Flea Control

For anyone who is looking to get rid of fleas from your pet super fast, Capstar should be number one on the list of flea control products to buy. Today’s flea control product review is all about Capstar, a fast-acting and extremely effective flea killer.

How does it work?

Capstar is a fast-acting adulticide which starts working in as little as 30 minutes, and will kill all fleas that are on your pet within around 4 hours. It contains nitenpyram, which blocks the transmission of neural messages in the flea, causing almost instant death. It is an adulticide only, meaning that it doesn’t do anything to kill flea eggs or larvae. Capstar will remain effective for 24-48 hours.

Is it safe?

Capstar is safe fo use with other flea control products, as well as with heartworm prevention, antibiotics, vaccines and deworming medications. It is safe to use in puppies and kittens 4 weeks of age and older, as long as they weigh over 1kg. It is also safe to use in pregnant and nursing dogs and cats.

How to use it

If you are using an insect growth regulator for flea control (like Sentinel Spectrum), sometimes you can still get a flea burden on your pet when conditions promote large numbers of fleas. This doesn’t mean the product isn’t working – insect growth regulators prevent fleas from laying fertile eggs and don’t kill them indirectly. It just means that you need to use another product to kill the adults when they are present in large numbers on your pet. This is where Capstar comes in.

Capstar is generally used along with other flea control products as an integrated approach to flea control. It is commonly given to pets that are on Sentinel Spectrum during the summer period when they are likely to pick up large numbers of fleas, as Sentinel does not kill adult fleas, only flea eggs. In these circumstances it is usually given around once a week.

It is also commonly given to pets with a flea infestation the day before or on the day of starting other flea control products, to kill all of the adult fleas on the pet. This will help to prevent contamination of the environment with flea eggs.

Capstar can also be used as its own as a flea control product. Given every 48 hours, capstar is very effective at preventing flea bites on the pet. The only downside with using Capstar in this manner is that it is quite expensive to do this for a long period of time.

Overall, Capstar is a very safe and effective flea control product. It is generally not suitable to use long term on its own, due to the expense and the inconvenience of giving a tablet every 2 days to your pet. It is however quite good at killing fleas, and this makes it very handy to quickly reduce flea burdens in pets.

To a flea free pet,

Simon

Technorati Tags: capstar, flea control, flea pills, flea treatment

Flea control can be a frustrating job

Getting fleas under control can be a major headache. Sometimes it seems like no matter what you do or how many fleas you kill, there seems to an endless supply to replace them. If you are in this situation,  you really need to take a step back and make sure that you are covering all of the basics. Here are a tips:

1. Make sure you are using a high quality flea product.

Using a supermarket brand flea control product might save you a few dollars in the short term, but  in the long run you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Most of these products have had minimal testing to prove that they are effective in the field.

Trying to control fleas using flea collars or shampoo is also a bad idea, as these simply aren’t effective enough.

When you are dealing with a difficult flea problem, you need to make sure that you are  using something with a high level of proven effectiveness.  I would recommend choosing one of the following products: Frontline Plus, Advantage, Revolution, Comfortis, Capstar, Advantix or Advocate.

2. Treat every animal in your household (even if only one has fleas)

It can be tempting to treat only the animals in the household that you can find fleas on. Unfortunately, if you do this, then you are bound to fail. If there are fleas around, they will be present on every pet in the household.

This is especially true for cats. Cats are much more likely than dogs to go wandering to different places during the day. On their little trips, they are much more likely to pick up fleas. If your cats aren’t on flea control, then they will bring their fleas back home to share with the rest of the pets in the family.

To make sure that you prevent ongoing environmental infestation, you need to treat all animals in the household.

3. Block off access to high-risk areas

There are some areas around your home that are perfect breeding grounds for fleas. Moist, sandy, dark places where your pet hangs out offer everything a growing flea could ever want while growing up to be an adult flea. This means that there is a high percentage of flea eggs that survive to be adults. These then jump on your pet and perpetuate the cycle.

If your pet has access to the ground under your house, block it off. Just doing this one thing can sometimes be enough to tip the balance in your favour and get fleas under control again.

These few tips make a good starting point to get back in control of fleas at your house. If you have tried all of this, and are still struggling, tell me about your troubles in the comments and I will try to help you out.

To a flea-free pet!

Simon.

Technorati Tags: flea, flea control

Choosing the right flea treatment is imprortant for your cat's health

Cats with fleas can be a tricky problem. Because of their interest in exploring and fastidious habits, figuring out that your cat has a flea problem can be one of the hardest parts of flea treament!

Cats are more likely to pick up a flea infestation than your average dog because they tend to go exploring when let out of the house. Their travels can take them all over the neighbourhood, and they are likely to spend time in areas that a flea-infested animal may also frequent. As they travel around on their daily rounds, young adult fleas will jump on and hitch a ride.

Once they have a significant number of fleas, then flea eggs will start to accumulate in your home environment. These will develop into larvae and pupae, and eventually hatch and infest your cat as well. Soon you can have hundreds of fleas in your house, making your cat itchy and possibly even having a snack on any humans they happen to find as well.

Cats are very clean animals, and like to spend a lot of their time grooming. This grooming behaviour is quite effective at removing fleas and cleaning up any flea dirt or similar. However it also makes it difficult to realise if your cat has a flea problem. If they have only low numbers of fleas, they might remove them by grooming before you notice them.

Sounds like a good thing, right? Unfortunately there are some drawbacks. Firstly, fleas are frequently carriers of the tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum. When your cat grooms a flea and ingests it, they are likely to get a tapeworm infestation as well. Secondly, cats with flea allergies do not need to have large numbers of fleas to cause a problem. If they are grooming the fleas off before you see them, then your cat may be suffering without you even knowing!

Luckily, there are plenty of cat flea treatment products available to use on your cat. This includes Advantage, Advocate, Frontline Plus, Revolution, Program, and a number of other products. You can get some products from your supermarket or local pet store, while others are only available from your veterinarian.

When choosing a product, make sure to avoid any product that contains permethrin, even if it says that it is ok for cats. Cats have a problem with breaking down this product and can become quite ill, even using it at the recommended dose rates.

The safest and most effective options for flea treatment in cats are the ones that you can buy from your veterinarian. These products have undergone extensive safety and effectiveness testing, which means that they are less likely to cause side effects and more likely to help you to get rid of fleas.

Your choice of cat flea treatment product ultimately depends on what you are looking for. If you are interested only in treating fleas, and not worried about treating heartworm or intestinal worms, choose Frontline Plus or Advantage. Both of these are cost-effective and work great at treating flea infestations.  If you are interested in a product that “does it all”, then the best choices are Revolution or Advocate. These combine flea control ingredients along with heartworm and intestinal worm control and protection.

Make sure to treat every animal in the house, and treat them every month. If you are persistent and remember to use your flea treatment product, then you will be able to get on top of your flea problem and prevent it from coming back. It is always a good idea to consult your veterinarian before starting any new treatment on your pet, especially if they have any previous medical problems.

To a flea free pet!

Simon

Technorati Tags: advantage, advocate, cat flea control, cat flea treatment, frontline plus, revolution

Cats and fleas don’t mix well together. Despite being named after the cat, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) can cause your feline friend no end of grief. If your cat has ever had fleas before, you know how frustrating they can be for both you and your cat. If your cat hasn’t had fleas before, trust me: you don’t ever want them to have the experience.

So, now that we have established that your cat need protection from fleas, you need to decide how exactly you are going to do that. There many options: tablets, flea baths, flea collars, natural flea remedies, flea combs, top spots… the list goes on. However, despite all the numerous options out there, there is only a few that actually work.

Using a good quality top-spot flea control product is probably the easiest way to treat and prevent a flea problem. By good quality I don’t mean the permethrin-based products you can find at the supermarket. These can have serious side effects and can lead to tremoring and seizures. You need to use a product that has undergone extensive testing and has been proven to be safe and effective.

Advantage is one flea control product that fits the bill nicely. Advantage is a veterinarian-only flea medication that comes in a top-spot formula. All you need to do is apply the pre-measured dose from the pipette to the back of your cat’s neck once a month. Within 48 hours it spreads to cover your cat’s entire body through the oily layer of the skin, and will last for an entire month. This means you can spend less time worrying about fleas and enjoy more quality time with your kitty.

Fleas will stop biting within 3-5 minutes of coming in contact with your pet. Advantage kills by contact, meaning that fleas don’t need to bite your cat to be killed. This means that you cat will have less flea bites, which means less irritation and a happier cat.

The active ingredient in Advantage is imidacloprid, which has demonstrated to be very safe for use in dogs and cats. The most common side effect is excess salivation from licking the spot where the product has been applied. This is due to the bitter taste and not a direct tosxic problem from the Advantage. The wide margin of safety means you can use this product without worrying too much about the potential side effects.

If you are looking for a simple and effective solution for treating fleas on your cat, Advantage for cats should be on the top of your list.

Buy advantage for cats here.

To a flea free pet!

Simon

Photo: ven-

Technorati Tags: advantage, flea control, flea remedies, flea treatment

If your pet has fleas, flea treatment will be the best christmas present they can get.

Christmas is a time for spending time with family, giving presents, and if you’re a flea, its a time for rapidly multiplying and infesting pets.

In Australia, christmas comes in the middle of the summer, which generally means perfect conditions for fleas to reproduce. In warm weather, fleas can go through their life cycle in as little as 14 days.

Your pet is a part of your family, and you want to share the joy of the season with them as well. But if they are covered in fleas then they will be more interested in itching and scratching than spending quality time with you.

The festive season is an expensive and busy time of year, with all those presents to buy, parties to go to and families to cook for. But it is important not to neglect your pet’s regular pest control products. Any lapses  at this time of year could mean a heavy flea infestation that will take months to get rid of.

If your pet is currently suffering from a flea burden, why not buy them some flea control products as their christmas present? I’m sure they will thank you.

A flea free pet is one of the best christmas presents you can give.

Merry Christmas from fleacontrol.net.au!

Simon

Flea control is a difficult and time consuming task. You have to treat the pet, wash the bedding, vacuum the house, and repeat this for as long as it takes (which can be months).

For those of us who aren’t so keen on all that manual labour, there hasn’t been an effective solution to flea problems.

Until now.

Enter Comfortis, the latest flea control offering by Elanco Animal Health.

I’ve mentioned on this blog before about how fast this product works (killing 50% of fleas on your pet in 4 hours). But it also looks like Comfortis has an Ace up its sleeve when it comes to flea control.

In clinical and field trials performed by Elanco, once monthly dosing with Comfortis successfully reduced the flea burden on client-owned dogs (ie. in the real world) by 99.9% over just 2 months, without any treatment of the environmental flea population.

What does this mean?

It means that you don’t have to worry so much about treating the fleas in the environment. Just give your dog a tablet once a month and within two months 99.9% of fleas will be gone.

I have written before about how important environmental flea control is, and with most flea control products it is a very important part of the flea treatment process. But with Comfortis, it looks like you may be able to get away without it.

Of course, every pet’s flea situation will be different. This means that you may or may not see success by treating your pet alone.

If you do have any concerns I recommend talking to your local veterinarian, or leave us a comment and we will try to help you out.

Buy comfortis here.

To a flea free pet!

Simon.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/torek/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Technorati Tags: comfortis, flea control

Frontline Plus is a safe and effective flea control product

Frontline Plus is probably the most well known flea control product available.  And there is a good reason for that: Frontline Plus has a long history of safe, effective flea control.

Frontline Plus contains 2 active ingredients: fipronil and s-methoprene. The fipronil kills adult fleas and ticks, and treats and controls biting lice as well. The s-methoprene kills eggs and prevents larval and pupal development.

These two ingredients work in combination to ensure that effective flea control is maintained for an entire month. Once monthly application means that you can enjoy more time with your pet without having to worry about fleas.

If you live in a paralysis tick area, Frontline Plus applied every 2 weeks to dogs will protect them against paralysis ticks. This is a great benefit, as paralysis tick infestation can be fatal to your pet. For cats, you can protect them against paralysis ticks with Frontline Spray instead.

If you like to bath your pets, have no fear. Frontline Plus is waterfast and will continue to protect your pet despite the occasional dip.

You do need to apply Frontline to a dry coat, so make sure that your pet is completely dried before applying it.

While Frontline is waterfast, if your pet is a really frequent swimmer (more than a couple of times a week) you may find that its effectiveness is diminished. For these dogs you are probably better off with a product like Comfortis which can’t wash off.

Frontline Plus is safe to use in pregnant and lactating cats and dogs, which means that your pet can stay safe and flea free during this important time.

Because it is so effective at controlling fleas, Frontline Plus is registered to treat and control flea allergy dermatitis, the most common allergic skin condition in dogs and cats.

If you are looking for a top spot product to control fleas (and ticks) then Frontline Plus makes an excellent choice.

Click here to buy Frontline Plus

To a flea free pet!

Simon.

Technorati Tags: flea control, frontline for cats, frontline for dogs, frontline plus, frontline spray

Natural flea control - healthy alternative or potential toxin?

There is a great appeal to “going natural”. After all, natural things have been made by nature and this automatically makes them safer and less damaging to us and our pets, right? While this sounds good in theory, I personally believe that natural treatments are MORE likely to cause toxic problems in your pet, and you are certainly LESS likely to effectively treat your flea problem.

How can this be so?

Firstly, just because a product is “natural” does not mean that it is safe or contains no damaging chemicals.  Deadly nightshade is natural, but I think everyone agrees that it is not something that you or your pets want to come in contact with.

Natural flea control products work for the same reasons that manufactured products work: they are insecticides.  This means they are toxic to fleas, and to some extent, all products that will kill fleas will be toxic to pets at a high enough concentration.  This is true regardless whether the product you are using is natural or not.

The problem with natural flea remedies is that, on the whole, they are not subject to the same rigorous testing as veterinary medications are in order to be registered. Part of the reason why medications cost as much as they do is because of the large amount of testing that companies have to do to prove that their products work and don’t cause any toxic problems.

This testing means that you can use these products on your pet knowing that they have a low level of toxicity.  For example, imidacloprid (the active ingredient in Advtantage and Advocate) has been given at 20 times the recommended dose in puppies with no ill effects.

When you use a natural therapy, it is hard to say with 100% certainty that the dose on the label is what you are giving your pet.  It could be much less or potentially much more.

Here is something worth considering – there is a group of insecticides called pyrethins. Natural pyrethins are produced by plants, the most well known being Chrysanthenum.  There are also synthetic pyrethrins (pyrethroids) that are used for pest control.

The synthetic pyrethins are safer than the natural ones and cause less side effects!

Everyone has their own personal preferences for flea control, and all products used properly and responsibly can be safe. However, registered veterinary flea control products are proven safe and effective by objective studies. In my mind, this makes it a no-brainer. Sure you can use natural products, and they might work, but when you have safe, effective and reasonably priced products available, why bother?

To a flea free pet!

Simon

Technorati Tags: flea control, flea treatment, natural flea control, pyrethrins, pyrethroids, toxic

Does your pet's fur look like this? Time to start flea treatment!

The reason that fleas are such a big problem in dogs and cats is that they are perfectly adapted to their hosts. Their entire life is dedicated to survival. Fleas have many adaptations which allow them to survive in adverse conditions: They lay massive amounts of eggs, their larvae hide under carpet and furniture, they can lay dormant for up to 6 months, and they are very adept at hiding themselves on your pet.

Because fleas are so adept at hiding themselves, it can be hard to detect a flea problem, especially if the numbers of fleas are low. Here are three ways you can tell if your pet has fleas:

1. Look for fleasLooking for fleas on your pet is the most logical place to start when you are trying to check for a flea problem. One of the things that helps to find fleas is that they have favourite hangouts. The area over the base of the tail, around the collar, and over the back legs and belly are the  most common places to find fleas. Make sure you are extra thorough when looking in these areas.

   Using a flea comb will help you to find fleas. These fine-toothed combs are especially designed to catch fleas and will make flea detection a lot easierUnfortunately, fleas are very good at hiding. They are so good that we only find around 5-15% of the fleas on our pets. If your pet only has a few fleas, then there is a chance that you might not find them. So unfortunately, finding no fleas does not mean that there are none on your pet.

2. Look for flea dirt If you can’t find fleas themselves, sometimes your can find other evidence. One of the most common ways to diagnose a flea problem is to look for flea dirt. This is the digested blood excreted by fleas after finishing their blood meal. It looks like little black specks of dirt (hence the name).

   Wondering whether your pet has flea dirt or regular dirt? One of the easiest ways to figure out if the black spots you are seeing is flea dirt is to sprinkle a few specks on a moist paper towel. If it is flea dirt, the paper towel will dissolve the blood and turn red.The other way to check for flea dirt is to give your pet a bath. If they have a lot of flea dirt in their coat, this will stain the water a pale red colour.

3. Flea bites. Another sign of a flea problem is flea bites. These look like tiny red dots, and will most easily be seen on your pet’s belly. Chances are that if there are enough fleas to cause visible flea bites that there will be enough to find by other methods, but some pets are quite sensitive and can react to the bites of only one or two fleas.If you have a really bad problem, fleas might get desperate enough to humans too! Humans are not a typical host of fleas, but if there is an overload of fleas in the environment you will find that a couple will mistake you for a dog or cat and have a nibble.

So, what do you do if you find fleas? Ignore them? Only if you want to be battling a major flea infestation in a few weeks. Every female flea is capable of laying up to 50 eggs per day. 10 fleas on your pet means 500 eggs being laid every day. Fleas can complete their life cycle in as little as 2 weeks. Your house can quickly become overrun with fleas if you aren’t careful.

If you are not using any flea control and  you see any number of fleas, you need to start as soon as possible to reduce the chance of contaminating the environment with flea eggs.

If you are using flea control and you are seeing only a couple of fleas, don’t stress too much. Your pet may have picked up one or two fleas on a walk or from your garden. If you are using a good quality product these will be killed within 24 hours. If you are seeing more than a couple of fleas or your pet doesn’t go outside or walking, then you should talk to your veterinarian about possibly reasons why your flea control product isn’t working as well as it could.

To a flea free pet!

Simon

P.S. If you are looking for somewhere to buy flea control online then try Vet Products Direct

Technorati Tags: flea bites, flea control, flea dirt, flea problem, flea treatment

Sometimes it is just not convenient to use a top spot medication for fleas. If your pet has sensitive skin or objects to the smell of the flea treatment medication, applying your pet’s monthly dose of flea product can become a very unpleasant experience. There are also problems with pets licking the  flea control product and feeling sick, or if you are really unlucky you could find your dog stuck to a crate by a flea control product.

Luckily there are some flea control products available that come in tablet or pill form. There are four products which are available in pill form (only two for cats). This review will discuss the pros and cons of each treatment, and which pill might be suitable in which situation.

Capstar (Novartis)

How it works: Capstar is a short-acting adulticide. It will kill fleas in less than 3 hours. It works by binding to nerve receptors and causing flea paralysis and death.

What it is good for: Capstar is great for quickly reducing the flea burden on a pet. It works especially well when used in combination with a long-acting insect growth regulator such as Program or Sentinel Spectrum. This product can be used in dogs and cats.

Cons: Because it has no persistent activity, if you use it by itself you must give it frequently (daily to weekly depending on flea burden)

Buy Capstar here

Comfortis (Elanco)

How it works: The active ingredient in Comfortis is spinosad. Spinosad kills adult fleas by activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the flea nervous system, causing an overload of the flea nervous system. The flea seizes to death.

What it is good for: Comfortis is great for pets who swim or are bathed frequently, as it doesn’t wash off. It is also good for pets who get reactions or dislike the smell of flea top spot medications.

Cons: About 1 in 10 animals will vomit after the first time you give them Comfortis. This reduces with subsequent dosing. One way to reduce this is to feed a small meal in conjunction with the tablets. This product is registered for use in dogs only.

Buy Comfortis here

Program (Novartis)

How it works: Program contains lufenuron, a flea development inhibitor. Lufenuron interferes with the production of chitin, the principal component of the insect exoskeleton. The compound is taken up by adult fleas when they bite treated pets. Eggs laid by these fleas will not hatch.

What it is good for: This product is great for preventing flea infestations when used on pets without fleas. This product can be used in dogs and cats.

Cons: Because it has no adulticide activity, if your pet has a lot of fleas, or if it picks up a large burden, it will not be effective. In cases like this it is best to use an adulticide as well, such as Capstar.

Buy Program here

Sentinel Spectrum (Novartis)

How it works: Sentinel Spectrum contains lufenuron (the same as Program, see above for how it works. Sentinel also contains a hearworm preventative and will control intestinal worms (including tapeworm)

What it is good for: Sentinel is a great all-in-one product that covers all of the major parasites of fleas in the one tablet.

Cons: Again, because it contains no adulticide, if your pet already has fleas or picks up a large burden, it will not be effective. This product is registered for use in dogs only.

Buy sentinel spectrum here

As you can see, your options for flea pills are varied. Choosing the right medication for the right situation is crucial to achieving a successful outcome. If you have any questions about flea control products, feel free to leave a comment below and I will try to help you.

To a flea free pet!

Simon

P.S. to get online flea medication at a great price try Vet Products Direct

Technorati Tags: adulticide, capstar, comfortis, flea control, flea pills, flea tablets, flea treatment, program, sentinel spectrum