As Flea and Tick Season Approaches, Zodiac's New 3-Step Program Offers the Most Effective Solution for Pet Owners

Schaumburg, IL-With warmer temperatures on the horizon and winter behind us, flea and tick season is about to begin, along with the headaches for pet owners that accompany it.

Causing considerable physical suffering for the pet, and mental anguish for their owners, fleas often circumvent pet owner's best attempts to eradicate them. Zodiac®, a division of Wellmark International, has developed a new 3-step program to better equip owners with the proper tools and knowledge to eradicate fleas and ticks from their pet and home quickly, efficiently and for the entire season.

Pet owners spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year to control flea infestations. Much of this money is spent between April and September, which is generally considered to be flea and tick season. "Because fleas and ticks thrive in warm, humid conditions there is a window of time in which pets and their homes are more vulnerable to an infestation. While regions can differ, flea season usually starts in late spring, peaks in mid to late summer and ends in late fall. Tick populations usually begin to surge in the early spring, and may remain high throughout the summer," said Dr. Jordan Siegel, technical services veterinarian for Wellmark International. "During these months, pet owners can protect themselves from a flea infestation by using Zodiac's new 3-step program."

Many pet owners are unaware that eliminating the fleas already present on the animal is only a one-third of the battle. "Treating a flea infestation is never fun. However, there are steps you can take to increase the probability that you will only have to do it once. Treating your pet is the first step, but you MUST also treat the pet's environment, as well as perform on-going preventative measures," said Siegel.

The Zodiac 3-Step program allows a pet owner to break the insect's life cycle and maintain control. "A flea's life cycle is typically completed in 3-4 weeks. The female adult flea finds a host, feeds and begins laying eggs. The flea eggs fall into the environment-the carpet, floorboards, yard-hatch, enter the larval stage and later the larvae form a cocoon as they enter the pupal stage. In a short time, when the pupae are stimulated by body heat, movement or exhaled carbon dioxide, they emerge from their cocoons as adult fleas ready to begin the life cycle again," said Siegel.

Step One

Zodiac's Step one products, shampoos, sponge-ons, sprays and powders, are designed to provide instant relief for your pet. They contain an adulticide that quickly kills breeding, biting, adult fleas. Many of these products also contain an insect growth regulator (IGR) to prevent flea eggs and larvae from developing in your home leading to another infestation.

Step Two

After the initial treatment of the pet, fleas that may not have previously emerged from their cocoons or stray fleas in the environment can jump back onto your pet, creating another infestation. "Step two products, collars and topicals, kill adult insects and often contain an insect growth regulator needed to protect against hatching flea eggs," said Siegel. In addition, pets can be constantly exposed to fleas that live outside and Step two products offer protection against fleas all year.

Step Three

Fleas can reinfest the home if the home is not treated. Step three products, carpet and upholstery powders, foggers, aerosols and pump sprays, kill adult fleas, as well as flea eggs and larvae that are developing in the home. "Flea eggs fall into the environment, hatch into larvae and migrate down in your carpet and under furniture. In addition, thousands of fleas in the pupal stage are waiting to emerge from their cocoons as adults and find a host. Step three products kill the adult and immature stages of the fleas in the home to eliminate the possibility of reinfestation," said Siegel.
Zodiac's 3-step products can be found at most local pet, discount and grocery stores. For more information please visit www.zodiacpet.com.

Wellmark International is located in Schaumburg, IL, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Garden and Pet, the largest lawn, garden and pet supply distribution company in the U.S. Specializing in home and pet products, Wellmark International continues to build on its science-based tradition of aggressively seeking new and innovative solutions to animal care and pest control problems. For example, Wellmark International, then known as Zoecon Corporation®, was the first company to manufacture and market an insect growth regulator (IGR).