Why Flea Prevention Matters to Your Pet #BlogPaws #Seresto #petbasics

Flea prevention for your pet matters. Whether you are hiking a trail or hanging out in your backyard, fleas and their bites can cause your pet major discomfort. Fleas also spread disease. This is why it is so important to use a good flea preventative, like Seresto®, on your pet.

This post is sponsored by Seresto® and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. I was sponsored to the BlogPaws 2016 conference to help spread the word about Bayer Animal Health, but Oz the Terrier only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Bayer Animal Health and Seresto are not responsible for the content of this article.

When we participated in a previous campaign for Seresto, I wrote about Oz’s flea bite allergy and the resulting Flea Allergy Dermatitis he suffers with when bitten by fleas. Like many dogs, Oz is hypersensitive to the substances in flea saliva. This hypersensitivity, or allergy, causes intense skin irritation and itchiness that spreads from the bite area and results in Oz losing patches of fur and sometimes even a skin infection if he scratches too much.

It only takes ONE FLEA BITE to cause Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Just one bite and Oz is an itchy mess. But with the Seresto collar, he is rarely bitten by a flea and it is because Seresto kills fleas on contact unlike other preventatives that only kill fleas once they bite.

As I said, fleas also transmit disease…and parasites. Fleas can be infected with tapeworms. When your pet chews on an irritated area of its body and a flea is present, it is possible for your pet to swallow the flea. If that flea is infected with a tapeworm, there is a good chance your pet will get a tapeworm as well.

Flea bites can also cause a bacterial infection known as Bartonellosis. In dogs, the bacteria have been linked to medical conditions associated with the heart, eyes and liver.

I don’t even want to think about a flea infestation! Thankfully, Oz has never been infested with fleas. If a pet is infested with fleas, they can easily suffer from iron-deficiency anemia since the hundreds of fleas are having a blood-meal on your pet.

All of the above can be prevented if you use a good flea preventative, like Seresto, on your pet. Seresto kills fleas on contact and it also hinders flea reproduction since it kills fleas before they can lay eggs.

On last week’s post about Seresto, a few of you asked questions regarding swimming and bathing while using Seresto on your dog and the efficacy of the collar when your dog is bathed or swims frequently. I have answers about Seresto for you (I am still waiting on an answer for another question, so stay tuned):

Seresto® is water-resistant and remains effective following a shampoo treatment, swimming or after exposure to rain or sunlight. There is no need to remove the collar for bathing or swimming. Under normal conditions – i.e. bathing once a month, swimming once a month – effectiveness lasts for 8 months. 

If you bath your dog more than once a month, it is suggested to use a non-stripping shampoo, which is generally a soap free formulation used for general cleansing.

If your dog gets a bath or swims more than once a month, the control duration of the Seresto® collar is reduced to 5 months for flea control and reduced to 7 months for tick control.

If I may point out, even at the lowest reduced control duration of 5 months for flea control, the price for the Seresto collar is still comparable to other flea and tick preventatives. Take the example below, using the HIGHEST prices I could find for one Seresto collar and a well known drop-style brand with 6 monthly applications:

Seresto at $60 – even at 5 month reduced control duration is equal to $12/month

Brand X at $70 – with 6 monthly applications included is equal to approximately $11/month

Seresto pricing is comparable to other flea and tick preventatives even at the reduced control duration. If your dog gets a bath or swims only once a month, at the full control duration of 8 months the price per month goes down to almost $7. Seresto is definitely worth the investment for the health of your pet.

Why does flea prevention matter to you? 
What are your thoughts on using the Seresto collar?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws Pet Influencer Network. The opinions and text are all mine.