When to Start Flea and Tick Treatment for Puppies?

Puppies, like humans, cannot communicate their every need, hence you as a pet parent have to observe their behaviour and other habits to know if any problem is troubling them.

Is your four-pawed friend continuously scratching? Read on to know when to start flea and tick treatment for puppies!

1. What are Fleas?

Fleas are six-legged insects that get stuck to a dog’s fur, they are small and often resemble dust. They are wingless creatures that suck the blood out of dogs, other pets and sometimes even humans. These embedded parasites live off warm-blooded animals. 

Due to this, the host may suffer from many diseases. For example, flea saliva can cause skin dermatitis.

Other diseases caused by fleas are tapeworms, bartonellosis, bubonic plague, murine typhus, cat scratch disease, and more, these diseases are called flea-borne diseases.  

1.1 Life of Fleas 

The fleas go through 4 main stages of the life cycle:

1. Flea eggs 
2. Flea larva
3. Flea pupae
4. Adult fleas 

i. Flea Eggs

The first stage of flea life is flea eggs, they are small and white, and although these are not harmful, they can irritate the host. Once they hatch, then they can be harmful.

So it’s better to get rid of flea eggs before they become fleas and infest your house and body. Female adult fleas are capable of laying about 20 to 50 eggs every day too within a few hours, these eggs then hatch to become flea larvae. 

ii. Flea Larvae

Flea larvae are small and incapable of causing any harm, they eat flea dirt which resembles pepper. Flea dirt consists of the digested blood left out by the adult fleas.

If you want to search for flea larvae, you can look for flea dirt too. After some time, these larvae build a cocoon to become flea pupae. 

iii. Flea Pupae

This is the stage that leads to the full development of a flea pupae, these don’t cause any irritation or harm but it is the result of these cocoons that cause problems.

The cocoon that the larvae build around it is very powerful. It can protect the flea for around a year or so. The pupae do not hatch until they find a suitable and safe host.

iv. Adult Fleas

Once the pupae find a suitable host, adult fleas are made, and adult fleas are visible to the naked eye. They are most likely to spread diseases, they have a body designed to enable them to jump incredibly. Still, they are only about 0.3 cm or 3 mm.

Adult fleas are the most dangerous stage of fleas, they feed on the blood of animals and lay more eggs which also follow the same stages. If your pet has flea infestations, the situation can worsen and turn into flea allergy dermatitis. 

1.2 Types of Fleas

Believe it or not, even fleas are of different types:

1. Cat fleas (most common house fleas, preferred hosts include cats, dogs, foxes, rats, and opossums) 
2. Oriental rat fleas (tropical rat fleas, preferred hosts include Norway rats, mice, rats, and rabbits)
3. Dog fleas (common home invaders, preferred hosts include dogs, rabbits and humans)
4. Chigoe fleas (jiggers, preferred hosts include humans, pigs and other warm-blooded animals)
5. Human fleas (found worldwide, preferred hosts include humans, rats, and pigs)  

2. What are Ticks?

Unlike fleas, ticks have legs, they are parasites that stick to animal skin and feed off them. Adult ticks are larger than adult fleas, they can grow up to 5mm in size. If they feed off any human or animal they can even grow to a size resembling an eraser or a marble.

They cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, tick rash illness, tularemia, and more such diseases often called tick-borne diseases.

2.1 Life of Ticks

The life cycle of ticks is somewhat similar to that of a flea, it involves 4 stages:

1. Tick eggs
2. Tick larva (six-legged)
3. Nymphs (eight-legged)
4. Adult ticks 

i. Tick Eggs 

Adult female ticks lay eggs, these eggs are thousands in number. Unlike flea eggs, they are translucent and reddish. These eggs are laid outdoors where there is the highest possibility of the presence of animals.

ii. Tick Larva

The eggs hatch and become larvae, these larvae are dangerous as they start feeding on small animals like rats and mice.

iii. Nymphs 

The nymph is the developed version of the larva. Once the larva becomes a nymph, they no longer wish to feed off small animals, they start feeding on bigger animals like cats, dogs and even humans.

iv. Adult Ticks 

The nymphs feed on their hosts and turn into adult ticks, these adult ticks want to reproduce so they start mating with male ticks. Once they are done, they again lay thousands of eggs which repeat the cycle.  

You can get rashes and bumps when a tick bites you. Usually, a tick lives on the host for about 10 to 12 days, but sometimes it does not leave and can stay for a longer period.

2.2 Types of Ticks 

The two main types of ticks are:

1. Hard ticks (lifespan of around one to two years)
2. Soft ticks (lifespan of around several months to years)

These different types of ticks are found in different regions of the world, they are known to spread diseases among humans and animals.

3. Symptoms of Fleas and Ticks on Dogs

To make sure your young puppy, adult dogs or any other pets do not have fleas and ticks, look out for these symptoms:

3.1 Flea Symptoms

1. If you notice a black pepper-like substance on your dog’s coat, it is probably flea dirt. 
2. If you spot small white-coloured substances, they are probably eggs.
3. If your dog has intestinal parasites like tapeworms, they might have fleas.
4. If your dog is suffering from hair loss.
5. If they are continuously scratching and biting their skin.

3.2 Tick Symptoms

1. If your dog continuously bites their skin, check them for ticks
2. Tick bites can cause rashes and bumps.
3. Your dog can become anemic if they are infested with ticks
4. Dogs often shake their heads to remove the ticks as they cause a lot of skin irritation.
5. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are one of the major symptoms of tick infestation in dogs.

3.3 Other Parasites

Fleas and ticks often infest during summer, and prevention is a good idea to avoid infestation as they can even affect your health and your pet’s health, so why take the risk?

Other than this, they can cause intestinal parasites too. Intestinal parasites are very dangerous for dogs. These include tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, coccidia, whipworms, etc.

The symptoms that these parasites cause are:

1. Lethargy is one of the major symptoms.
2. Your dog may experience weight loss.
3. Excessive coughing and vomiting are also signs.
4. Some other symptoms include swelling in the abdominal region, excessive and bloody diarrhea, and bloating. 

4. Flea and Tick Prevention

It is mandatory to keep checking for fleas and ticks in your dog. Rather than giving them flea treatments and tick medication, stay alert and practice flea and tick prevention.

Here are some ways you can make sure your dog doesn’t get fleas and ticks:

1. Using flea and tick prevention products can avoid infestation.
2. A clean environment is a must to avoid them. 
3. Use herbs and oils on your dog to avoid them.
4. Trimming your dog’s fur can also help to avoid fleas and ticks.
5. Make sure your dog doesn’t play with other dogs who are infested. 
6. Using flea collars is also a great option. 

These precautions can help you with flea and tick prevention. But before you start the flea and tick prevention products, consult a veterinarian.

Also before trying any homemade remedies like oils and herbs, make sure to consult a veterinarian. 

4.1 Prevention Products 

Flea and tick prevention products are very necessary for your dog’s long and happy life. These products come in various forms like:

1. Pills 
2. Chews 
3. Ointments 
4. Shampoos 

4.2 Homemade Prevention Products 

 You can also make homemade alternatives for the prevention of multiple parasites. Here are some ideas:

1. Citronella oil spray
2. Apple cider vinegar spray and drink
3. Lemon and water spray
4. Essential oils like lavender and peppermint 
5. Coconut oil rub
6. Leaving baking soda or salt on the carpet overnight

5. When to Start Flea and Tick Treatment for Puppies?

The type of treatment given for fleas and ticks is based on your pet’s age:

5.1 For a Young Puppy 

If your young puppies are infested with fleas and ticks, you need to be very careful. It is advised that young puppies should not be given medications for fleas and ticks.

Your pet’s age must be more than 12 weeks or at least 12 weeks, if they are not the required age, try using a flea comb. 

A flea comb has thinly spaced teeth which help to remove fleas. A flea comb ensures the removal of fleas, eggs and other types too.

A tick remover can be used to remove ticks from your puppy’s skin, you can use Capstar medicine for puppies as it is safe for them. It is very effective.   

5.2 For Older Puppies and Adult Dogs

Once your puppy is 12 weeks or older, you can start flea treatments and tick medicine, these involve oral treatment and topical treatments. 

These medicines contain active ingredients, these active ingredients make sure to remove fleas and ticks within a few hours. They also ensure that your puppy or adult dog doesn’t catch fleas and ticks for several months. 

5.3 For Your Young Kitten

If you have a pet cat, they are vulnerable to fleas and ticks too. For their treatment, you need to make sure your cat is not a young kitten, these treatments can only be started in cats who are at least 8 weeks old.

Most products also require a minimum weight of at least 2 pounds (approximately 0.9 kgs).

The symptoms in dogs and cats are pretty much similar, still both require different medications. 

6. Best Flea and Tick Medicine 

Dogs and cats require different medications for fleas and ticks, some medications have ingredients not fit for dogs but for cats and vice versa. Let us take a look at some of these medications:

6.1 Medication for Dogs 

The best medications for dogs are mentioned below:

1. Advantage Multi
2. Frontline plus
3. Simparica TRIO treatment.

6.2 Medication for Cats 

The best medications for cats are mentioned below:

1. Revolution Plus 
2. Frontline plus 
3. Comfortis

7. Closing Thoughts

Puppies need a great amount of care and attention, so always take good care of your pet’s hygiene to avoid these infestations.

Make sure their health is not compromised as it can affect your health too. Try using a tick comb first before starting medications first, also, contact your vet for a thorough examination!

Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Gourvi Gupta