By Christine Newman, DMV | April 22, 2026
Every month or so (when I remember…) I face the challenge of administering flea and tick preventatives to my pack of dogs. The tablets are typically large, flavored, and deemed inedible by all but my Lab mix who routinely eats scraps of paper and tissues thereby rendering his opinion moot.
The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is abundant in local woods, fields, and some parks.
After chopping and smothering the medication in various gooey foods, the pickier dogs have usually been tricked into taking the medication. Sometimes all the effort involved seems excessive but then tick season* starts and I am grateful for the advances in flea and tick control products.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPCVET. org) is a helpful website that maintains data on the prevalence of parasitic diseases on a countywide basis throughout the United States as well as in-depth information on the parasitic diseases which afflict local dogs and cats. New Jersey dogs routinely test positive for several tick-borne diseases including anaplasma, Lyme, and ehrlichiosis — all spread by the black-legged tick (formerly called the deer tick) and the lone star tick.
Other less common tick-borne diseases include babesiois and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever — which ticks may transmit to humans as well.
We routinely test our canine patients for the most common tick-borne diseases at their yearly exam. Everyday, our office finds multiple pets will test positive.
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These dogs are not clinically ill but the positive test suggests at some point a tick remained attached long enough to transmit bacteria. This also suggests our pets are potentially exposing us to assorted ticks, which may eventually crawl onto us, putting us at risk for the multiple tick-borne illnesses to which we are susceptible.
This past year a new injectable form of tick protection became available which is very exciting to those of us whose dogs have discriminating palates. Available in the US since last August, Bravecto Quantum is a yearly injection which has been proven very effective in killing all of our local, significant ticks once they attach to their host. This preventative has been available in Australia and Europe for several years and has been proven safe and efficacious.
Our practice is always extremely cautious in adopting new therapies and medications preferring to monitor for proven efficacy and unexpected adverse reactions before recommending these products to our clients; we only recently began to offer this prevention modality.
Actual size of a black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick. They are notorious for transmitting Lyme disease, along with other infections such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
Our experience so far suggests that I am not alone in my struggles to administer ( and remembering to administer) monthly medication. There are several reasons our clients have been very enthusiastic about this form of prevention. The injection is easily administered, it does not sting or burn, and our patients tolerate it well. And unlike most new technology, it is less expensive than the traditional oral flea and tick products.
We have every confidence that the ease of administration and proven efficacy will improve tick control for our patients and potentially decrease the incidence of tick-born diseases. If you face the same challenges with picky pets (and forgetful people) consider discussing Bravecto Quantum with your veterinarian. *Although there no longer seems to be a true “tick season” in NJ, as we remove ticks year round, they do seem to be much more numerous in the Spring and Fall.
