Posts Tagged ‘sentinel spectrum’
Flea pills for flea treatment – what are the options?
November 28th, 2009 | 
Author: 
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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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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