Will dog preventive care keep my dog flea and tick-free?

I don't know that I can give a 100% guarantee on that, but we can do an excellent job with the products on the market now. The current product that we're using is called Simparica TRIO. It's all-in-one flea, tick, and heartworm prevention in a single pill, given once a month. I think it's the easiest thing that we've had in recent history to control fleas and ticks, but it's also extremely effective and super safe. The best we can do is give that prevention. And then, especially with ticks, we have to do those daily tick checks, as dogs and even our cats come inside. Just do that once-over check on your pets. One thing I've heard that works well is using a lint roller when your dog comes inside. Just kind of roll that down their back, and you can pick up those tiny little ticks that you may not be able to see very well on your fuzzy dog.

Yup that is the goal. Of course, there are always resistant types of fleas. But with our new products, we have seen excellent results, and we haven't had any resistance yet.

It's going to do its best possible job. You still need to watch over your dog, especially if you're going out on any hikes or they're in fields where they could potentially have increased exposure. Also make sure that you are giving your dog preventative care routinely to make sure it is still effective.

I answered this yes and no. We need to understand how preventatives work and understand our pet's environment. Sometimes we get calls about when a pet has a lot of fleas, and they're with four other pets at home, and the owner calls and says, I want something for my pet's fleas, and they apply that. Then, two days later, they're still seeing fleas. That would not be because the flea product is not working if it was a good quality product, but it's because of the environment. That product is working as best it can, but you're in a flea-infested environment, so it's going to take time to break that cycle. If you're consistent with a good quality product, yes, but you could still see some fleas and ticks during that time, depending on the situation.

I think a lot of people stop preventive care when it starts getting cold. Fleas don't care if it's cold because your dog's nice and warm. Ticks aren't quite as persistent. It depends on your area. In North Carolina, we have 70-degree days and then 30-degree days. It's just crazy weather even through the winter. Plus, a lot of our pets are inside pets, so they're not living out in the element, and they're living in our climate-controlled homes with us, which fleas and ticks love. In that sense, if they're mainly inside, or only if your dog goes out to go to the bathroom, it can pick up fleas. If your dog stays inside all the time, you can bring them in. So don't get complacent and think that your dog can never get fleas because I've seen it happen many times, and I know you have too. You may have an inside dog that maybe never leaves, but the cat goes in and out. You have to think of all aspects, and you may not see them on a cat as much because they give it all to the dog. It's a cat thing.

No, not unless it includes flea and tick medication. It's important to understand that there are a lot of ineffective, generic products on the market. Products that actually work are best recommended by a full-service veterinarian. You may have to pay a bit more, but for the best preventive care, you should get the best available products at the best price.