Flea Control

Archive for the ‘flea treatment’ Category

Owning a pet is not cheap. With the cost of food, health checks, vaccinations, heartworm control, intestinal wormers and flea control, it really starts to add up. This can make it tempting to look for cheaper options. You might buy the budget food, and maybe try using some parasite control products from the supermarket instead of from the vet clinic. Unfortunately, as with most things, you get what you pay for. And in the case of flea control, you might end up spending a lot more than you intended if you use a product containing permethrin on your cat.

You know how natural flea control enthusiasts go on about the toxic potential of flea control products? I would bet that 99 times out of 100 they are talking about permethrin. In my time as a veterinarian the only serious intoxications I have seen in pets due to flea control have been caused by permethrin. 

Permethrin belongs to an insecticide class called synthetic pyrethroids. These chemicals are essentially a man-made copy of pyrethrum, which is a natural insecticide extracted from Chrysanthemum flowers. This chemical binds to the sodium channels on nerves and results in repetitive nerve discharges. This essentially causes the insects to have a seizure. Unfortunately, insects aren’t the only ones who can get seizures from these products. 

Permethrin is found in shampoos, dips, foggers, spot-ons and sprays for use in dogs and cats.  Permethrin is generally pretty safe in dogs, the exception being that small dogs can sometimes have an issue. In cats, however, permethrin can be quite dangerous. 

This is where the trouble starts: dog products containing permethrin have a much higher concentration of permethrin than cat products. Applying a dog product to a cat is almost always the reason cats get sick from this drug, because it overloads the cats detoxification systems. 

The difference in toxicity between dogs and cats can be explained by some differences in the way that their livers process toxins. The main issue with cats is that they are very inefficient at a metabolic pathway called gluconuride conjugation. This is an important pathway used to metabolise various toxins including permethrin. 

Signs of permethrin toxicity include shaking and tremoring, vomiting, salivating, and in severe cases, seizures. These symptoms can lead to severe side effects such as hyperthermia (overheating) and even death. 

If your pet develops any of these signs after applying a permethrin-containing product, it will need immediate veterinary attention. If the signs are only mild, you can try to wash the product off with some mild detergent before rushing to the bet, but if your cat is seizuring then you have to get to the vet as soon as possible. 

Your veterinarian will give your cat some medications to help reduce the tremoring and treat any seizures if present. They will most likely need to stay at the vet for several days while they process the toxin. In severe cases they may die despite veterinary attention.  Regardless, you are probably looking at a fairly expensive bill at the end of it all.

When you consider using cheaper flea control products, you are taking a gamble on two counts. Firstly, will this product even work? Most veterinary flea control products have undergone extensive testing to prove that they work in the real world. Some of the cheaper products can’t make this claim. Secondly, you are taking a gamble that you won’t poison your pet. A cat doesn’t even need to have the product directly applied to get sick – all it takes is close contact with a dog who has been recently treated. 

Ultimately, it comes down to what you are willing to risk. Do you really want to put your pet’s health at risk for the sake of an extra few dollars?

Technorati Tags: flea control, flea treatment, permethrin, toxicity

A lot of people will stop their flea control during the winter months. They figure that since fleas need warm temperatures to breed that you are pretty safe during the colder months. Unfortunately they couldn’t be more wrong!

It is true that the majority of fleas and flea eggs that are caught outside will die off during the cold winter months, but not every flea will die.

Fleas don’t have a calendar. The don’t see that it is August and it is the middle of winter. All they know and understand is the temperature and humidity of their microenvironment. For most dogs and cats, this microenvironment includes your house.

Unless you are really energy conscious (or masochistic), I can bet that your house does not reach the same temperature as it does outside. If your house is as cold as the outside temperature, then I feel sorry for you and you have bigger problems than a few fleas. The rest of us with heated houses are unknowingly providing a perfect environment for fleas inside the house.

If the temperature in your house remains somewhere in the 20 degrees celsius range during winter, then fleas will keep breeding all year round. It might take them a little bit longer than it would in the summertime, but they will still breed.

So if you stop you flea control thinking you are safe, then you are setting yourself up for disaster. Small (or large) numbers of fleas will continue to survive and breed, setting themselves up nicely for a population explosion in the springtime.

Don’t set yourself up for a springtime flea disaster. Continue your flea control efforts all year round and you will be rewarded.

Technorati Tags: flea control, flea treatment, fleas in winter

Fleas are are no fun for pets or owners. You want to get rid of them, and the faster you can do that the happier you and your pet will be. Today I am going to tell you which flea control product kills fleas the quickest.

Why is fast speed of kill important? Well, it takes around 48 hours for fleas to begin laying eggs once they have started to feed. If we can kill the fleas before they can lay any eggs, then this will break the life cycle and fix your flea problem faster.

In a study done by Dryden, Smith, Payne and McTier in 2005, selamectin (Revolution), fipronil-(S)-methoprene (Frontline) and imidacloprid(Advantage & Advocate)were compared to see which flea treatment product kills fleas the fastest. They were tested for speed of kill at days 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28, to simulate what would happen over the course of a monthly flea treatment.

Following initial application, imidacloprid was the only product to cause significant flea reduction in 6 hours.  By 24 hours of applications, all three products had killed at least 96.7% of fleas on the pet. So basically, after a day, almost all of the fleas on the pet will be killed regardless of which product you use.

One week after treatment, all three products were still going strong. Each product reduced flea populations by around 70% in 6 hours, and had killed 99.4% of fleas in 24 hours. This is good – no fleas are living long enough to lay eggs and reinfest the environment.

Three weeks after initial application, the speed of kill for all the products had decreased significantly, with none of the formulations killing fleas within 6 hours.  At 28 days after treatment – selamectin killed 99% in 48 hours, fipronil-(s)-methoprene killed 86.4% within 48 hours, and imidacloprid killed 72.6% within 48 hours. This is where things start to drop off, which is why these products need to be used monthly.

From these results, we can see is that there is no real difference between any of the products for the majority of the time. Imidacloprid gets a jump start on the other product and starts killing fleas sooner, but by 24 hours they are mostly the same. At the end of the month, selamectin has the most staying power, still killing 99% of fleas before they are able to breed.

Interestingly, another study (McCoy et al, 2008)- showed that Revolution is more effective than Frontline Plus and Advantage in reducing the amount of blood consumed by fleas.

In reality, it doesn’t matter which of these products you use. They are all excellent products and will do a much better job of killing fleas than any flea shampoos, flea collars, flea powders or natural flea treaments.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

Technorati Tags: advantage, advocate, fipronil, flea control, flea treatment, frontline plus, imidacloprid, revolution, selamectin

Baby kittens are at a high risk of becoming ill when they have a flea burden

Everyone knows that flea infestations can be bothersome and irritating for your pet, but most people don’t realise that a heavy flea burden can actually be lethal in some circumstances. If you have a young puppy, kitten, or older pet, then they could be at risk of much worse than a few itchy bites.

Fleas, like mosquitoes, are blood parasites. Individually they only drink a small amount – average of 13.6 microliters (+/- 2.7 microliters) of blood per day. That doesn’t sound like much, but 100 fleas will drink 1.36ml of blood per day. In adults, this amount is a mere drop in the ocean, but for a 500g kitten with only 35ml of blood in total, that is a lot (3.8% of their total blood volume per day).  When you are losing that amount of blood, it doesn’t take long to get very sick.

Young puppies and kittens are at the highest risk for flea anaemia. Outdoor puppies and kittens are especially at risk, because they are more likely to come in contact with fleas and develop an infestation. They are also trying to grow, and before 16 weeks of age their bodies are not very good at producing new blood to replace what has been lost.

Older patients  (mostly small dogs and cats) can also be at risk, because they are often less able to groom themselves to get rid of fleas. Also, they are more likely to have chronic disease, which can decrease the ability of the body to produce new blood.

Signs of anaemia to look for include pale gums (normal is pink, with anaemia they can be white), listlessness, and in severe cases your pet may have cold extremities and a rapid heart beat. If your pet has any of these signs then they need to be taken to a veterinarian straight away, where they may need emergency treatment such as a blood transfusion.

If you notice large amounts of flea dirt on your pet, then you need to start flea treatment as soon as possible. Frontline spray is a good option for young pets, as it is licensed for use in puppies and kittens 2 days of age and older. For animals weighing over 1kg, Capstar also makes a good choice, as it provides fast-acting knockdown of all fleas on your pet within 6 hours.

If you have any concerns about your pet, then don’t hesitate to contact your local veterinarian. They will be able to advise you on your pet’s individual case.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

Photo: clevergrrl

Technorati Tags: anaemia, flea control, flea problem, kittens, puppies

Unless you have a very minor flea infestation, it almost always takes a few months to get rid of it no matter what you do. It doesn’t matter what product you use, or how many times you wash your pet. The reason it takes so long is due to the “flea development window”. If you understand this concept then you will save yourself a lot of frustration.

The flea development window is based around basic flea biology. Adult female fleas lay around 40 eggs per day. These fall off your pet into the environment, landing in areas like your house, car, and back yard. These eggs hatch in 1 to 10 days, and become larvae. These larvae then develop into pupae in 5 to 11 days. Fleas will remain in their pupa for anywhere from 7 to 174 days.

Flea control, for the most part, is concerned with killing adult fleas. If you are using any of the flea control products that I recommend here, then they are likely to kill 99.9% of the fleas on your pet. Unfortunately, they does nothing to prevent the development of eggs, larvae and pupae already in the environment. These will continue to develop and hatch, then jump onto your pet.

The adult stage of the flea is the “window” – the point in the flea’s life cycle that we can effectively intervene and reduce flea numbers.

Have you ever had a situation where you used flea control, and the problem seemed to get worse instead of better? You might think that it is a giant conspiracy theory, and the drug companies are lacing their products with flea eggs to keep you buying their product. Unfortunately the truth is much less exciting. This is the flea development window at work.

Sometimes the flea population is on the verge of explosion, with heaps and heaps of flea eggs, larvae and pupae in the environment. At this stage, applying flea control product is too late to stop the onslaught. The product will kill all the fleas on your pet, but all of those fleas in the environment will hatch and jump onto your pet over the next 3 weeks to 6 months.

You might be thinking “How does knowing about this change what I need to do for my pet?”. It all boils down to this: we can’t effectively kill all of the stages of the flea life cycle. We can only really do anything about the adult fleas. Every time a flea survives on your pet long enough to lay eggs, you are going to be dealing with another 50 or more fleas in a few weeks to months.

This really highlights the importance of using flea control on every pet in your household, every month, every time. Any lapses in your flea control strategy and you will have to deal with another few months worth of fleas on your pet.

Every day you delay in treating your pet is another 40-50 fleas (or much more!) that you will have to deal with in the future. Save your self the headache, buy your pets some flea control today!

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funkybug/

Technorati Tags: eggs, flea control, flea treatment, larvae, life cycle, pupae

There is a staggering number of different flea shampoos out there that claim to be effective against fleas. And that is probably true – most of these shampoos will contain an active ingredient that is toxic to adult fleas, and so will kill the fleas on your pet. However, none of these products will last longer than a couple of days maximum. So unless you plan on bathing your pet every other day, you will need to use something else to help control the fleas.

The problem is that excessive bathing will reduce the efficiency of any top-spot product that you use. All of these products are bound to the oils in your pet’s skin. Bathing your pet removes these oils, and the flea control product along with it. This is especially true for shampoos not specifically designed for pets’ skin, or those with harsh chemicals. Some flea shampoos will fall into either one of these (or both) categories.

If you have bathed your pet with any shampoo, you need to wait for the coat to be dry before application, otherwise your flea control product will not work properly. Another big no-no is to bath your pet within 48 hours of application. Doing this will wash off a large amount of product.

When it comes down to it, flea shampoos are really unneccesary. If you use a high quality flea control product like one of the ones I recommend, then you shouldn’t really need to use a flea shampoo at all.

If you really feel the need to wash your pet for fleas, or if your pet has another reason that it needs regular bathing, try to do it less than once a week. Any more frequent than this, and you are probably reducing the efficiency of your chosen flea control product.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/utahdarkhorse/3579825211/

Technorati Tags: flea remedies, flea shampoo, flea spray, flea treatments

Is there a magic flea control pill out there somewhere?

Most of the flea control products that we commonly use have been around for some time, and they do a pretty good job. Elanco Animal Health has been a little late to the flea control party with their new product, comfortis, but this product looks to be a pretty big step up in flea control technology.

You might be thinking “What is the big deal? How is comfortis any different to any other flea control products?” Truth be told, there are other products out there that can do the same thing as comfortis. for example, capstar kills fleas as quickly as comfortis, and advantage lasts a similar amount of time. However, there isn’t really any one product that beats comfortis overall.

Comfortis is a tablet,  meaning that it can’t get washed off. This is also great for those of us who own dogs who get one sniff of a spot on treatment and run away to hide, which makes their monthly flea control a terrible ordeal.

Comfortis is effective. It has a fast kill rate, killing fleas in as little as 4 hours after administration. It continues to do this for an entire month. Studies done by Elanco while registering comfortis have shown that close to 100% of fleas were killed in only 2 months of use, without doing anything else. Talk about simple!

However, nothing is ever perfect. There are a few downsides to comfortis. For example, it has a fairly high rate of vomiting as a side effect of giving the pill (around 10% the first time they are given the pill). This can certainly be unpleasant for your pet and also for whoever has to clean it up! The good news is that the incidence of vomiting reduces with subsequent doses, so even if your pet vomits the first time, it may not do it when you give next month’s pill. Still, there is probably a certain percentage of dogs with delicate stomachs who will be unable to use this medication.

Using comfortis in pregnant dogs and young puppies is also out. Studies have shown some undesirable side effects in pregnant dogs and young puppies, and for this reason it is not recommended. So, if you have a pregnant or young dog with fleas, you will have to look elsewhere.

Use of comfortis in Epileptic dogs is discouraged as well. Testing of comfortis in a group of epileptic dogs ended up with 2 dogs having a seizure during the trial. While there is no direct evidence that comfortis was responsible, it is better to be safe rather than sorry, so it is not recommended.

Comfortis is safe to use with heartworm medications, vaccinations, and most other medications.

So, is Comfortis the new magic flea pill? As you might have guessed, there unfortunately is no such thing as a magic pill. However, Comfortis has some definite benefits, and is definitely worth a try if you are having flea troubles.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bohman/

Buy comfortis here

Technorati Tags: comfortis, comfortis flea, comfortis problems, comfortis reviews, comfortis side effects, side effects of comfortis

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

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