WATERLOO - With summer in full swing, outdoor picnics, hikes and camping trips top the list for adventurous families. But veterinarians are advising pet owners that while being outdoors is great exercise, they should be aware of the dangers and invest in proper flea prevention for their four-legged friends.

"It is best to get flea and tick medication from your veterinarian because the over-the-counter stuff doesn't really get rid of fleas. They are basically immune to it," said Tamara Dyer, a veterinarian technician at Logan Animal Hospital in Waterloo. "And the medicine that a vet will use only goes into the animal's fatty tissue so there won't be a reaction, unlike some (over-the-counter) stuff that gets into the bloodstream."

Dyer said professional flea and tick medicine such as Frontline and Advantage are guaranteed waterproof for one month, and they will kill all pests the animal may come in contact with in that period. The efficacy of over-the-counter medicines are significantly less and require more applications, which increases the risk of chemical poisoning in the animal, Dyer said.

Some chemicals in over-the-counter products, particularly permethrin, can cause hair loss, dry skin, muscle tremors, tearing, comas and even death in dogs and cats. In 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency required Hartz Mountain Company, maker of several brands of over-the-counter flea medications, to stop production of several flea and tick products containing permethrin that were associated with adverse reactions.

Dr. Douglas Peterschmidt, owner of the Veterinary Medical Hospital in Independence, said most over-the-counter medicine is safe as long as users make sure it's appropriate for the breed, size and age of the animal.

"The biggest problem people have is that they hate fleas and they hate ticks, so they want to get rid of them as fast as possible," Peterschmidt said. "Like the old adage, 'if a little is good, then a lot must be better,' people will use too much medication on their pet or they will get impatient and put more on too soon if they don't see results. A lot of these medicines take at least 24 hours to work, and people don't want to wait that long."

Peterschmidt said that while most over-the-counter treatments will work up to a point, they won't cure the entire problem. He said fleas drown easily, so a good bath with pet shampoo often does the trick. However, since only 5 percent of the fleas and their eggs and larvae exist on the animal, medicines applied directly to your pet won't get rid of everything.

Fortunately, there are some things that can be done before an infestation reaches critical mass.

Vacuum all carpets and furniture frequently to take care of loose flea eggs, larvae and adult fleas. Dispose of the vacuum bag right away, or the adult fleas and hatched eggs will escape back into the house.

Like fleas, ticks also attach to a host and drink blood, but ticks burrow their heads into the body of the host. They must be individually removed with tweezers or a commercially available tick removal device.

If you see a tick on your pet, grab the tick as close to the head as possible and slowly pull it out. If the head doesn't come out with the rest of the tick, do what you can to remove it, but don't worry too much. Your pet's immune system will usually dislodge it, and some redness and swelling is normal. But if the redness and swelling persist, visit a veterinarian.

"Lyme disease is the main issue when dealing with ticks," said Jade Cantowine, a veterinary assistant at Budreau Vet Clinic in Cedar Falls. "Animals can and do get it. There is a vaccination for Lyme's, and we encourage any size dog to get vaccinated as a preventive measure."

Contact Samantha Donisi at (319) 291-1423

or samantha.donisi@wcfcourier.com.