Flea & Tick Preventive Options

Life Cycles

• Understanding the life cycle of fleas and ticks can help you prevent an infestation. Fleas have four life cycle stages. Of those four stages, around 50 percent of fleas found in a home are in the egg stage, according a 2002 article on flea and tick prevention in "Mother Earth News." Five percent are adult fleas and the rest are pupae and larvae. Just one flea can lay around 50 eggs a day, according to the article. If you use prevention methods that only kill adult fleas, the problem will continue as the eggs hatch and the pupae and larvae mature.

  Ticks can carry several serious diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, according to the "Mother Earth News" report. Ticks typically live on the edges of leaves and branches and wait for warm-blooded mammals to walk by. They attach themselves to the animal host and feed on blood, growing as much as 200 times in weight over three days. After filling up on blood, a female tick will drop off the host and lay up to 2,000 eggs.

Chemical Options

• Several chemical options exist for preventing fleas and ticks, according to PetEducation.com. A once-a-month topical insecticide placed on the back of your pet's neck is a common pest prevention method. Read the ointment's label to see what types of pests it kills. Some topical insecticides kill fleas while others kill both fleas and ticks. Sprays that come in pump bottles and aerosol cans are another preventive measure. Dips and rinses are are applied to the animal's entire body, and the insecticide has a residual affect. Most dips cannot be used on cats. Bathing your cat or dog regularly with flea and tick prevention shampoos is another method of preventing infestations. Collars treated with insecticides can be effective, but you must be careful the chemicals do not irritate your pet's neck. Finally, oral and injectable medicines can protect cats and dogs. You can feed a once-a-month tablet to your pet, or a veterinarian can administer a shot every six months to prevent fleas and ticks.

Nonchemical Options

• If you have a pet with sensitive skin, there are a few nonchemical methods that prevent fleas and ticks on your cat or dog. Flea combs are not used as often as chemical and medicinal approaches but can be an effective way of removing fleas and their eggs. Brush your pet regularly all over with a flea comb. This method is particularly useful for pregnant, ill or infant pets that cannot tolerate chemicals as well, according to the Consumer Reports Health website. Place the fleas you comb off in detergent water to kill them. While brushing your pet, you may be able to remove ticks before they attach to the skin.

  Another nonchemical approach to flea and tick prevention is frequent vacuuming. Up to 50 percent of flea eggs can be swept up in just one pass by a vacuum cleaner, according to PetEducation.com. Be sure to vacuum everywhere your pet lies, and wash pet beds regularly. Remove the vacuum bag or empty the canister weekly to prevent fleas from hatching within it.

Natural Options

• Several companies tout natural flea and tick preventative options but their effectiveness has not been proven, according to Michael Dryden, an expert in veterinary parasitology at Kansas State University. Adding garlic to a pet's food or using oils like lavender, cedar, rosemary and mint are examples of natural flea and tick preventative options. Dryden told "Mother Earth News" that some treatments, like pennyroyal and citrus extracts, can be poisonous to humans and pets. The oil is harmful to an animal's liver if ingested. Another natural remedy, using brewer's yeast to kill fleas, is also not an advisable option. Fleas thrive in yeasty environments, causing their numbers to increase 40 to 50 percent, according to Dryden.