​All dogs in the St. Louis area are at risk for fleas, the most common external parasite of dogs. If frequenting areas with tall grass and a lot of trees, your dog also will be exposed to ticks. 
 
Fleas can not only cause extreme itching and skin disease in your pets, but they can also carry tapeworms (intestinal parasites). Pets can bring fleas into your home, causing problems for your entire household! You can read more about those pesky free loaders here. 
 
Ticks can also carry serious diseases in pets and people, including Ehrlichia, Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis. Again, pets can carry ticks into your home, where they could re-attach to people, so prevention is best for everyone! For more information about ticks and diseases they may carry, visit this link. 
 
We offer several flea and tick preventatives to keep your pet covered year round. Preventatives are based off of weight, so as puppies we recommend only buying one or two doses at a time until full grown in order to ensure your puppy gets the correct dose as they grow. 
 
All new puppies are sent home with a complimentary dose of Bravecto, a once-monthly, oral chewable flea and tick preventative and is a great product to continue lifelong. 
 
Have trouble remembering to give that monthly pill? Bravecto's 3 month dosing option may be for you once your dog is grown. Bravecto is a chewable oral flea and tick preventative that lasts for 12 weeks. We even remind you when it’s time to get your next dose! However, Bravecto is only labeled for 8 weeks for one of the tick species (lone star tick). If your pet has a high exposure to ticks, Bravecto may not be the best choice as the lone star tick can carry tick borne diseases.
 
While we prefer oral preventatives for their ease of administration, in some cases topical preventatives may be recommended instead (i.e. pets with food allergies/sensitivities or reactions to other preventatives). We recommend Seresto collars for those patients. 
 
Can’t make it into the clinic to pick up your preventatives? All of our preventatives can also be found on our online pharmacy and shipped directly to your door!