Intriguing Facts about Fleas, Ticks, and Worms

Intriguing-Facts-about-Fleas-Ticks-and-Worms

Ever wondered where do these infuriating fleas and ticks come from? On top of that, there are worms that further deteriorate your beloved pet’s health. The real question is – are these creatures related? Think about it. Although fleas and ticks are different, both have the same treatments. The differences between fleas, ticks, and worms overpower the similarities in them. Therefore, here we have presented the facts and differences between fleas, ticks, and worms. 

FLEAS
TICKS
WORMS
FLEAS
  • A flea is a wingless insect that can jump over 6 inches. I.e., they can jump more than 150 times their length. Shocking, right?!
  • Generally, fleas lay about 20-40 eggs a day and it can go on for several weeks.
  • Fleas only have one host throughout their life and they feed on their blood until they die. It shows how persistent these irritating creatures are.
  • Adult fleas can live for over 100 days. These critters have been creating havoc on the earth for a long time. Flea fossils date back to the Jurassic period (Mesozoic era). Moreover, fleas in that time were giants compared to the fleas we encounter. The hosts of those giant fleas were dinosaurs!
  • Fleas prefer and exist in warm temperatures. However, it doesn’t mean that there are no fleas in winter. There are some larvae that can survive even during winters by finding a warm and snuggly place.
  • You will find flea eggs in all the places your furry pal has been. Basically, your pooch becomes a salt shaker, so wherever he goes, he sheds flea eggs.
  • The speed at which a flea jumps, it can leave the space shuttle behind! It’s said that the acceleration of flea jump is 20x faster than a space shuttle.

Preventing and treating fleas is vital as it can spread diseases like tapeworms and bartonellosis. Fleas can irritate your four-legged pal and create more health issues. Fortunately, there are many flea preventive treatments available to repel these parasites. We recommend Nexgard - a fast-acting treatment that starts working in only 8 hours and eradicates 100% adult fleas within a day.

TICKS
  • Ticks are not insects; they’re arachnids. Ticks are closely related to spiders and scorpions. Moreover, most of the ticks have eight legs.
  • Ticks do not jump like fleas. They are usually found sitting on the tip of grass and shrubs where they can easily crawl up to their hosts.
  • The lifespan of a tick ranges from 3 months to 3 years. A deer tick’s lifecycle takes about 1.5 to 2 years to complete. The lifespan of any tick mainly depends on the environment and hosts.
  • Ticks are very patient when it comes to choosing a host. They spend most of their life waiting for a perfect host.
  • Although we only encounter selected species of ticks, over 850 species exist on the earth.
  • Ticks can lay over 1,000 eggs at once. However, it dies shortly after laying eggs. The irony is, ticks are stronger than fleas when it comes to surviving in freezing winter but dies after laying eggs.
  • The reason why Hard Ticks are difficult to remove is that their saliva acts as cement so they don’t fall off of their hosts.
  • A bite from Lone Star Tick can cause red meat allergy. If your dog has been bitten by this tick, it’ll show signs like scratching, hair loss and skin lesion upon eating pork, lamb, or meat.

Ticks can transmit serious disease like Lyme disease. Hence, the condition shouldn’t be neglected. Administering tick preventive treatment will protect your pet from tick bites and the disease that it causes. Frontline Plus is an excellent treatment that kills ticks within 48 hours of administration.

WORMS
  • Worms are parasites that attack your pet from within. The eggs of a worm get into your furry pal’s system when s/he digs or explores the waste of another infected animal. Your pet will immediately get infected after ingestion of the eggs.
  • The common types of intestinal worms are roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms hookworms and heartworms.
  • Worm infestation is difficult to eradicate. In only a week, an infected puppy can shed over 10 million eggs! Thus, to stop worm infestation, you need to kill the eggs and larvae too.
  • Almost all worms are round in size and vary in length. A worm can grow as long as 7 inches in length. Flatworms and tapeworms can grow up to 8 inches.
  • Just like other parasites, worms also feed on the blood of their host.
  • Most worms spread via eggs that pass through the pet’s feces. Roundworms can be passed to the kitten through its mother’s milk. Moreover, your pet can get infected with tapeworms by ingesting fleas.
  • Worms’ eggs can live for years in the soil. Thus, worms are found almost everywhere.
  • Heartworm is quite different than other worms. It’s caused by a mosquito bite and its main target is the heart and lungs of your furry buddy! Heartworm is the most dangerous disease so its prevention is crucial.

Worm infection is a serious issue among pets. Hence, pet parents are advised to administer dewormers and heartworm preventives to their pet. Revolution is the best treatment for preventing heartworms. If you’re looking for a treatment that prevents Heartworms and treats intestinal worms, then Heartgard Plus is the right choice.