Vacationing in Florida with your dog? From St. Augustine to Tampa and all the way
down to Key West, there are so many dog-friendly places to visit. Florida has a lot of dog-friendly parks,
campgrounds, hotels, restaurants and beaches for you to enjoy with your dog.
The only bad thing:
the fleas are dog-friendly too!
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't vacation in Florida with your
dog. You just need to remember your flea preventive and
some basic information:
Florida Flea Season is Year-Round
Florida does not have the normal seasons of Spring, Summer,
Autumn and Fall. No, we have Rainy
Season, Hurricane Season, Snowbird Season (the timeframe when Northerners live
here to avoid the cold weather), and Tourist Season. Occasionally, we have Winter but that cold
weather generally doesn't last more than two weeks.
Florida's consistent warm temperatures and higher relative
humidity make for the perfect breeding ground for fleas. It is why our Flea Season is year round when
other places up North are getting a break from the pesky critters.
Florida Provides Many
Means of Transportation for Fleas
No, the fleas aren't riding the rails or hopping in a cab to
get around but that doesn't mean there aren't many ways for them to travel
throughout Florida. Sure, a
flea-infested dog could've crossed that same path you're hiking on and now
fleas are waiting to hitch their next ride on you!
But since the most common flea that infests dogs and cats is
the Cat Flea, feral cats are a great way for fleas to get into your
neighborhood or your yard. The Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates the Florida feral cat
population may be 6.3 to 9.6 million (Feral Cat Colonies in Florida, Pamela Jo
Hatley). And did you know, an
investigation of the feral cat population in Florida found that 92.5% of them
were infested with fleas?
There are many other critters in Florida who like to roam
and who can provide a great vehicle for flea travel as well. The Cat Flea has also been found on the
Florida Panther, skunks, raccoons, opossums and rodents.
Fleas are Everywhere in Florida
From Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National
Preserve to the State Parks where I go camping and the dog parks and dog
beaches so many go to, there are fleas.
Like I said, they have a super-highway network on which to travel that
lead right to your neighborhood and/or yard.
So what is a Florida dog to do? Aside from monthly visits from pest control
and almost-obsessive cleaning of your home, you need to use flea preventive all
year long.
For the past few weeks, I have been testing the new Seresto collar. You may remember it from my Flea Bite Allergy in Dogs post. The Seresto
collar achieves 100% efficacy against fleas within 2 days of treatment and
maintains efficacy above 90% for over 7 months.
That's right...no missed monthly applications or doses for up to 8
months!
The Seresto collar has two active ingredients to kill fleas
and ticks - imidacloprid and flumethrin.
The collar is designed to slowly and continuously release those
ingredients in low concentrations.
Since first putting on my Seresto collar, I have had less
itching and my possible FAD (Flea Allergic Dermatitis) has started to
heal. I did take one bath since putting
on my new collar, and I left the collar on since it is water-resistant, and it
is still working. I'm going to keep
using the collar and I will let you know how long it lasted for me.
Do you live in an area where Flea Season is year round?
Do you want to try the new Seresto collar to prevent fleas
and ticks? If so, there is a $20 rebate
available on your Seresto collar purchase HERE.
This post is sponsored by Bayer/Seresto and the Pet Blogger
Network. I am being compensated for
helping spread the word about the Seresto product, but Oz the Terrier only
shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Bayer/Seresto is not responsible for the
content of this article.
It does sound like a great idea that collar but the only time we wear collars is when we go out because colors Matt our long fur if we leave them on and can cause sores on our necks.
ReplyDeleteWe have fleas all year round too . We are very happy we never have any
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
I did not know that the most common flea was the cat flea. And that sure is a lot of feral cats!! When my daughters lived down there one of the inside cats got fleas very badly, it was a nightmare for her to get rid of them.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for this information, Oz. I hope with a good flea-treatment we can spend our howliday on every place. I would like to visit Florida...when the gator's have their resting day :o)
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. I'll stay in the desert Southwest where there are no fleas and ticks.
ReplyDeleteThat was great advice Oz and those little boogers are sure nasty! Have a fun and safe Independence Day!!!
ReplyDeleteBravo Oz....we have fleas or fleas eggs year around too. It is rarely cold enough to kill the eggs.
ReplyDeleteEven though my feets never touch the dirt I get a month flea and heartworm preventative.
Hugs madi your bfff
We are lucky to not have a flea problem at all. Years ago (before us three) mom took her first pug with her for a visit to California. you guessed it - brought home fleas and it took awhile to get rid of them. But Mom & dad do worry about ticks when we go camping. Hope the bad weather is not going to affect you.
ReplyDeletehugs
Mr Bailey, Hazel & Greta
I have seen these collars before, and wasn't sure if they wouold work or not, so thanks for sharing, and I look forward to seeing how long one lasts!
ReplyDeleteღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
We would love to find a new flea and tick system, but not sure we want a second collar. Most fleas and ticks die out over the winter (lots of humans too) with the extreme cold, but we still need flea and tick protection.
ReplyDeleteWe are thankful that WE only have fleas from late spring until FROST...
ReplyDeleteHey Oz..... FURTS... here... lettin you know that YOUR buddy TURTS just gotted himself in TROUBLE with a Capital T.
ReplyDeleteHe watched mom pic a green pepper from the garden... put it on the DECK.. to have fur supper... and then went to pick some sugar snap (snow peas). While she had her back turned.... TURTS... grabbed the Pepper and RACED to the GARDEN and BURIED it in the row of Corn... When mom looked fur the pepper... I (the FURTS) RATTED the TURT out!!! YES I did.
We know about feral cat as we were reminded by our vet. Oh OZ, we really want to visit FL especially when its cold here in Chicago. Golden Thanks for all the great info. Sugar is also wearing a seresto collar for a year protection. Golden Woofs
ReplyDeleteFleas are the worst. Glad you found something to protect you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad we don't really have to worry about fleas here. I do wish it was more dog friendly here though, like Florida.
ReplyDeleteHappy Fourth of July!
Them fleas and ticks are pesky little creatures, great advice.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th July from across the pond, stay safe.
Sheba.
Wow that is a lot of feral cats and a whole bucket load of fleas. Glad you are protected buddy. Have a great holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there's at least something bad about living down there where you only have two weeks of winter (says the jealous northerner....LOL).
ReplyDeleteThis collar seems like a good solution for you....having to do a spot on treatment or whatever for a full year seems like it would get old quickly, and too easy to miss a dose as well.
Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets
Pest Control NJ Pest Control Bergen NJ Pest Management
ReplyDeleteServices New Jersey. New Day Pest Control offers pest control,
pest management, pest removal, pest extermination, and other pest
control services NJ
I've read quite a bit about this collar and everyone seems to love it. I'd love to bring Bentley to the Gulf and let him experience the beach! Did you get my letter about the Writer's Hop?
ReplyDeleteThankfully , thankfully we are not only indoor only kitties, but the flea problem is not quite that bad here...hope all woofies furriends remain flea free in Florida
ReplyDeleteWe wunce had da flee infestayshun in ower lawn Oz my pal…took ages to get rid of den blyters……we was furry worried they dud get into da howse too but they did not...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures Oz. That is an interesting collar. Of course brown dawgs swim so much I am not sure the collar would stand up....lol. I do like the idea of a collar though. Might be something for non-swimming season.
ReplyDeleteThe last 2 times we went to north cebtral FL, 12/16 & 3/17, our terrier mix was a magnet for fleas, WITH Seresto collar (new). Are those cat fleas now immune to Seresto? Very frustrating.
ReplyDelete