Q: When I went to my veterinarian to pick up flea and tick preventative for the summer she told me I should be using preventatives all year long. Do I really need to do this all year round?
A: As New Jersey residents we are all aware that fleas and ticks are abundant in the environment during the warm weather. Here are some fun facts from the Companion Animal Parasite Council: fleas can live outdoors in temperatures as low as 33.8 degrees F. for up to 5 days, and flea eggs and immature stages can live year round in protected environments such as crawl spaces and under porches. The flea cycle can continue year round on unprotected pets in our homes as well.
The CAPC does recommend year round, lifelong prevention of fleas and ticks. Fleas cause many pets significant discomfort, and both fleas and ticks can transmit diseases. In our area, temperature fluctuations even during the coldest months can make it hard to determine exactly when to start and stop using flea and tick control products, and guessing wrong can allow an infestation to occur. So if the goal is to try to keep all fleas and ticks off of your pet (and out of your house!) at all times, then year round prevention is best.
Rita Angelo, VMD
Dr. Angelo graduated from the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Veterinary Medicine where she also completed her internship in small animal medicine and surgery. After completion of internship she joined Oradell Animal Hospital as a general practitioner.
Dr. Angelo enjoys general medicine and is a senior staff doctor at our Fort Lee, New Jersey office. She also sees appointments at our hospital in Paramus.
You only mention Fleas living year round but didn’t touch upon Ticks living year round or their temperature threshold.
Good point–ticks are most active in the spring and late summer/early fall. However, even in the winter if the temperature should approach 40 degrees ticks will become active again. Some authorities say ticks will be active whenever the temperature rises above freezing!
We pulled a tick off our cat in January, when there was still snow on the ground from the blizzard. One Friday in early Feb, the temp went up and it was humid and the cat had fleas. We already started Revolution, and are careful about ticks. How healthy it is, however, to be using these strong meds on cats all year round?
This reply is from Dr. John DeVries: I am not surprised that you found a tick on your cat in January because whenever the temperature climbs above 32 degrees ticks will become active and seek a blood meal. When the temperature gets even higher (as you experienced in February) fleas will become active as well. This is why we recommend using flea and tick control on both dogs and cats year round. There are a number of products available that are effective and safe to use on cats year round that have been tested and found to be safe in both laboratory studies and in clinical trials in the general population. You should check with your own veterinarian, who knows your cat best, as to which particular product would be ideal for your situation.