Can My Pet Still Get Fleas During Winter?
Very often we see a decrease in owners using flea treatment on their pets during the colder months as they say ‘fleas can’t survive the winter’. This is a myth!
While it is true that they aren’t able to survive freezing temperatures, they are able to live on both pets and throughout a household so it’s completely possible for them to survive during a New Zealand Winter as they don’t have to encounter the cold and are very good at seeking out those warmer hiding spots in your home. In fact, sudden dips in temperature can often cause severe infestations to emerge, as turning on central heating systems can encourage adult fleas to emerge into your nice warm environment!
Most treatments aren’t able to kill all stages of a flea’s lifecycle. Even when adult fleas are killed by a treatment, young fleas hatching from their eggs may have to be treated again so they don’t lay further eggs, this is why it’s really important to keep up to date with your animals regular flea treatments - otherwise things can potentially get out of hand...not a nice situation to be in!
Today we have many products available to treat fleas. If you are unsure what product is best suited to your animal, feel free to pop into the clinic and any one of our nurses would be happy to run you through the different options and pricing.
Very often we see a decrease in owners using flea treatment on their pets during the colder months as they say ‘fleas can’t survive the winter’. This is a myth!
While it is true that they aren’t able to survive freezing temperatures, they are able to live on both pets and throughout a household so it’s completely possible for them to survive during a New Zealand Winter as they don’t have to encounter the cold and are very good at seeking out those warmer hiding spots in your home. In fact, sudden dips in temperature can often cause severe infestations to emerge, as turning on central heating systems can encourage adult fleas to emerge into your nice warm environment!
Most treatments aren’t able to kill all stages of a flea’s lifecycle. Even when adult fleas are killed by a treatment, young fleas hatching from their eggs may have to be treated again so they don’t lay further eggs, this is why it’s really important to keep up to date with your animals regular flea treatments - otherwise things can potentially get out of hand...not a nice situation to be in!
Today we have many products available to treat fleas. If you are unsure what product is best suited to your animal, feel free to pop into the clinic and any one of our nurses would be happy to run you through the different options and pricing.