Fall Is Still Flea & Tick Season

I've learned that Fall is still flea and tick season.  In fact, it can be prime season for fleas and ticks!  Although we use flea and tick preventative all year long as a precaution, I didn't really believe it was all that necessary.  How could there still be fleas and ticks when Summer is long gone and the nights are so chilly?  But then something happened that really drove it home for me.

Fall is still flea & tick season!
Enjoying the lovely Fall foliage around the lake


It was a nice warm day, cloudy but great walking weather.  We decided to take a walk around a nearby lake we had never been to before.

A Fall stroll around the lake
Stroll around a nearby lake we hadn't been to before

The lake was lovely but it was a very short walk.  As we walked back  to the parking lot I noticed there was a trail behind the lake we could get to.  We continued to explore and followed the trail to an old cemetery.  It was pretty neat so we walked around through the leaves and brush to check out the old gravestones.

Fall can be prime season for ticks and fleas
We stumbled upon this hidden old cemetery along the trail

Later that evening I heard my husband loudly yell out an expletive!  "What's wrong?!?" I asked .  He ushered me into the bathroom and showed me a tick that had been crawling up his leg!  He had never discovered a tick on his body in his entire life, despite living on Long Island for most of his life and years of mountain biking along woodsy Greenbelt trails.  He was utterly horrified! 

Be sure to use protection against fleas & ticks, even in Fall!
Apparently these woods were infested with ticks, even in Fall!

Far worse, however, was that the very next day he discovered another tick on his body! This tick had actually already attached itself to my husband's back and was engorged. It had to be pulled out immediately.  Well, into the laundry went the sheets, towels, and bathrobes!  It had been a few weeks since the dogs had their flea & tick treatment so on went a dose of flea & tick medication! 

Fallen leaves and brush in Fall can harbor fleas and ticks
Icy posing on a tree stump along the woodsy trail

We've spent the last 2 days checking each other for ticks, we're so paranoid!  So far, no ticks on me yet but I'm still on alert.  So I guess Fall really is peak season for fleas and ticks, huh?!

Find out how to get 12 weeks of continued protection from fleas and ticks in a tasty chew?  Learn why it's so easy to get a flea infestation in your home, the Flea's lifecycle can be a vicious that makes it hard to keep fleas under wraps!


Do you use flea and tick repellent throughout the year, even in Winter?  Leave us a comment, we always want to hear from you!

22 comments:

Sheltie Times said...

At least until it snows.

Vicki Green said...

Since I've always enjoyed hiking, walking and camping in the great outdoors, I have had the horror of discovering ticks crawling on me a few times. Ewwww - it sends chills up my spine just thinking about it.

Unknown said...

Such an important message. Got to be careful.

M. K. Clinton said...

You know I laughed and thought of Pierre's shower scene in The Returns! BOL! BOL! It never gets cold enough here to get rid of mosquitos or ticks/fleas. Luckily, we only have to deal with the mosquitos unless we walk on a woody trail.

Kimberly said...

You guys must have been freaking out. How scary! Ticks are so disgusting. Until I did research for my post that you linked to, I never knew that fleas and ticks flourished in the Fall. With 5 pets in the house, I'm definitely applying flea treatment year round. Thanks for helping spread awareness. Hugs, Kimberly

Dachshund Nola said...

Yuck! I give NexGard from April through until November.

Ruby said...

Yeah, i gets the fleas stuffs all year round! Ma went campin' once years ago and they were all over then too! At furst you freak out, butts after the 50th one, it stops being so gross. I hopes you don't get to 50...☺
Kisses,
Ruby ♥

Unknown said...

This is a great lesson thanks! Flea and tick season is the worst during October, and later if the temps stay above 40 degrees. Mom puts on our treatments through Nov. just to be safe! Love Dolly

Unknown said...

Yikes!! There are signs all around here telling people there are lots this year.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Yes. Even then if you get a warm spell it can bring the pesky fleas out! Thanks for stopping by!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

I get the chills too, so gross! I've discovered ticks crawling on me from a couple of my foster dogs. Sometimes the shelter doesn't get a chance to treat them fast enough! Thanks for stopping by!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Oh yeah, very careful! They can attach & start blood sucking quickly. Thanks for stopping by Earl & Ethel!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

BOL! So many hilarious scenes in The Returns, especially with Pierre! Thanks for stopping by MK!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

I didn't know either! Cool Fall weather comes & you think you're safe but NO! I treat my dogs all year round too but I was not as diligent in Winter until now! I'll never lapse again. Your post was great, I'm happy to share it here! Thanks for visiting us Kimberly! xoxoxo

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

I'm going to treat 12 months out of the year from now on, weather in NY or Phoenix! Those pesky critters just don't take a break! Thanks for stopping by Nola!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Oh man if we ever get to 50 I will just keel over! Your ma is smart to treat all year round! Thanks for stopping by Ruby!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Thanks Dolly! I'm learning that Fall is actually prime season for the pesky critters. I'm going to be more diligent about treating all year long. Thanks for stopping by!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

I'm glad they warned people! I wish there had been some signs on the trail we were on warning us. Thanks for stopping by Julie!

FANCY the Red Standard Poodle said...

Hi Y'all!

Even here in the southern mountains there is tick danger. Papa thought he had a puncture wound. Mama looked at it and a tick was buried in his arm, only 2 legs visible. They had to remove the devil at the hospital emergency room and put him on 2 weeks of antibiotics.

Y'all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog

FANCY the Red Standard Poodle said...

That's the Papa on the antibiotics, not the devil tick!

Groovy Goldendoodles said...

WOW! - Much to my dismay, we are on it year round. I was praying once we got to SC that I wouldn't need it every month, but seems as if here is no different from VA. Doodle Dad had ticks on his body all the time as an infantry solider. I remember those days after a field exercise, examine the body - yuck! Hope the worst is over for you.

Unknown said...

We have a lot of ticks in our area, and our backyard is wooded behind the fence. That coupled with the deer trail (and me working with horses) means bringing home a lot of invaders. So tick prevention is a 12 month a year kind of thing.

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