Posts Tagged ‘comfortis’
Is comfortis the new magic flea pill?
February 22nd, 2010 | 
Author: 
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
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 pills for flea treatment – what are the options?
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)
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.
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.
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.
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
Posted in flea treatment | 
Tags: adulticide, capstar, comfortis, flea control, flea pills, flea tablets, flea treatment, program, sentinel spectrum | 
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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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