Archive for the ‘flea control’ Category
Flea control: What to do when nothing seems to work
January 21st, 2010 | 
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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.
Flea control – the best christmas present for an itchy pet
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
The lazy man’s guide to flea control
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.
To a flea free pet!
Simon.
Flea control product review: Frontline Plus
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.
Posted in flea control | 
Tags: flea control, frontline for cats, frontline for dogs, frontline plus, frontline spray | 
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Flea control for puppies and kittens – which products can you use and when?
Flea control for puppies is very imporant as they are especially vulnerable
A flea problem in a puppy or kitten is a big problem. A high flea burden can cause a life-threatening anaemia from blood loss, and cause your pet to get seriously ill. So what do you do if you have a young puppy or kitten with fleas? The best thing to do is to apply a flea control product that is registered as safe for use before the flea burden gets too much. Here is a list of the most commonly used flea control products, and what age they are safe to use at.
Disclaimer: If your puppy or kitten has a large flea burden and is looking unwell, it needs to be seen by a veterinarian. If you have any concerns about your pet for any reason, a your local vet is the best person to talk to. Make sure that you are using the correct dose of medication, and that it is labeled for the correct species. Some dog flea control products are harmful to cats!
Advantage (Bayer)
- Active ingredient: Imidacloprid
- Effects: Causes paralysis and death of fleas.
- Safe to use: It is safe to use Advantage in puppies over 7 weeks of age and in kittens over 8 weeks of age. In unweaned puppies, treating the mother will provide some protection to the puppies.
Advantix (Bayer)
- Active ingredients: Imidacloprid and permethrin
- Effects: Causes paralysis and death of fleas. Kills and repels ticks, repels mosquitoes.
- Safe to use: Advantix is safe for puppies over 7 weeks of age. Advantix cannot be used in kittens.
Advocate (Bayer)
- Active ingredients: Imidacloprid and moxidectin
- Effects: Causes paralysis and death of fleas. Prevents heartworms and intestinal worms. Kills mites.
- Safe to use: Advocate is safe for use on puppies from 7 weeks of age and on kittens from 9 weeks of age.
Capstar (Novartis)
- Active ingredient: Nitenpyram
- Effects: Causes rapid death of fleas
- Safe to use: Capstar is safe for use on puppies and kittens from 4 weeks of age as long as they weight more than 1 kg
Comfortis (Elanco)
- Active ingredient: Spinosad
- Effects: Causes flea paralysis and death
- Safe to use: Comfortis is safe for use on puppies from 14 weeks of age. Comfortis is not registered for use in kittens.
Frontline plus (Merial)
- Active ingredient: Fipronil and s-methoprene
- Effects: Causes paralysis and death of fleas, kills ticks, ovicidal
- Safe to use: It is safe to treat puppies and kittens with FRONTLINE SPRAY from 2 days of age. Puppies and kittens can be treated with FRONTLINE PLUS from 8 weeks of age.
Revolution (Pfizer)
- Active ingredient: Selamectin
- Effects: Kills fleas, prevents feeding, prevents egg production. Also prevents heartworm infestations, treats mites. Also kills roundworms and hookworms in cats.
- Safe to use: It is safe to use revolution in puppies and kittens over 8 weeks of age.
Sentinel Spectrum (Novartis)
- Active ingredient: Lufenuron
- Effects: prevent flea infestations, prevent heartworm infection and control intestinal worms including tapeworm.
- Safe to use: Sentinel Spectrum is safe for use on puppies from 4 weeks of age. Sentinel spectrum is not resistered for use in kittens.
As you can see, all of the above flea control products are safe to use for young pets, but the age that they can be used does vary. For very young puppies and kittens, Frontline Plus spray is probably the best option. Once the puppies and kittens get a bit older, your choices widen. Different products will work best in different situations. If you can see fleas on your puppy or kitten, you need to start flea treatment now. If you are unsure of which to use, contact your local veterinarian for help or leave a comment and we will try to help you out.
To a Flea Free pet!
Simon Heikkila
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardstowey/ / CC BY 2.0
Posted in flea control, flea treatment |
Tags: advantage, advantix, advocate, capstar, comfortis, flea control, flea treatment, frontline plus, kitten flea control, puppy flea control, revolution, sentinel spectrum |
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Flea control product review: Advantage® flea treatment
If you are looking for a safe, effective monthly flea control product, then Advantage® flea treatment is an excellent choice.5 Reasons for flea control failure
- Using the wrong product
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try to use the wrong product for the job. Some products are great for preventing a flea problem, but lack the right ingredients to treat one. For example, a product like Sentinel® Spectrum is a great preventative, but if you have a big flea problem you will need to use it in combination with Capstar™ until things are under control. Products like Frontline Plus®, Revolution, Advantage®, Comfortis™ and Advocate® are great for treating and preventing flea problems. - Using the right product the wrong way
If you are using one of the above products and are still having issues with fleas, then maybe you should check the instructions on the box of your chosen product. Some common mistakes: not applying often enough, missing treatments, bathing or swimming too soon after application, not applying to the skin. - Not treating long enough
Flea problems don’t start in a day, and unfortunately they also can’t be fixed in a day. If you have a lot of fleas in your environment then they will keep hatching and developing and jumping on your pet, possibly for months to come. Controlling fleas is rarely a case of a ‘quick fix’ and then forgetting about it. - Not treating other animals sharing the environment
Even if you only find a flea on one of your pets, I can almost guarantee you that your other pets will have fleas too. Treating only one pet means that the fleas just jump on one of the other animals in the environment and carry on their business. This seems to be true especially when you have a cat and a dog living together. Cats love to go for a wander around the neighbourhood, and on their jaunts they can quite easily pick up a flea or two. One or two fleas will almost inevitably lead to more, and soon your dog will be affected as well. - Forgetting about the environment
Flea control on the pet is only half the story. Because 95% of the fleas are in the environment in various life stages, any flea control strategy that ignores environmental treatment is bound to fail. Simple environmental treatment strategies like vacuuming your house twice weekly and washing your pets’ bedding in hot water will go a long way to help you get in control of your flea problem.
Posted in flea control |
Tags: advantage, advocate, flea control, flea control failure, flea proble, flea treatment, frontline plus, revolution, sentinel spectrum |
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Flea Control Product Review – Comfortis™ – These flea pills kill fleas fast
Posted in flea control |
Tags: flea control, flea pills, flea protection, flea treatment, killing fleas |
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In flea control, one flea is one flea too many
The Flea Life Cycle
Posted in flea control |
Tags: flea carpet, flea control, flea larvae, flea life cycle, flea problem |
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