Happy New Year! Today is the perfect time to make sure your pets stay pest-free. We know, vowing to get more toys or cuddles may be a more fun resolution, but it’s no less important! While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our article on 5 Fall Safety Tips for Pet Owners to keep your furry friend safe during the autumn months. There are several things you can do to ensure your animal friend doesn’t fall victim to creepy crawlies like fleas, ticks, and parasitic worms, which can sideline your pet’s health in no time at all. Keep up with these pest-control measures all year round, and your pet will have nothing to worry about.
Groom Your Pet Regularly
Taking the time to groom your furry friend on a regular basis is a great way to check the coat and skin for fleas and ticks. Even if your pet has short coat and doesn’t require much by way of specific grooming measures, you can run a flea comb through their coat to check for tiny brown or black specks, which would be flea dirt. If you find anything, call your vet’s office to find out how to proceed.
Use Preventative Medications
Your veterinarian will likely recommend keeping your pet on a year-round heartworm preventative and a flea-and-tick preventative. These simple measures should protect your beloved animal companion from all of the common pests that are waiting outdoors. If your pet isn’t already set up with these preventatives, get in touch with your vet ASAP. Our Vet Wellness and Pet Vaccinations services can help keep your pet healthy and pest-free.
Seal the Gaps
Use sealant foam to block off any small holes or cracks around doors or windows or in your home’s siding or foundation. Pests can easily slip in through these openings. You don’t want that!
Tend to the Landscaping
Pests are attracted to dense brush and tall, unkempt grasses because these areas give them places to hide. Around your house, trim back thick shrubbery and lengthy grass so you don’t inadvertently give pests a home. It’s especially important if this vegetation is touching your home itself, perhaps near a window. You just might be giving outdoor pests an open invitation into your living room.
Keep Things Clean
There’s no substitute for keeping things neat and clean, both indoors and outside. Vacuum and disinfect inside your home regularly and be sure to toss your pet’s bedding in the washing machine very now and then. Outdoors, get rid of any debris, dead leaves, garbage, or leftover food that could attract pests. Remove any sources of standing water—empty flower pots, birdfeeders, old tires—that mosquitoes could use to breed.
Does your pet need pest-control medications? Want to learn more about keeping your four-legged friend safe and sound? Call your local vet’s office in North Miami, FL to speak with the professionals.
