Willie here. I’m so happy you joined us this week! Actually, I’m pretty happy all the time, and for good reason. I’m the newest rescue to join this crew. I was wondering lost in the woods for about 2 weeks before mom found me and brought me into this nice, cozy home. I was in rough shape and covered from head to toe in fleas and ticks. Mom was surprised they hadn’t drained me dry. Mom spent a few hours slowly pulling ticks off my back, belly and from inside my ears. I knew she was trying to help, but ouch! Once they were all gone, the fleas had plenty of space to roam. The itchiness was almost too much to bear. The next morning she brought me to Liberty Vet Hospital. They looked me over and gave mom some kind of treat to kill the fleas. She called it Bravecto, I called it delicious. We don’t get it as often as our other treats, just once every 90 days, but mom says that’s all we need to keep those creepy crawlies at bay. When we got home, Mom wouldn’t let any of us in the room I stayed in that first night. She said she had to clean it to make sure the fleas wouldn’t come back. Mom says that the lady fleas on me had probably laid eggs, which easily roll off and drop into the carpet and lay in wait for one of us tasty looking animals. One female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day! That’s a lot of hungry critters. They’re pretty determined too. The baby fleas that hatch from those eggs can hide for almost an entire year, just waiting to leap into action onto an unsuspecting four legged friend! Mom used a spray called Knockout that she got from the nice vet to kill off any eggs that my fleas might have dropped. It must have worked because I hide my bones in there all the time and I’m flea-free! That Bravecto is some good stuff. Not only does it make sure to keep the fleas away, but it also stops any more of those nasty ticks from latching on too. I love to spend sunny days rolling in the grass or joining Ellie Mae on a tracking adventure, both of which are ways to pick up those hitchhikers. Aside from being painful bloodsuckers, ticks can carry any number of nasty diseases like Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I was one lucky pup and did not get infected, but not everyone can be so lucky. Make sure your human stocks up on Bravecto today! Looks like Ellie’s heading out again, I think I’ll join her. Next up, Mr. Biggles will fill you in on the feline parasite perspective.