NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — We live in a social culture, it would be no surprise that when we socialize we bring along our pets.
Have you given a really good thought about what kinds of things not only your pet but you are exposed to?
“People are very social with their pets," said Dr. Kier. "Kids take them to their friend's house, you can now take them to pet stores. Your exposure to disease increases the more social you are with your pet.”
Flea and tick diseases account for over 50 percent of all dermatological issues reported to veterinarians. So how do we protect our pets and ourselves?
There are chewable pills, flea and tick collars and medical drops. But are all of those chemicals safe for us and our pets?
According to Dr. Kier, they are.
"Yes, I use them on my pets," explained Dr. Kier. "I’ve used them for years, I’d say they’re safe.”
With the more recent trend of going natural and organic, there are a slew of natural products that claim to protect your pets. They may be safe and somewhat effective, but they also require multiple applications a day.
"Yeah, it’s a real hot topic. People, whether its medicines or flea and tick products, want to use those terms like organic, all-natural and homeopathic," explained Dr. Kier. "In my experience, the times that I see those products seem to work are generally when you’re living in an area, and Hampton Roads isn’t really that area, when you will have a distinct wintertime.”
Sure, organic, all-natural products may be great for most other things, but sometimes we should leave it to good old fashioned science to protect our animals from disease-carrying parasites like fleas and ticks.