Dog Flea Protection

One of the highest priorities for dog owners is dog flea protection. Almost everyone who owns a dog has had their run in's with these nasty little critters.

Fleas are small flightless insects that can grow up to 1/8 of an inch long. They feed on the blood of mammals including dogs and humans. Fleas have a very hard shelled body and long hind legs that they use for jumping great distances. The flea is one of the best jumpers in the entire animal kingdom. An adult flea can jump up to 13 inches horizontally. This is over 200 times the length of it's body! That would be like you or I being able to jump from one end of a football field to the other in one leap!

When thinking about dog flea protection, it pays to keep in mind that fleas lay eggs almost anywhere and do so prolifically. They also may lay dormant for as long as several months. This is one reason why they are so hard to get rid of sometimes.

There are several different types of dog flea protection to consider.:

Spot flea protection,

One of the most popular methods for dog flea protection is the spot method. The flea pesticide is placed directly on the dogs back between his shoulder blades. The active ingredient in most spot flea protection paralyses and or kills the fleas after they have fed on the hosts blood. There are pluses and minuses to this method of dog flea protection. It will certainly kill the fleas that land on your dog. However in most cases it will not repel fleas so they may have tendency to return.

Natural protection,

The natural method of dog flea protection consists of frequent bathing, combing and brushing as well as the use of products that do not contain any chemical pesticides. Unfortunately, this method does not have a high success rate and entails a high degree of hands on treatment.

Oral Tablets,

The oral tablet method of dog flea protection can be quite effective. The medicine is given usually once a month in tablet form and not only kills existing fleas but can repel fleas for quite a while and is designed to break the flea life cycle.

Collars,

If repelling fleas is the goal of your dog flea protection program, then a flea collar is a very good option. A flea collar will usually contain a strong pesticide and is worn of course, around the dogs neck. These collars will usually last from three to six months before needing replacement.

A word of warning regarding you dog flea protection program. The Environmental Protection Agency has recently intensified it's evaluations of spot-on pesticide type flea and tick products due to a link in adverse reactions (up to and including death) of some pets which were exposed to these products.

Just be careful while implementing you dog flea protection plan and monitor you dog for any adverse reactions closely when using any flea and tick products