Short answer; yes. In our area (Southern Ontario), flea and tick preventatives need to be applied year-round for best protection of your pets nowadays.
Both fleas and ticks can survive in a variety of climates and can live inside your home where they remain protected from the cold outdoor temperatures. This has always been the case, but the big adjustment in our recommendations to you is related to the change in our winter weather.
Ticks can be active at 4 degrees centigrade (40 degrees Fahrenheit), which is not an unusual occurrence for many locations in Ontario during the winter months lately. It’s a pretty good bet that there will be significant thaws even in January and February. We can see tick attachments to pets during these thaws. This is the reason you are seeing a change in our recommendations for your pet.
For your convenience and pet protection, we can provide a number of products such as;
- Topical combination products: K9 Advantix® II (dogs only), Bravecto® (cats and dogs),
- Oral combination products (dogs only): Bravecto®, NexGard®, Trifexis®, Simparica™. Credelio®
Some steps to reduce the chance of ticks in your yard include;
- Remove leaf litter.
- Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns.
- Place a 3-foot wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
- Mow the lawn frequently.
- Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (this discourages rodents who would be used as tick hosts).
- Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.
- Discourage unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences.
- Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.
Give us a call if you need further information or to order flea and tick prevention; 905-295-8111.