One of A Kind Education

As the weather starts to grow colder, you may be wondering whether you need to continue your pet’s flea and tick prevention. There is a common misconception that fleas and ticks are dormant in the colder months.

While the flea and tick population may slow down in the winter, they can still be very active in the cold, snow, and frost. In fact, the cold weather leads these parasites to seek out warmth and safety not only in your pet’s fur, but in your home as well. In below freezing temperatures fleas can survive for up to 5 days, and they can survive for 10-20 days in temperatures between 46-33 degrees. This gives them plenty of time to jump aboard your furry friend and snuggle right in.

Since these bugs can’t survive more than 5 days in freezing temperatures, shouldn’t your pet be safe once we hit mid-winter? Not necessarily. Animals such as deer, opossums, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and chipmunks can carry fleas and ticks just like our household pets. This untreated population can help keep these insects stay alive and active throughout the coldest times of the year. With the ever-fluctuating weather of the Midwest, it is unlikely we would have a deep freeze long enough to wipe out the entire parasitic population.

Another benefit of year-round treatment is prevention against intestinal parasites. Many of the flea and tick prevention medications that your vet can prescribe also prevent and treat common parasites such as roundworms and hookworms. Your pet can acquire these little guests simply by licking their paws after being outside or having contact with fecal matter of another infected animal (domesticated or otherwise), or from flea and tick bites. An even more unsettling thought is that if your pets bring these into your house, this is something even you and your human family members could be affected by as well.

To keep the animals in our rescue in the best shape we can, we treat every animal that comes into our rescue with flea, tick, and heartworm prevention year-round. If you are a pet owner, you know how costly these products can be. If you are interested in supporting this important effort at One of a Kind Pets, please consider making a donation to help us continue to SAVE, HEAL, and ADOPT!