It’s the season for fleas and ticks
Questions #43-46 all center on flea and tick control. The number and types of products available to control fleas and ticks has skyrocketed in the last two decades. Researchers are still sorting out optimal control strategies as well as addressing issues of effectiveness. New products are constantly under development and consumers see a steady stream of advertisements promoting the latest advances.
Enter the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, and the opportunity to gather more details on the what, how, why and where of flea and tick control in a defined population. Answers to questions 43-46 will provide valuable information that also can be compared to other study parameters, like infectious disease incidence and geographic region. As new products are introduced, or as animals age, do these patterns change? The study gives researchers a new window on unanswered questions.
The graphic above depicts current flea and tick control trends in our study population. As expected, areas with low numbers of ectoparasites (parasites that live on or in the skin including fleas, ticks and lice), such as the Rocky Mountain region, have fewer study participants receiving some kind of flea and/or tick control measure. Areas where fleas and ticks are a big problem, like the Southeast, have higher levels of participants receiving medication.
Each month, we explain a few questions from the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study questionnaire.