Posts Tagged ‘flea control’
Cat flea treatment – Advantage for cats
January 7th, 2010 | 
Author: 
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.
To a flea free pet!
Simon
Photo: ven-
Posted in flea treatment | 
Tags: advantage, flea control, flea remedies, flea treatment | 
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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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Natural Flea Control versus Flea Treatment Medications – which is more toxic?
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
Posted in flea treatment |
Tags: flea control, flea treatment, natural flea control, pyrethrins, pyrethroids, toxic |
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Flea treatment – 3 ways to find fleas
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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:
Look for fleas
Looking 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 easier.
Unfortunately, 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.
Look for flea dirtIf 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.
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
Posted in flea treatment |
Tags: flea bites, flea control, flea dirt, flea problem, flea treatment |
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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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Environmental flea control strategies
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:
- Vacuum the house regularly
Mechanical cleaning (physically removing the fleas from the environment) is the mainstay of environmental flea control. Vacuuming the whole house (especially your pet’s favourite areas) will suck up the majority of the flea eggs, larvae and pupae in the environment. A vacuum with a motorised brush will be especially effective. To really get things under control, you need to vacuum at least twice weekly to pick up fleas before they have a chance to develop into adults. Make sure to dispose of your bag in the bin to prevent any flea escape. - Wash the pet’s bedding
To kill any eggs and larvae in your pet’s bedding, soak them in hot water for at least 10 minutes, then run them through the washing machine on the hot cycle. It’s probably best if you wash these separately to your regular wash. - Block off access to flea-friendly areas
Shaded, moist sandy areas are heaven for fleas. If your pet has a hangout in a garden, under the house or anywhere else similar, you will have a hard time getting rid of fleas because every time they lie down in their favourite spot they will get re-infested. Fencing off areas like these is the simplest way to avoid this problem. - Chemical measures (optional)
The above three measures should go a long way to reducing your environmental contamination. However, if you have a really severe problem, or a complicated problem, chemical treatment of your house and possibly garden may help get things under control. This is a complicated subject and worth its own post. For now I will just mention that there are chemical sprays and foggers available which can be of benefit if used correctly.
Posted in flea treatment |
Tags: environmental flea control, flea control, flea problem, flea treatment |
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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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