Flea and Tick Control
Advantage, K9 Advantix, Capstar, Frontline Plus, Preventic Collars,
Using a good flea and tick control is the key to preventing fleas and ticks from being a problem for our pets.
Fleas and ticks bring on the Spring and Summer blues for our pets. Fleas and ticks are tough to control once we have an infestation, the key of course is prevention. Don't let the little buggers in to begin with. If you use a good flea and tick preventative on a regular basis then you won't have to worry about fleas and ticks on your pets or in your house.
There are a lot of options out there, I've outlined the products I would (and do) use. Another thing to remember is to treat all the pets, indoor and outdoor, in order to rid all the fleas from the area, otherwise you'll continue to be re-infested with the little buggers.
Advantage:
This is a great flea product from the Bayer Corporation. The active ingredient is imidacloprid. Advantage is a fast acting topical product that is meant to be used monthly. Advantage stops fleas from biting in 5 minutes and starts killing fleas in one hour, within 12 hours 98% of fleas are dead or dying.
This product will also kill flea larvae within 20 minutes and fleas are killed before they have a chance to lay eggs so the infestation stops here. Advantage is available for both dogs and cats and puppies as young as 7 weeks and kittens as young as 8 weeks.
K9 Advantix:
With a name like K9 Advantix it's obvious that this product is only to be used on dogs, never apply this product to cats. K9 Advantix is also made by the Bayer Corporation and contains both imidacloprid and permethrin. K9 Advantix kills and repels mosquitoes and ticks and stops fleas from biting in 5 minutes and kills fleas within one hour.
This product is a once a month topical that can be used on dogs and puppies as young as 7 weeks. I personally have a hard time recommending this product because it can kill cats, if your have cats in your household I would strongly advise using a different preventative on your dog.
Capstar:
Capstar is manufactured by Novartis Animal Health. The active ingredient is Nitenpyram. Capstar is administered in tablet form. This product rapidly kills fleas but is not long lasting. Capstar is a great product for severely infested animals, it starts killing fleas within 30 minutes and it has 90% effectiveness within 4 hours on dogs and 6 hours on cats.
We use this product a lot in the veterinary office when we see fleas on dogs and cats, we can give the product at the beginning of the exam and actually see dying fleas jumping ship before the end of the exam, it's amazing how quickly it works. After giving Capstar the pet may start to scratch and whine because of the fleas reacting (and dying) to the product.
Capstar can be given to dogs and cats as young as 4 weeks with 2 pounds or more of body weight. It can also be given to pregnant and nursing mothers. This product can be given as often as once a day but I generally recommend using the product to initially kill the fleas that are there and then apply a longer lasting preventative like Advantage, Frontline Plus, or Revolution.
Frontline Plus:
Frontline is manufactured by Merial. The active ingredient is (S)-methoprene. Frontiline Plus is quick acting and long lasting, it will kill fleas within 18 hours and ticks within 48 hours and last for one month.
This product kills adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs as well as the brown dog tick, lone star tick, deer tick, and American dog tick. Frontline Plus can be used on dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks and on pregnant and nursing mothers. This product also boasts to be waterproof.
Frontline Spray:
Frontline Spray quickly eliminates fleas and ticks, it kills all the fleas on the pet within 24 hours of application. Like the name implies it is a spray that is applied to the coat of the pet and continues to work for one month.
Frontline Spray can be used on dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks and is waterproof. I recommend this product a lot to multi-pet households who might not be able to afford a top spot flea treatment to every pet or households with barn cats.
Preventic Collars:
Preventic Collars are manufactured by Virbac and contain 9% amitraz. This product is not labeled for cats. This product kills and detaches ticks and prevents new ticks from attaching within 48 hours after application and it continues to work for up to 3 months.
Preventic Collars are also waterproof. I personally find this product to work great and recommend it for "country" dogs that are more likely to come into contact with ticks. Preventic Collars do not kill fleas so another treatment will need to be used for fleas.
Revolution:
Revolution is manufactured by Pfizer Animal Health. The active ingredient is selamectin. This is a once a month treatment that is applied between the shoulder blades. Revolution works to protect dogs against heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and the American dog tick. Revolution works to protect cats against heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms. Revolution can be used on dogs and cats as young as 6 weeks of age.
It is important when treating pets to follow label instructions. Never apply a product labeled for a dog on a cat and vice versa. Also, avoid those products you can purchase at department or grocery stores, I can promise you they don't work. I have had clients use those products and swear they work, at the same time I'm on the floor literally picking fleas off of their dog.
Another bad thing about these products is some of them use an ingredient that can be harmful to cats (cause seizures and death), if you are not careful you could accidentally hurt a family pet. Stick with products you get through your veterinarian. The great thing about the products I've outlined above is they are available through veterinarians and if you are not happy with them you should be able to talk to your veterinarian about a manufacture guarantee.
