For this month’s article I am going to sound a little like Paul Revere—“The fleas are coming! The fleas are coming!” Because we have enjoyed a very mild winter and an early spring, the fleas are probably going to be a problem this year. Since prevention is always easier than cure, I wanted to get people thinking about fleas before they have an infestation.
To have success in treating fleas, you need to understand the flea life cycle. Adult fleas represent 5% of the total flea population; the other 95% are the immature forms of the fleas living in the environment, eggs, larvae- aka maggots, and pupae –the pre adult stage in a cocoon. The adult flea lives on the pet, and once on a pet, stays on that pet. The adults eat blood from the pet and lay eggs, the eggs fall off the pet and in over a few days and develop into maggots. The maggots will become a cocoon encased pupae in a few days. The adult flea can hatch from the cocoon in a few days, or stay in the cocoon for a year or more. Because the cocoon stage can take months to hatch out, this is why controlling fleas can be so difficult.
The good news is there are some great options for flea control available. Flea control isn’t a case of “one size fits all,” and using the right product or products for each situation is very important for success in treating fleas. If you don’t have fleas yet, there is still the opportunity to prevent. My favorite preventative is lufernon which is found in Program and Sentinel products. The lufernon is basically “birth control” for fleas. It is given by mouth once monthly, and if a flea bites the treated pet, the flea cannot reproduce. The important thing to remember is that all the pets in the house need to be on lufernon or it won’t work. I really like the fact that it goes into the mouth and won’t wash off or rub off on family members. It is also very safe and as a bonus, is less expensive than the topical medications when used monthly.
Now, what to do if you have fleas on your pet? There are a few options for treating adult fleas. My favorite for dogs is a once monthly pill that kills fleas within 30 minutes of them jumping on the pet, it is called Comfortis. It is by prescription only, so you have to have a current exam on your dog to use Comfortis. For cats, you can also use an oral medication called Capstar, it lasts 24 to 48 hours, so you have to repeat the pill on a regular basis. My current favorite for cats is a topical medication, Revolution, it not only kills fleas, it prevents intestinal parasites, heartworm and ear mites.
Of course there are many topical flea medications available over the counter. Of all the products available, Advantage and Frontline are probably the most effective and safest. I have used topical products for years, but like many of my clients, want to move away from pesticide exposure to my pets and my family. The other downside of topical medications is we are only dealing with 5% of the flea problem. So treating the house is often necessary. Again, there are many products available
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Until the next article, enjoy your summer and your pets! mcaviness@wildernessvet.com