Should I keep giving flea and tick medicine monthly in winter?

Question

Here in Minnesota it is getting cold. Is flea and tick medicine still recommend monthly? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 11 months and 1 day old | 78 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question - I am also in MN so get this question a lot :-) I absolutely recommend tick prevention until it is consistently frozen day and night, and we are past the intermittent fall warm-ups. Ticks are amazingly hardy, and they actually pick up in the fall, so definitely keep Teddy's prevention current to avoid the Lyme disease risk. I generally recommend people continue that into December. You can probably get away with skipping Jan/Feb if it stays predictably cold, but ticks were back again last March so we want to stay ahead of them. However - fleas are something they could pick up year round if they are exposed to another affected animal, and mice tend to find their way inside more in the fall/winter and could pass fleas along. So, if you feel Teddy's risk level is low, I think overall the risk is lowest in Jan/Feb, but the safest option would still be to continue year-round. Hope this helps!

Should I keep giving flea and tick medicine monthly in winter?

Most Helpful Answer

Related Questions

My pet's ear mite treatment isn't working. What else could it be?

My pet has worsening sores and scratches. Could it be an infection?

Why do my hermit crab's mites keep returning? How to get rid of them?

Found a worm in my new chick's water dish. Is it a parasite?

Why does my puppy have bloody, mucousy stools despite diet changes?

My dog rubs belly & scratches face, no fleas. Could it be allergies?

Share