How to protect your dog from ticks and fleas?

How to protect your dog from ticks and fleas?

If you are a happy dog owner, you must not forget that in addition to the natural joy of being outdoors, there are also dangers lurking for your pet. Dogs outdoors are prone to painful flea and tick bites. For several years, increased tick infestations during the spring season have been reported by both Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations and the media. Ticks transmit protozoa, viruses and bacteria, causing dangerous diseases such as babesiosis, which, if not diagnosed early enough, can even lead to the death of the animal. For humans, ticks are equally dangerous – a bite carries a real risk of contracting the insidious and difficult-to-treat diseases Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. Repeated flea bites can lead your pet to allergic flea dermatitis. In order to prevent this from happening, it is worthwhile for you to obtain flea and tick elimination products as early as possible and apply them to your dog immediately.

What to look for when choosing the right formulation?

When choosing a product from among the many offered on the market, consider first and foremost its effectiveness. Proven products that have been available for years, that have been tested and have the relevant approvals (confirmed, for example, by the biocidal authorisation number indicated on the packaging), are a guarantee of safety and effectiveness. You will be confident that you are choosing a product whose action has been confirmed by specialised studies. If you feel confused and do not know what to choose – remember that you can always ask pet shop staff for help. The recommendation of experienced retailers will help you make the right choice.

Adapt the form of the product to your dog’s needs

As a dog owner, you have a choice of different forms of protection for your pet such as collars or sprays. In the case of collars, these are placed around the dog’s neck and worn by the pet for the period indicated in the product instructions (usually several months). It is important that the collar remains on the pet’s neck for the entire period specified on the packaging by the manufacturer. The market offers collars in various colours, designs and lengths. If you also pay attention to the stylish appearance of the products, decorative collars combining flea and tick elimination functions with an original look will certainly appeal to you.
It is also important to note that if your dog has been infested by fleas they will quickly spread into the environment and that is where they will spend most of their time (between feeding periods on the host). So fleas will also appear in your home, i.e. on your dog’s bed, on the sofa, on the carpet or in the shed, and can also pose a threat to you and your family. In order to get rid of them for good, you should act comprehensively – apply a product eliminating fleas and ticks on your dog, e.g. the specialised collar mentioned above, and spray the rooms where your dog usually stays with a product eliminating these parasites in the environment.
Also available on the market are repellent sprays for animals to protect dogs against ticks and mosquitoes containing, among others, DEET – a substance known for its effectiveness. They can be indispensable for longer walks in forests or meadows, i.e. areas with high tick activity. They provide increased protection in situations where the animal is particularly vulnerable. They are applied by spraying the dog regularly every few hours. It is advisable to use this product in combination with a flea and tick collar.

Prevention above all

It is no secret that prevention is better than cure. Armed with the knowledge, you can now make a choice as to what type of flea and tick protection will be most suitable for your dog. By using effective biocides, you will protect him from parasite attacks and, consequently, from the diseases they transmit.
A good choice would be the proven flea and tick control products from the Sabunol GPI brand. This is a Polish brand with a long history, available on the market for 13 years. Its most important feature is its unique three-component composition – the collars contain 3 active ingredients active against fleas and ticks: permethrin, imidacloprid and geraniol. Thanks to this complex combination, Sabunol GPI collars provide efficacy for 90 days. All products in the Sabunol family have current biocidal approvals.

Biocidal products should be used with precautions. Read the label and product information before each use. Sabunol GPI, biocidal products, authorisation numbers: collars 6704/16, Ixoder 4640/11, liquid I spray 6810/16.

12 June 2018