Every Season is Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Season: Keep Your Furry Friend Safe Year-Round

Protecting dogs and cats from parasites requires a year-round commitment. Although fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests are known to thrive in warmer climates, they don’t disappear when the temperature drops. Consistent year-round flea, tick, heartworm prevention is the best way to combat the growing risk.

Fleas

Fleas are the most common type of external parasite found on cats and dogs, and they are more than just a seasonal annoyance. Even though fleas thrive primarily in humid environments above 70°F, they can survive in near-freezing conditions and are not entirely inactive during winter. In fact, when it gets even colder outside, the perfect environment for fleas still exists—your home! Warm, stable indoor temperatures make continual breeding possible.

If your pet has a flea problem, it’s important to remember that the adult fleas you see account for just a small percentage of the potential population in your home. More than 90% are still in the immature stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and pose a looming threat. And since 1 pair of fleas can produce up to 500 offspring, the cycle could last well into spring if not stopped. If you notice any key indicators of an infestation in your pet—itching, scratching, “flea dirt” (round, black flecks that are actually flea feces), and red bumps or hair loss on the groin or belly, under the legs, or at the base of the tail, consult your veterinarian. Left untreated, fleas could lead to a range of potentially serious health risks for your pet, including tapeworm, anemia, allergies, various infections, and can even be life threatening to puppies, kittens, and cats.

Ticks

Every Season is Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Season

Year-round tick control is the best way to protect your pet from the increasing risk of tick infestation and infection in pets. Ticks are active in most populated areas of North America all year, including winter, and various species have extended their activity into colder months due to environmental changes. Tick populations respond to seasonal changes, temperature shifts, and increased precipitation, leading many to think tick risk is seasonal. However, ticks are active every month, creating a continuous risk for pets. Common ticks in North America include:

• Deer ticks (black-legged ticks)
• Lone star ticks
• American dog ticks (wood ticks)
• Brown dog ticks
• Gulf Coast ticks
• Longhorned ticks

These ticks, at various life stages, feed on different animals, including pets, increasing the chances of infestation and disease transmission. Cats, like dogs, are prone to tick infestations and tick-borne infections, which can be severe or fatal. Immature ticks, though small, can infest pets in large numbers, posing a significant risk.

Ticks thrive on wildlife hosts, making natural environments a key risk factor. Some ticks prefer specific hosts, like white-tailed deer or rodents, while others, like brown dog ticks, prefer domestic dogs and can infest homes and kennels. Environmental changes, such as reforestation, climate change, and increased wildlife populations, have led to higher tick numbers and expanded their geographic range. As winter temperatures rise, ticks like the lone star and American dog ticks are now active in winter months.

Review of ticks collected from dogs and cats, show year-round activity. Seasonal trends persist, but the new norm is continuous tick activity due to changing habitats and climate. Brown dog ticks, once considered a single species, include at least three distinct species in North America. They thrive in warmer regions and can be transported via pet travel, leading to infestations anywhere dogs are found. Ticks are more than just a nuisance. They can transmit many life changing and threatening conditions, such as Lyme, rocky mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis. These diseases can range from causing lameness, fever, to severe blood changes, anemias and low platelet disorder that are life threatening.

Prevention is critical to your pet’s health. In response, the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) recommend year-round tick control for all pets. Effective products now combine flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal parasite prevention, simplifying comprehensive control. During peak tick seasons, systemic products can be combined with topical treatments or acaricidal collars for extra protection. Given the persistent threat of ticks, broad-spectrum tick prevention is essential for your pet’s health.

Heartworms

Every Season is Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Season

Above-average temperatures and rainfall throughout the country this year have created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, which are the source of this serious, potentially fatal infection. Therefore, to reduce the risk of heartworm disease in your pet, year-round prevention is recommended. An abrupt end to winter and an early spring could result in mosquitoes emerging early. Also, a warm, wet autumn can keep mosquitoes active later in the season than anticipated.

When a mosquito bites an infected animal, the insect ingests microscopic worms and transmits them when it bites another animal. Heartworms mature and live in the heart and large blood vessels of the lungs. Eventually, an infection could affect blood flow and impact the internal organs, including the heart, lungs, and liver, severely weakening or even killing the animal. It is estimated that nearly 300,000 dogs become infected with heartworm each year, and cases are reported in all 50 states. Signs that your pet might be infected include a persistent cough, fatigue, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

It takes just 1 mosquito bite to infect an animal with heartworm disease, so continuous protection is the best defense.

Prevention

Every Season is Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Season

Regardless of whether you think your pet is likely to come in contact with one of these pests, it’s crucial that you provide year-round flea, tick, heartworm prevention for every pet in your home. Some parasite preventives combat multiple types, and all the products are easy to administer. Many parasite preventives are given just once monthly, so make it a habit to give your pet’s medication on the same day each month.

Mark it on your calendar. Many products come with bright stickers or set an electronic reminder. Skipping doses intentionally during winter months will get you out of the habit, plus making it more likely that your pet goes unprotected for far too long. Maintaining year-round flea, tick, heartworm prevention is crucial to ensuring your pet’s health and well-being and providing protection to your furry friend.

Salt River Veterinary Clinic is a full-service animal hospital providing compassionate Quality Care and Services. We offer a wide range of services, including Soft Tissue Surgery, Digital Radiology, Ultrasound , Dentistry, Hospitalization, In-House Laboratory, Preventative Medicine, Therapeutic Laser , and Acupuncture.