New Flea & Tick Protection

By David Wolf, NGAP/DRVC Director
Posted July 31, 2014

Three of the largest veterinary pharmaceutical companies have come out with new products that have revolutionized flea and tick protection and may impact what you choose to treat your pet with. As the Director of National Greyhound Adoption Program as well as Dutton Road Veterinary Clinic, I am most concerned with the Deer tick, which transmits Lyme disease, the most prevalent of the tickborne diseases. Lyme disease is becoming more and more common among our pets as well as in humans. It has been proven that ticks and Lyme disease are millions of years old and, although it is probable that they will outlast us all, at least we can protect our pets against this disease.

Bayer was the first to come out with the Seresto collar, a flea and tick collar that gives your pet eight months of protection and treatment of fleas and ticks. Eight months! Last year, in our adoption kennel, we had a brown dog tick infestation after we received a haul of dogs from down south. We tried multiple products to no avail and even the manufacturers of these products admitted that it was difficult to eradicate this particular species of tick because they do not need to live on a host to survive, like other species do. Fortunately, the Seresto collars broke the chain and eliminated these ticks in our kennel which houses 50-80 greyhounds year round. I keep one on my large galgo. It makes life very easy and after many months of use, we have not seen any negative reactions from them. You can purchase Seresto collars from us and either pick it up at our clinic or have it shipped to you for an additional cost of $5.00.

The next two flea and tick products are administered orally. If you have small children that cannot be trusted to keep their hands off of a pet that has recently been treated with a topical, or a dog that has sensitive skin, oral flea and tick treatment might be right for you!

Merial was the first chewable flea and tick product to recently hit the market with NexGard. We have tried it on some of our kennel dogs and have seen no adverse reaction. It needs to be administered every thirty days and can only be purchased at a veterinary facility. You can purchase this product from us and either pick it up at our clinic or have it shipped to you for an additional cost of $5.00.

Not long after, Merck introduced their own chewable flea and tick treatment, Bravecto. Bravecto is affective against fleas and most ticks for twelve weeks, with the exception of the Lone Star tick, of which it is effective against for eight weeks. Bravecto is also only sold through a veterinary facility.

We suggest you look each of these product up online and weigh out the pro's and con's of each product to find out which one best suits you and your pet's lifestyle. Now is the time to buy these products, whether it's through us or through another outlet! Don't delay!