Spring Dangers

As the weather gets warmer, the flowers start to bloom and the leaves start growing, we all rejoice by spending more hours outside in the sun playing with our beloved dogs and romping around in the grass. We all love spring and can’t wait to share it with our pets. Before you slip on your galoshes and leashes, there are some things you should be prepared for.

Spring may bring the sunshine but it also brings the bugs like flies, fleas and ticks. Our smaller breeds such as Puggle puppies, Beabull puppies and English Bulldog puppies, who love to be outside and burn off as much energy as they can, are at greater risk because of their short coat and low proximity to the ground. These breeds easily pick up eggs of unhatched flies, flea larvae and even early ticks that are waiting in the higher grass. English Bulldog puppies, for example, almost scrape their belly on the ground when they walk, making them a perfect target for as many fleas that can reach him. Or your Puggle puppy who can’t seem to resist the weeds and woods � ticks are just lying in wait as he runs through.

Longer hair breeds are just as susceptible, such as Yorkie puppies. Their long hair makes like a red carpet for fleas and ticks to be easily transported directly on to their bodies, into your house and all through your carpeting. It only takes 1 flea to infest an entire house within days. But how do you protect them?

As soon as the snow melts and the weather is 40 or over for a few consecutive days, start getting the flea medicines ready for your pets. Advantage is great for keeping fleas away and killing ones that may already be living on your dog. Frontline is a full defense against fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Both of these need to be applied once per month and you, and your pet, will have total protection for the whole summer through!