Our pets provide us with so much enjoyment. No matter how good or bad your day has gone, when you come home your dogs and cats are very happy to see you. Their moods never change…always very positive.

The same thing can't always be said for their owners.

Owning a pet has responsibilities that accompany the ownership. Taking care of their basic needs goes along with the ownership.

Flea control is a big part of pet health that the owner needs to address. Fleas need to be prevented or serious health issues come into play with the pet. We could be talking flea bite dermatitis on the skin of the pet.

Fleas can lead to tapeworms in dogs and cats. Hot spots can be more serious when fleas are present. This isn't to mention the cost to the owner of flea bites, extermination costs, treating the house and the yard and the pet.

You see when treating a dwelling that has contained a pet or pets that have contracted fleas, there are several steps to take in an attempt to get on top of the problem.

The first step is to treat the pet. This may involve doing a flea and tick bath to kill the adult fleas. Next, we need to wait three days before putting a topical on the pet. We need to assure ourselves that the treated pet has manufactured the natural oil on its skin to ensure the topical product we put on for prevention gets down to the bottom of their feet and to the tip of their tail.

The next major step is to treat where the pet lives. We need to get a good pesticide that is good around humans and pets, but yet toxic to fleas. Usually, a permethrin active ingredient works well here. Treat the bedding and the area where the pet travels. We must do a great job of vacuuming every day in picking up dead fleas and hopefully the unhatched eggs.

The last treatment step that's very important is to treat the yard where the animal goes out to relieve himself or herself. This would apply to dogs but not cats. The fleas may start outside in the grass and come in on the pet and now your house has now become infested with fleas.It is said that Americans spend 500 billion dollars per year on flea prevention products. This is the best way to keep your pet and your house “clean” of these nasty critters. Use a topical for prevention and use it 12 months out of the year and not just the summer months. By using it just in the summer, fleas may be there and you don’t know it.

We like our pets and want to keep them healthy. Prevention is always the best policy and, as always, know that Durvet has lots of great products for flea prevention for you and your pet.