The spring and summer months bring warmer weather along with those pesky critters. With a rise in tick populations in recent years, it’s more important than ever to make sure you and your pets are prepared before venturing outside. Pet Valu animal care expert Alexis Blackburn spoke to CTV Your Morning Ottawa this week to provide some of her best tips to prevent ticks and fleas on our furry friends. Blackburn says prevention is important to avoid tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme Disease, which can spread to animals. “Anytime the temperature goes up above 4 C, that’s when you really want to start activating this. You want to put either the drops or have a tick key on you,” she said. Ticks are small, about the size of a poppy seed, making them hard to spot. After a long walk or hike, especially within tall grass, pet owners should be checking for the critters. “You want to do a full body scan of them, even in between the toes,” she said. One tool owners can use is a tick key. Available at pet stores, the device can be attached to any keychain and safely remove the entirety of the insect without touching or squishing. Blackburn says to avoid large leaf piles and bushes where ticks go to burrow in the wintertime. “Even in the city, you could be walking on the sidewalk and your dog rushes by one and, boom, you got one right on your pet.” Owners can use topical treatments for fleas and ticks such as Advantage, for cats and dogs, or Advantix for dogs. They can kill and repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, lice, and biting flies on dogs through contact. “The fun thing with Advantix is it’s on contact. The moment that bug jumps on, that’s it,” Blackburn said. For humans, experts generally recommend wearing long clothing and applying Health Canada-approved insect repellant like DEET or icaridin to help repel or kill ticks.
