Taking On The Parasites

Ticks and fleas can make our pets sick. Have products changed and how do we continue to fight them in the future?

- Gina Hartoog

Ticks and fleas may be tiny, but they pose a significant health risk to our pets. Not only is your poor pet tortured by the discomfort of parasites, some ticks carry diseases that may be fatal. Ticks, fleas and other creepy crawlies that live outside of the body of animals are called ectoparasites. They generally complete a portion of their lifecycles on the animal, taking a blood meal and laying eggs for the next generation. There are a couple of serious tick-borne diseases – including babesiosis – that can be deadly. Babesiosis is also known as biliary or tick bite fever. With fleas, it’s their saliva that causes an irritation and your pet may scratch incessantly, sometimes breaking the skin and causing infection.

Animaltalk caught up with companion animal veterinarian, Dr Elizna Boag of Afrivet, for a closer look at the past, present and future of tick and flea products.

What were some of the first products developed against ticks and fleas?