With the arrival of spring, we begin to spend more time outdoors and often our pets accompany us. The warm weather also means that fleas, ticks and other external parasites become active. These pesky parasites not only irritate our pets (and us), but they can also carry diseases that can cause serious illness. Fortunately, we can get the upper hand over external parasites that plague our pets, using methods that range from labor-intensive to simple. Labor-intensive methods to keep your pet relatively free of external parasites include using flea combs on your pet daily (to trap and remove fleas or to locate ticks) and vacuuming your whole house on a daily basis (to rid it of parasites hiding in upholstery, carpets or cracks and crevices). Indeed, we highlighted research on the effectiveness of vacuuming in last month’s article “Vacuum away your flea problems!” (to access this and other archived articles, click on “more” at the bottom of the “In the News” column). Some chemical pesticides, especially those meant for house and garden use, may be toxic to pets, while others require extreme caution when used around young or debilitated animals. Ongoing research and development into simple and safe methods of controlling fleas and other external parasites on your pets has led to the availability of many commercial products, some of which are extremely effective. Especially effective at preventing infestations are products that are used on a monthly basis during the “flea season”.