Fleas may be a familiar summertime nuisance, but veterinarians say ticks are becoming an even greater concern for Iowa pet owners as their populations continue to expand and the diseases they carry become more common.

Dr. Dustin Staab of the Pet Health Center of Mount Vernon said while flea numbers remain relatively steady from year to year, tick populations continue to increase, making prevention more important than ever.

“Tick populations and tick diseases, they grow every year,” Staab said. “It’s very rare that we’ll see a decrease in the tick population.”

That means even pets that spend most of their time indoors should receive flea and tick protection.

Staab said dogs are exposed every time they go outside, even if only to use the bathroom, while indoor cats can be exposed when other pets or even their owners unknowingly bring fleas or ticks into the home.

“If there’s other pets that are in the house that go out, they can always bring stuff in,” Staab said. “If there are people that go out of the house, they can always bring stuff in.”

Several tick species found in eastern Iowa can transmit diseases to pets.

According to Staab, the American dog tick, black legged tick, also known as the deer tick, and lone star tick are among the most common species found in Linn County.

The black legged tick can spread Lyme disease, for which dogs can be vaccinated, as well as anaplasmosis. American dog ticks may carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, while lone star ticks can transmit ehrlichiosis.

The lone star tick has also gained national attention because it can spread alpha gal syndrome, a condition that can cause people to develop an allergy to red meat.

“That’s gotten a lot of hype lately,” Staab said.

To reduce the risk of disease, Staab recommends using veterinarian approved flea and tick preventatives year round.

“It really depends on what you want to get out of a product,” he said.

He said many oral medications provide broad spectrum protection against fleas, ticks and heartworm disease with a single monthly dose. Topical products are another option and are widely available over the counter.

Some topical products, including Frontline, continue to work well in Iowa, Staab said, though effectiveness can vary by region.

“There are areas of the country where if you put Frontline on a pet, you might as well just put water on the pet,” he said. “The fleas laugh at it.”

For owners who prefer flea and tick collars, Staab recommends the Seresto collar because of the research supporting its effectiveness.

“It’s got a lot of actual research behind it,” he said. “It’s efficacious and I know that it works.”

Young pets can begin flea and tick prevention much earlier than many owners realize.

Staab said most oral medications can be used once puppies and kittens reach about 4 to 5 pounds, while some topical products have even fewer weight restrictions.

He also urged pet owners to be cautious of homemade or natural flea and tick remedies that have become popular online.

“In the business of medicine, we tend to look for research, evidence-based medicine sort of stuff,” Staab said.

Although some natural products may provide limited benefits, he said they should not replace proven preventatives.

“There may be some benefit to some of those things,” he said. “Whether or not they last long enough to keep all fleas and ticks away, I have my doubts. You’re not guaranteeing yourself protection.”

If a tick is found attached to a pet, Staab recommends removing it with fine tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool designed to grasp the tick close to the skin.

“The tick removable tools are the best option because they help prevent squeezing,” he said.

Squeezing a tick during removal can increase the risk of disease transmission because the tick may regurgitate infected material into the animal.

If part of the tick remains embedded in the skin, Staab said it is generally not an emergency, though owners should monitor the area for signs of infection.

Likewise, finding a tick on a pet does not necessarily require an immediate trip to the veterinarian.

“If it’s bitten down, but it’s dead, that’s exactly what you expect to see,” Staab said of pets already receiving flea and tick prevention.

Even if a tick carries disease, he said, testing immediately after a bite is unlikely to provide answers because it takes time for an animal’s body to respond.

Staab encourages pet owners to continue flea and tick prevention throughout the year rather than stopping during colder months.

He said Iowa’s winters are no longer consistently cold enough to eliminate flea and tick populations. Protected areas such as wooded spaces and tall grass create climates where temperatures remain warm enough for parasites to survive.

“We don’t tend to get as deep a freeze as we did,” Staab said. “Fleas and ticks can survive temperatures that are in the low 40s.”

For that reason, Staab said year-round prevention remains the best way to protect pets from parasites and the diseases they can carry.