Introduction
Fleas are one of the biggest problems that pets and their owners face. Millions of dollars are spent each year trying to get rid of these biting pests. Over the past several years there has been a switch from the traditional methods of flea control in dogs and cats. Sprays and dips have become less popular and oral or topically applied monthly treatments have taken their place. The text below will attempt to compare and contrast the currently available monthly flea control products to help you select the best one for your pet.
Program® (lufenuron)
Program® is an oral medication that is given once monthly with food. It is also available in an injectable form for cats that lasts six months. It works by preventing flea eggs from hatching but it does not kill the adult fleas. It can take 2-3 months to control a flea infestation if program is the only product you use. All animals in a household must be on this product together or it will not be effective. It can be used on puppies and kittens as young as 6 weeks of age. Program® does not have any effect against ticks. It is available in a combination product called Sentinel® that also controls heartworms and intestinal worms. It can be used in conjunction with many of the other products listed in this text to get more rapid results. This product has been available for about 4 years and we have experienced a very low incidence of adverse reactions in our clinic.
Hartz Flea Control Capsules® & Zodiac FleaTrol Flea Caps® (methoprene)
These two products are a new formulation of the growth regulator that has been used in sprays and flea collars for many years. This new form is given orally once a week and works by preventing the flea from reproducing. These two products have just become available as of March 2000 and we have no clinical experience with either their safety or efficacy. They do not appear to offer any benefits over the above mentioned Program® and they must be given more frequently. We do not have any information on age or species restrictions for these products.
Advantage® (imidacloprid)
Advantage® is a liquid that is applied to the skin along the back of dogs and cats as young as six weeks of age. It spreads until it covers the entire surface of the animal's skin. It is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Advantage kills 98% of the fleas on an animal in 12 hours and keeps killing fleas for 4 weeks. New fleas that jump on a treated animal will be killed within 2 hours. Advantage® on the hair and skin cells that are shed into the environment will kill developing flea larva. Bathing with mild soaps or swimming will not wash Advantage® off the skin. Advantage® does not have any effect on ticks. This product has been available for about 2 years and we have experienced a very low incidence of adverse reactions in our clinic.
TopSpot® (fipronil)
TopSpot® is a liquid that is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades of dogs and cats as young as 10 weeks of age. It spreads to cover the entire skin surface and is absorbed into the oil glands of the skin. It is not absorbed into the bloodstream to a significant degree. TopSpot® makes no label claim for the rapidity with which it kills fleas. It lasts 4 weeks between applications and is not affected by swimming or baths. TopSpot® also kills most species of ticks. This product has been available for about 2 years and we have experienced a very low incidence of adverse reactions in our clinic.
Revolution® (selamectin)
Revolution® is a liquid that is applied to the skin along the back of dogs and cats as young as 6 weeks of age. It is absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed to the body. It kills 98% of the fleas on an animal in 36 hours. It remains effective for 4 weeks. It is not affected by bathing or swimming. Revolution® also prevents heartworms, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, some intestinal worms and kills some species of ticks. Dogs must be negative for heartworms before they can use this product. This product has been available for about 4 months. We have not noted any adverse reactions in our clinic but our experience with this product is very limited.
Permethrins
There are a large number of products that have permethrins as their active ingredient. Permethrins have been available in sprays and collars for many years and are now being packaged in tubes for monthly application. Permethrins are toxic to cats and fish. Hartz Control® and Adams SpotOn® are labeled for use on dogs over 6 months old for control of fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. They do not make any claim of rapidity of flea kill or the percentage of fleas killed. Farnam BioSpot® is labeled for use in dogs over 3 months old. Hartz Control OneSpot®, Zodiac Fleatrol® and Defy Spot30® have a flea growth regulator added to the permethrin to help break the flea life cycle. They are labeled for use on dogs over 6 months and they do not make any claim for rapidity of kill or percentage of fleas killed. These products have been available for several years and we see occasional adverse reactions associated with the use of this type of product. There may be other products very similar to those listed above, packaged to look like Advantage® or TopSpot® but containing permethrins. This type of product must NOT be used on cats.
Conclusion
It should be noted that each animal is an individual and products may not have the same effectiveness on every animal. Any animal can have an adverse reaction to any medication or chemical. The current recommendation based on safety and effectiveness at 303 Animal Clinic is to use Advantage® for flea control or TopSpot® where flea and tick control is needed. Either of these two topical treatments can be combined with Program® for even more effective total flea control. |
