Flea Control

Archive for the ‘flea treatment’ Category

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

Flea control for puppies is very imporant as they are especially vulnerable

To a Flea Free pet!

Simon Heikkila

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardstowey/ / CC BY 2.0

Technorati Tags: advantage, advantix, advocate, capstar, comfortis, flea control, flea treatment, frontline plus, kitten flea control, puppy flea control, revolution, sentinel spectrum

The moist sandy ground under this house would be a perfect habitat for flea eggs and larvae.

If your pet seems to keep getting fleas despite regular flea control, there is a good chance that you have a problem with fleas in your environment. If you have a heavy flea burden in and around your house, you will be fighting a losing battle. Anywhere that your pet has been, fleas will be! Here are a few strategies that will help you in your battle against fleas:

Technorati Tags: environmental flea control, flea control, flea problem, flea treatment

Sometimes flea infestations can be much worse than a simple itch. Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD) is an allergic skin disease that is caused by fleas. It is the most common pruritic (itchy) skin disease in the dog. Apart from being intensely uncomfortable, FAD can lead to severe complications such as deep skin infections, hair loss and scarring.

What is the cause?

FAD is caused by an allergy to the saliva of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. Unfortunately for us Aussies, this happens to be the most commonly encountered flea in Australia. This is also the case in the warmer parts of America. Long coated breeds seem to be the most commonly affected. FAD is mostly seen in young adult dogs, but it can also develop in older dogs, often causing much more severe disease.

Signs of FAD

The most obvious sign of FAD is severe itchiness, leading to self trauma. This itchiness is independent of the number of fleas on your dog. This means that your dog will be just as itchy from five fleas as from fifty. In comparison, dogs without flea allergy dermatitis will show signs of itchiness directly in proportion to the number of fleas that they are carrying.

Dogs with FAD have a common pattern of redness, papules, hair loss and crusting over the base of the tail. This will eventually spread to the top of the back, perineum, thighs and abdomen if left unchecked. After a while, dogs with FAD may develop bacterial or yeast infections in these areas due to the trauma.

But my dog doesn’t have fleas!

This is probably the biggest misunderstanding about Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Logically, you would think that if your dog has flea allergies, you should be able to find fleas, right? Wrong!

Strangely enough, finding fleas on a dog with flea allergy dermatitis is often quite difficult. These guys are extra itchy, so they tend to groom themselves more often than unaffected dogs, meaning they are more effective at removing fleas themselves. Not to mention that fleas are hard to find anyway, with only 5-15% of fleas on the animal able to be found at the best of times. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that your dog doesn’t have fleas just because you can’t find any!

What can I do about it?

If you think your dog might have this disease, you really need to visit a vet. Flea allergy dermatitis is a big deal, and delaying treatment often means that the problem gets worse and worse, and more expensive to fix. Not to mention the serious discomfort your pet will feel being itchy all the time.

Your local veterinarian will be able to examine your animal and prescribe the right medication. This will generally involve a strict flea control program, anti-inflammatory medication and possible antibiotics, antifungals or shampoos, depending on the type and severity of disease.

Prevention

Flea Allergy Dermatitis is nasty business, and is a problem best avoided rather than treated. The only way to ensure your dog will not get FAD again is to maintain a strict regimen of flea control all year round. Even one bite could possibly cause a relapse of disease, so you have to be especially vigilant.

Technorati Tags: dogs and fleas, flea allergy, flea allergy dermatitis, flea problem, itchy skin

If you are looking for a safe, effective monthly flea control product, then Advantage® flea treatment is an excellent choice.

Technorati Tags: advantage flea control, advantage flea treatment, advantage for cats, advantage for dogs, flea control, flea top spot, flea treatment, imidacloprid

Flea control is an important part of owning a pet. Not only do fleas cause itching and irritation, they can also bite humans and even carry some potentially dangerous infections. Fleas are prolific breeders, with females averaging 37 eggs on average every day. With a lifecycle as short as 14 days, This means that any lapse in flea control can lead to an outbreak very quickly.

There is a confusing array of different options for flea control, with everyone trying to tell you that their product is the best. With products such as flea collars, flea shampoos, natural remedies, top spots and tablets, never mind all the different brands, it is hard to know which product is the best for your pet.

Unfortunately there is no one product that will be the best for every pet in every situation. If only it were that easy! Different products will be more suitable than others based on your lifestyle and environment. In this article I will take you through the three important factors which will help you decide which flea control product is the best for your pet:

• Flea control vs flea treatment
  Your choice of flea product will depend on whether or not you have a flea infestation. If your dog is currently flea free, then you are really looking for what I call flea control (rather than flea treatment). This means you don’t necessarily need a product that will kill all stages of the flea life cycle. Something to control the growth of larval stages may be sufficient.

  If you are currently battling an army of fleas, then you need something a little higher powered. You need a flea treatment product that will kill adult fleas and also control the larval stages off the pet.
  

• Flea control vs total parasite control
  Fleas aren’t the only parasite around to bother your pet. The two other parasites of significance are intestinal worms and heartworm. There are products available that will treat fleas + heartworm, or even fleas + heartworm + intestinal worms. These all-in-one solutions offer great convenience as you don’t need to try to remember to give 3 (or more!) different products. 

• Tablet vs. Top-spot
  The two main methods of giving flea control products is as a top-spot (on the back of the neck) or a tablet. Both methods are easy to do, but if you have a fussy pet that really hates taking tablets, then a top-spot formulation may be easier for you. 
  

As you can see, choosing the best flea control product for your pet is no easy task! However, if you consider these three main points then you are on the right path to making the best choice for your pet. Keep an eye out for new posts over the next few weeks as we go through each of your different flea control and flea treatment options.

Technorati Tags: flea control, flea treatment