Attack of the Blood-Sucking Fiends!

Patton Vet offers a new option for flea and tick control

     I happen to be a horror fan, and am especially fond of vampire stories.   I am not, however, a fan of blood-sucking parasites like fleas and ticks.  They are not sexy, they are not sparkly and they are not affected by garlic as the old wives’ tale suggests.  What these tiny terrors are, are dangerous parasites wreaking havoc on our pets’ health.   They cause skin allergies, Lyme disease (extremely prevalent in York County), cat scratch fever and even the plague for heaven’s sake.  So, how do we protect our four-legged friends from these six and eight-legged creepy-crawlies?  Read on!

Patton Veterinary Hospital is excited to offer Bravecto, a new flea and tick preventative for dogs over six months of age.  Bravecto is a flavored chewable that kills fleas and ticks for three months at a time.  THREE MONTHS!  This means you only need to give four pills a year to protect your dog year round.  And since fleas and ticks can be active to temperatures as low as 40F, fall is prime time for these parasites and it is recommended to protect your pet all year long (or at least through the fall). 

Bravecto has also earned an FDA safety label for use in pregnant and nursing dogs and there are no drug interactions or health conditions in which one should not use Bravecto.   The active ingredient, fluralaner, does not affect the liver or kidney but remains bound to proteins in the skin and blood.  It works relatively quickly killing fleas and ticks within 2-12 hours of administration and keeps working for twelve weeks.  This product does not repel fleas and ticks, so you may see some crawling on your dog, but, like a tiny little stake to the heart, Bravecto will kill any that do get on your pet.  Side effects are very limited with vomiting being the most common occurring in only 7% of dogs.  Since it is an oral product, it cannot rub off, will not lose its effectiveness over time and leaves no residues.

If you prefer a topical product, we also offer Vectra 3D for dogs which not only kills fleas and ticks but repels them as well.  Patton Veterinary Hospital also carries Revolution, a highly effective product for flea control in cats. 

A word of caution about purchasing over-the-counter or online flea and tick preventatives:    while it seems like you might be saving money by purchasing something less expensive from the pet or grocery store, in most cases, you are not getting good protection, and some products have even been known to cause adverse effects like seizures or irritation at the application site.  Spend your money on a safe, effective product so that you don’t wind up spending more money trying to treat a flea allergy or an adverse reaction to a flea product.   We want your pet to stay safe and to be flea and tick free!

Call our office today for pricing or other information about Bravecto or to find out which parasite protection option is right for your pet.  Arm yourself and your dog against the blood-sucking fiends!