There can be a few reasons for this happening:
- During summer months flea can develop from eggs to mature adults in just 2 weeks. So when every adult flea can lay several thousand eggs, it means that every fortnight they can be millions of fleas hatched ready to jump on your pet
- Stray cats, neighbouring animals wildlife (such as kangaroos and bandicoots) can act as sources of infestation, re-introducing fleas to your yard
- Flea control should be used year-round to prevent build-up of flea numbers. If it hasn’t been used regularly it will take several months of application for the population to get under control
- Only 5% of the flea population are adults on your pet, the rest are as eggs, pupae and larvae hidden around your house & yard. To deal with this, environmental control measures such as flea bombs in the house and lime around the garden are often required. We only recommend using products for your pet that also work against several stages of the fleas lifecycle (something that powders and shampoos do not).
We recommend desexing both male and female cats from 4 months of age, as some cat enter puberty this early and we aim to prevent unwanted kittens and avoid toms developing spraying behaviour. Council registration for cats is also due at this age.
Small and medium breed dogs we recommend desexing at 6 months in line with council registration fees. As there is conflicting evidence at this stage as to when the optimal time for desexing is for large and giant breed dogs, we recommend booking an adolescent health check at 6 months of age so one of our veterinary surgeons can discuss the individual pros and cons for your dog as well as checking their health and weight.
Young animals less than 12 weeks old should be wormed every fortnight as they have little ability to cope with the worms. Hookworms in young animals can kill!
Puppies and kittens 12 weeks old to 6 months old should be wormed monthly.
Once your pet it 6 months old we recommend worming every 3 months, or 6 monthly if they are indoor only, non-hunting animals.
Cats need to have received a current F3 vaccine. If your cat is not currently vaccinated it will need an initial injection, followed by a booster 3-4 weeks later. This means if your cat is not vaccinated you will need to plan 4-5 weeks ahead to ensure it is protected before entering the cattery.
Dogs need a current C5 vaccination. If they have been receiving the C3 vaccination they can be ‘topped up’ with the kennel cough vaccine. Unvaccinated dogs will need to receive the full C5 vaccination. These should be given at least 1 week prior to entering the kennels to ensure protection.
Flea & tick protection should also be current before putting your pet into boarding.