Kenton Taylor, D.V.M.
that people want to do for their pets and themselves. Historically, this has meant
using liberal amounts of various insecticides on your pet, home, and yard.
Thankfully, times have changed and effective flea control has never been easier or
safer.
Fleas are small, brown, wingless insects, which feed on blood from dogs, cats, and
humans. A single pair of fleas can produce more than six thousand eggs in just four
weeks. The eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on organic matter in the environment
and then spin a remarkably strong protective cocoon. In as little as sixteen days
from being a newly laid egg, the adult flea emerges from the cocoon. For every adult
flea on your dog or cat there are 100-200 immature fleas in various stages of the flea
life cycle in your house and/or yard. Fleas can also carry tapeworm eggs and when
ingested by your pet, release the eggs, which infect your pet.
The Miramonte Flea Control Plan
Revolution (selamectin) – This is a non-pesticide monthly spot on treatment.
Besides killing fleas, Revolution protects dogs and cats from heartworm, ticks, and
ear mites. Revolution is safe for use on puppies and kittens as young as six weeks
of age and bathing does not affect efficacy. For those dogs or cats who need a
combination of flea, heartworm, and/or tick control, Revolution is the best and most
convenient choice.
Program (lufenuron) – This is a non-insecticidal medication which effectively attacks
the egg, larvae, and nymph stages of flea development. Given once a month to your
pet with a small snack, the medication makes its way through the body and into the
skin where it is ingested by feeding adult fleas. Acting to disrupt the formation of
their external skeletons and eggshells, Program, over a 3-5 month period, radically
decreases the flea population. For cats, Program is now available as a once every
six month injection medication. For current patients, a veterinary nurse can
administer the injection without an appointment. Program administered year round to
all dogs and/or cats in the household is effective flea prevention. If immediate control
is needed, then Advantage or Frontline should be used for the first three months.
Sentinel, a combined prescription product of Program and Interceptor (milbemycin
oxime), provides flea control with the heartworm prevention of Interceptor. Sentinel is
recommended for dogs that do not need the tick control provided by Revolution
and/or immediate flea control.
Advantage (imidocloprid), Frontline (fipronil) – These two products, while being
different insecticides, are utilized in the same manner. They are once-a-month spot
on treatments with very effective residual activity and low toxicity concerns. The
small volume of fluid utilizes the oils on the skin to travel over the surface of the body
over a 24-48 hour period. Advantage kills adult fleas for 3-4 weeks while Frontline is
effective on fleas and ticks for 3-4 weeks. Frontline remains effective after bathing
and swimming while Advantage does not. These products are best used to provide
immediate relief for flea allergic animals or on animals with frequent exposure to new
flea populations or ticks. Revolution is a better choice if the addition of both
heartworm and tick control is needed in animals with frequent new flea exposure.
Monthly use during the warm weather months is indicated. We recommend using
either Advantage or Frontline for three treatments (three months) when initiating flea
control with Program and on an as-needed basis after that.
Environmental control – By following the above recommendations appropriate for
your pet’s flea problem, no environmental insecticide use is needed.
Flea control safety – While this article promotes the use of safe flea control, all flea
control products are potentially toxic or may produce unexpected side effects.
Toxicity may result from accidental overdose or unexpected sensitivity. Known side
effects, particularly to the organo-phosphate pesticides, are vomiting, diarrhea,
drooling, sluggishness, weakness, or abnormal behavior. If you suspect that your
animal is reacting adversely to a flea control product, stop using the product and
consult your veterinarian immediately. If the reaction occurs immediately after
application, the product should be rinsed off thoroughly, and the animal brought to
the veterinarian for evaluation. Adverse reactions may occur from minutes to days
following application. Insecticides can be toxic to people: all products should be
handled carefully, avoiding direct contact as much as possible. Keep all products
out of the reach of children and please read all packaging materials fully.
Flea control is becoming easier and safer. Your veterinarian can assist you
in selecting those flea control measures appropriate for your pet’s
environment and level of flea infestation.
