Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Preventing a Flea Fiasco with #SentinelSpectrum

Basset Hound sleeping on recliner
This post is sponsored by Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM® and the BlogPaws Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasite found in dogs, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. More information about SENTINEL SPECTRUM. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article.   
    
   What is the first thing that crosses your mind when you see your dog frantically scratching? If you are like many pet parents it is; “Oh no! Do we have fleas?” You begin to search the dog’s fur for any sign of the pesky parasite. If you are lucky, it is nothing more than an itch that needed to be scratched. It’s when you’re separating their hair and a tiny black dot jumps that you know your luck has run out. You have a flea flicking fiasco!
   A flea infestation can be maddening and difficult to treat. That is because the fleas you can see are only 5% of the population. It’s the other 95% you can’t see that can survive for a year before ever finding a host/victim. The eggs, larvae, and pupae hide in your car, upholstered furniture, crawl spaces, carpet, and the cracks in your wooden floors waiting for their opportunity to hitch a ride and meal from an unsuspecting victim. Once a female flea enjoys her first blood meal, she begins producing eggs. Not just one or two eggs either. Female fleas can produce 40 to 50 eggs every single day and she generally lives 2–3 months. That is a flea population explosion from one flea.
Bentley Basset with his veterinarian.
Prevention is the Key
   It was Benjamin Franklin that said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Those words still hold true today. Thanks to Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM® we can prevent fleas and five other nasty parasites from wreaking havoc with our dogs and our home. SENTINEL SPECTRUM contains Lufenuron, a unique ingredient that prevents fleas from developing into adults.  The beef-flavored chew is given every 30 days with a small meal. Because the Lufenuron is being delivered in chew, it cannot be washed off and is distributed evenly throughout your dog’s system in fat tissue. It stops flea eggs and maggot-like flea larvae from developing into adults. This prevents re-infestation and can stop an infestation from occurring in the first place.
   Fleas are not only annoying, they don’t come alone. The tapeworm larvae live inside of them. If your dog ingests a flea while grooming themselves or in response to a flea bite, it can contract tapeworms. They can also get them by eating a dead animal. If you notice small white worms on the rear end of your dog, in their feces or where they sleep, you could be dealing with tapeworms. Visit your veterinarian and ask how SENTINEL SPECTRUM can protect your pup from the trials and tribulations of tapeworm.
Bentley Basset hiding in the grass
Heartbreaking Heartworms
   Did you know that nearly 300,000 dogs in the U.S. contract heartworms every year? All it takes is a single bite from an infected mosquito.  Heartworms cause a lack of energy, weight loss, and difficulty breathing. If left untreated, it can cause heart and lung damage as well as death. No dog should ever suffer from heartworm disease because it is easily prevented. Whether your dog stays indoors or spends their day enjoying the great outdoors, they are at risk year-round. It is important that your dog receives an annual screening for heartworms with a simple blood test from their veterinarian. Ask your vet if Virbac SENTINEL SPECTRUM is right for your dog. Bentley and Pierre get their chew every 30 days and they love the taste. I love knowing they are protected against these six common parasites.
   Virbac worked for 15 years to bring this SENTINEL SPECTRUM to market. They wanted to make sure their 6-in-1 protection was tasty to dogs and affordable to pet parents. If you order the chews from your vet, you can qualify for a rebate up to $25. They will even send you a monthly email or text reminder so your dog is always protected.  
The Trio of Terror
   SENTINEL SPECTRUM not only prevents fleas, tapeworm, and heartworms; your best friend will also be safe from hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. These intestinal parasites are worms that invade your dog’s digestive system. Left untreated they can cause serious health problems. You can fetch more information on these three parasites in our previous post, ‘There’s a New Chew in Town.’
Virbac Sentinel Spectrum logo
And finally, the survey says…
   Many of you took part in a survey that I shared in ‘Fetch Year-Round Parasite Protection with #SENTINELSPECTRUM'. Here are some of the highlights from that survey:
·        80% of pet parents said heartworm protection was either a High or Very High priority.
·        84% responded that flea protection was a High or Very High priority
·        79% provide flea protection for their dog all year long
·        20% provide flea protection only during spring and summer months.
·        70% of pet parents knew that their dog can contract tapeworms from ingesting one flea.
·        90% were aware that tapeworm segments can be found near a dog’s anus, in their feces and/or where he lives and sleeps.
Thanks to everyone for participating.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM®. The opinions and text are all mine.

22 comments :

  1. My older dog Nettie had fleas! It was the worst!!

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  2. I love that first pic of Bailey! We are kicking flea butt over here, too. Hate those itchy little blood suckers ~RascalandRocco

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  3. Flea Fiasco is the best word! The huskies had fleas once and it was a challenge to eliminate them completely (the fleas not the huskies).

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  4. Itchy scratchy fleas are no funs!
    I luffs that first photo of Bentley, he looks like he haf the slippage problem I suffer from...sooo cute!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  5. Fleas are yucky! We're glad that we haven't had an issue with them.

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  6. Fleas are BAD. They are the ONLY bug that mom says ... has NOTHING Pawsitive about their lives. WHY do they even Exist? Down with Fleas... and this sounds like a good way to make it happen.

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  7. No bitey fleas here thank goodness
    Snorts,
    Lily & Edward

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  8. Fleas are maddening for both dog moms and their fur-babies. This product seems like a great one to protect our kiddos. Well done!

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  9. We are very lucky that we are not prone to fleas in this area
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, hazel & mabel

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  10. Knock on wood, fleas and tapeworms are 2 things that the boys have never had. We use to use sentinel and thought it was a great product!

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  11. Love the incorporation of the Ben Franklin quote! Hate those pesky fleas!

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  12. Fleas are super evil in Mr. N's opinion! Even a bath can't compare!

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  13. We dislike fleas and ticks too, great post sentinel looks great.

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  14. HATE fleas!!!! And, we adopted a dog with a severe case of heartworms. He made it through the treatment, but it was horribly painful! Prevention is the key on all parasites!

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  15. Love sentinel Spectrum. It's what I use.

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  16. I haven't seen any other product that covers both fleas and heartworms, I need to ask my vet about this!

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  17. We are liking what we are reading about Sentinel and are going to check it out. That's because mom has a hard time keeping track of flea treatments and heartworm! Love Doll

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  18. My mom had to take her dog to the vet this week and he has an infection due to flea bites. He gets a topical treatment, but I think she missed it this month because of her back surgery.

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  19. Fleas are such a pain! Growing up I had a dog and she had fleas a few times. They got really bad and she would chew patches of hair off because of them. Sentinel sounds like an easy way to keep that from happening to a dog. It is nice that they come in a chewable form!
    -Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

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  20. Sentinel is great. Sadie's been on it since she was a puppy. It's the only brand my vet recommends. And I love the rebate! I would buy Sentinel anyway since I want what's best for my pup, but it's nice to get the rebate as a reward for getting the best.

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  21. Flea pervention is so important! I've used Sentinel before on Gracie and liked it. The rebate is good too! Thanks for sharing about that!

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