Ever since Jax the Puggle was adopted by Nicole Roma and her large family, he’s become the centre of attention, with everyone wanting cuddles. That is, until he got fleas.

Mum-of-four Nicole says the Pug and Beagle cross completed their family when they adopted him five years ago.

“There’s seven of us that live in this house together,” Nicole told Mouths of Mums. “I’ve got four children. He’s my fifth one. So there’s a lot of people that are in the house.

“He sleeps on the lounge. Obviously, his health and everything is really important, so that’s why we love to take him to the park and out for walks and feed him as well as possible.” The first thing Nicole’s kids do when they get home from school is ask, “Where’s Jaxy?’” and give him cuddles on the floor. He’s brought the Roma family so much joy.

The busy mum says Jax has only managed to catch fleas once, but the impact is burned into her memory.

Nicole describes it as a “Nightmare, absolute nightmare.” Explaining that you want to do everything you can to avoid them getting in the house, because once those things are in, they’re almost impossible to get rid of.

“I think we were just lying on the floor having a little cuddle one day, and I noticed one jumping on the carpet. So I pulled up the side of the carpet and they were all underneath the carpet.”

The family had to get an exterminator in, “All their bedding had to be washed.” Avoiding this would have saved the family so much hassle.

Since that initial infestation, Nicole has been super vigilant in making sure she keeps Jax flea and paralysis tick-free.

“Their health and wellbeing is really important, but it’s just like having another child, really. You just want to make sure that they’re happy and well looked after.”

With many families living in areas prone to paralysis ticks and fleas, Nicole has a list of to share to help others keep their furry family members protected.

• Keep your dog well-groomed, including regular checks of their coat.
• Regularly vacuum and clean your home.
• Keep up-to-date with long-lasting flea and paralysis tick prevention, ask your vet for the year-long protection
• Keep dogs away from areas where fleas and ticks live, including long grass and trees and keep the garden maintained

“We also keep him away from any other animals that could possibly be carrying (fleas), particularly cats that people let live outdoors.

Nicole washes Jax every 10 days, “that’s the time that we check him and make sure that he’s all clear”. But there are easier ways to check, ideally we should be checking out pets every day when your fur baby is on your lap be sure to part the fur and have a little pat and feel if there’s anything abnormal.

Nicole admits that keeping on top of regular flea and paralysis tick treatments is a challenge with a busy household. She says having a  treatment that gives year-long protection against fleas and paralysis ticks would be incredibly convenient.

“Having four kids or two and a half dogs and a cat, diaries can get really confusing. So that’s certainly something that’s really important for me, convenience.”

At your dog’s next check-up, ask your vet for year-long flea and paralysis tick protection in just one dose. Offering incredible convenience for busy families.

This Real Mum Story was provided as part of a paid sponsorship opportunity. Nicole was chosen to share her story because she’s a committed dog owner who has had experience with fleas.