Puppies need special care during the first few months of life. If your puppy gets fleas or ticks, you need to make sure that you use a flea or tick control product that is designed for your puppy’s age and weight range. Some flea and tick treatments are not safe to use on puppies, particularly if they are less than 4 weeks old or smaller than 2 pounds. Here are some considerations when choosing flea and tick treatments for your young pup.
How to Tell if Your Puppy Has Fleas or Ticks
If your puppy is scratching incessantly, has red bumps or is chewing on skin, and acts restless and uncomfortable, he may have fleas or ticks. Fleas often appear on a puppy’s belly or around the base of the tail. Ticks may appear near or in your puppy’s ears and in dark, hard to reach areas, like under the puppy’s legs. The easiest way to check your puppy for fleas or ticks is by using a flea comb and inspecting the skin while your puppy stands on a white towel or sheet. If you see bugs or black specks on the white towel, your dog has fleas or ticks.
Flea & Tick Complications
Fleas and ticks can cause allergies or dermatitis on your dog’s skin, leading to skin infections and lesions, especially if your dog starts chewing the affected area. Fleas can carry tapeworm eggs, which your puppy may ingest while licking himself, causing a tapeworm infestation in your puppy’s small intestines. Fleas and ticks can also carry and transmit dangerous bacteria, including canine bartonellosis. Ticks are even more damaging because they can infect your dog with heartworm and other diseases, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, and tick paralysis. Your puppy could experience other complications from flea and tick infestation, including anemia and kidney disease.
Best Flea Treatments for Puppies
The best flea treatments for puppies are ones that destroy all life cycles of the flea and tick, from egg to adult. Flea and tick shampoos might get rid of adult pests, but they won’t prevent future infestations. Capstar, an oral flea and tick treatment, is safe for puppies 4 weeks and older and at least 2 pounds, and flea collars can usually be used on dogs as young as 7 weeks old. These can work on the full life cycles of fleas and ticks, but you’ll also need to treat bedding and the source of the infestation. To kill fleas and ticks in your home or yard, you need to use a product that is safe for puppies and humans.
At Bactronix, we offer BactroBug, which kills fleas and ticks on contact while being non-toxic to both pets and humans. You can apply BactroBug directly to your pet’s fur, as well as to indoor and outdoor areas of infestation. It not only kills fleas and ticks, but also bed bugs, roaches, ants, lice, mosquitoes, aphids, and more. It is also safe to use on pet bedding, carpets, curtains, upholstery, and nearly anywhere you want to prevent future infestations.
Purchase BactroBug online Want to know more about BactroBug? You can schedule an appointment with a certified specialist or call us at (412) 375-7886.
