citrus scents and apple cider vinegar may all act as natural flea and tick repellant. Be careful with natural repellants, however, as you do not want your dog to ingest anything toxic to canines.

Regular Grooming & Coat Checks

One of the easiest natural ways to keep flea and tick risks low on your dog is to ensure they receive regular baths and grooming. Regular cleaning and haircuts can clear away these pests and eliminate conditions where they love to settle. Be careful not to cut your dog’s hair too short in the summer, however. You might eliminate their natural insulation and cooling barrier and increase their risk of heatstroke.

Flea & Tick Safety Tips While Training or Traveling

Flea and tick prevention is especially important in environments where your pet might be around unfamiliar people and animals. These include spaces like boarding centers, dog parks, veterinary offices, dog training facilities, hotels or anywhere you might take your pup on vacation.

Before visiting such places, be sure to use proper preventative measures. This naturally may include things like putting on your dog’s flea collar or applying a new topical treatment. Reinforcing your dog’s training, socialization and obedience skills can also come in handy in these cases. If your dog knows to listen to you when in public, you may be able to help them avoid pest-infested areas (or other animals), particularly while off-leash.

You should also continue to monitor your pet for pests after returning home from your outings. If they begin to exhibit any signs of illness or distress (particularly excessive scratching), contact your veterinarian to discuss whether fleas or ticks may be the issue.

Protect Your Pet From Fleas & Ticks Before Venturing Out

Flea and tick prevention is something you should do any time, but especially during the summer. The warm weather makes it easier for these pests to thrive, while plentiful social opportunities create more chances for your canine companion to come into contact with them. By taking appropriate steps to protect your pet and by knowing what to look for in case the worst occurs, you’ll be better able to have a happy, healthy, pest-free friend year-round.

To keep your dog in tip-top shape this summer, bring them to Sit Means Sit Philadelphia. We proudly offer robust dog training and behavior modification services for dogs of all ages, breeds and dispositions in Montgomery, Chester and Bucks Counties. Schedule your free evaluation today.