Recently, we have been getting many more flea cases in our clinic. This means that we are at the peak of flea season! Since it is getting colder outside, fleas are searching for warmth in your homes. This is the reason why we recommend flea and tick prevention year round. Every pet in your household should be on flea and tick prevention, especially if your animals are going in and out constantly. Flea infestations can lead to missing fur, wounds from scratching, and painful bites for your animals. This is not the only problem that comes with flea infestations. Fleas can also lead to diseases such as the plague, murine typhus, cat scratch disease, and intestinal parasites such as tapeworms. These diseases can be caught by being bit by a flea, accidentally ingesting a flea, and infected flea feces entering the body through a wound. These diseases affect you, and may lead to medical treatment not only for your pet but for you as well. 

We treat fleas as a big deal because we not only want to protect your pets, but you as well. If you suspect your pet has fleas you can always come in for an appointment and purchase various flea treatment products. We sell flea and tick treatment for both dogs and cats, as well as foggers and spray to treat the home environment. We also recommend treating your yard with flea treatment outdoors. In clinic we have various flea and tick products such as Effitix/Effipro, Bravecto, NexGard, and Seresto collars; if you are interested in other preventions there are many more choices in our online pharmacy https://vetmedclinicyankton.covetruspharmacy.com/. Before applying any topical flea treatment or giving a Capstar (pill to remove ticks, does not offer prevention) we recommend giving a flea bath. When giving a bath to an animal with fleas, the water will turn a brownish/reddish color, don’t be alarmed this is due to the debris and bite wounds from the fleas. Depending on how bad pets have been scratching, we recommend antibiotic ointment for treatment which is given during an appointment. This ointment will not only heal the wounds from scratching but also fight off infections in those areas. Have any more questions or think your pet may have fleas? Give us a call at 605-665-9441 to discuss your options.