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Fleas - More frustrating than ever
March 31, 2007
I bet you thought you knew it all regarding fleas or maybe
you’ve never had a problem with them until now. The more
temperate winters we’ve had lately are making their numbers
multiply despite all the newer products on the market to
combat them. It seems like the products don’t work, but
don’t give up- some still do. There are limitations to any
individual product though.
There are also some rather frustrating facts about their
life cycle too. Did you know that it can take from 1-6
months for flea eggs to hatch in your house? Did you know
that flea larvae crawl through your house and under objects
to avoid light?
Let’s review the products. There is an oral product
Lufeneron ( Program and Sentinal) that essentially acts as
a birth control to the flea. The biggest problem is that
the flea has to bite to be affected and there are a lot of
animals that are severely allergic to their bites.
Nitenpyram (Capstar) is a very fast acting oral adulticide,
however it only lasts for that day. There are topicals
such as Imidacloprid (Advantage, Advantix, Advantage
Multi), Fipronil (Frontline, Frontline Plus) and
Salamectin (Revolution). Revolution is absorbed into the
blood stream and again the flea must bite to kill the
adult. Advantage products stay on the surface of the dog
and spread down the body in a lacy like crystalline matrix
which can get shed easily with the fur. They do kill
adults, but it can take 2-3 days for a flea to die.
Frontline absorbs into the oil glands on the surface of the
skin and rolls down the body with normal oil secretion.
Both Advantage and Frontline remain effective with exposure
to water, sunlight and soap free baths however, any soap
containing shampoos will strip both Advantage and Frontline
products off. Frontline Plus also kills flea eggs and
larvae in addition to the adults, but again can take 2-3
days to kill.
There isn’t a single product, topical or oral, that will
effectively control a heavily infested environment. There
are many sprays, bombs, powders etc on the market to kill
fleas, but one I like the best for the house is Nylar
(Ectokyl) which prevents any eggs, larvae or adults from
forming an outer skin, thus killing all stages. Remember
to spray UNDER rugs, furniture, in closets, etc. Bombs
fall on the tops of everything and are thus ineffective.
In order to effectively control a flea infestation, all
pets in the house must be treated, the house must be
adequately treated and the yard, porch or any other area
the pets have access to must all be treated. This can be
costly and frustrating, but remember that the most costly
products are the ones that don’t work. Do not be fooled
with cheaper versions of these products from the internet
or pet stores. They are likely counterfeit as the
companies that make these products do not sell to online
pharmacies or pet stores.
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