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FLEA CONTROL IN 2008
What can I do to get rid of fleas? What are the best products to use? And what is the best but least expensive product to use for fleas?
These are questions everyone asks, if their pet is suffering from flea infestation. The answers begin with first understanding there is no such thing as a product or combination of products that will completely solve your flea problem right away! Secondly, it is important to realize that the fleas we can see (the adult fleas on our pets that are biting and making them miserable) are really only about 5% of the total flea problem. The eggs and immature fleas (larvae and pupae) that we can’t see make up about 95% of the total flea problem, and these immature forms are EXTREMELY resistant to flea products that kill adult fleas. Immature forms can take up to 350 days to become an adult, biting flea! This is why some of these very effective flea products appear to be “not working”. These non-adult fleas can hatch from the environment sporadically or continually, then jump on your pet, causing scratching, itching and biting. If you are correctly and regularly using one of the proven effective topical products, the fleas will die. However, before they die, they may bite and bite, and make your pet miserable. This could cause you to think the product is not working, when actually, it is. An obvious problem is that these newly hatched fleas that are jumping on your pet may be highly visible to you. These fleas are in the process of dying, but they are dying slowly enough (fast-kill and extremely rapid-kill flea products can take from 4 to 24 hours to kill fleas) that they have plenty of time to bite your pet and cause a lot of misery before they die. So, that’s it then? There’s no way to keep my pet from itching, because we can’t kill enough fleas fast enough to keep them from biting? Well, that’s not necessarily the case. Granted, at times it can be difficult and frustrating, but there are some very effective, brand new products that can help. In most cases we can get quick relief, but it is not possible to get quick TOTAL flea elimination. TOTAL flea infestation elimination always takes time, usually weeks to months. Many of our flea products that have worked incredibly well in the past, are presently not working so well, as fleas have become resistant to them. As mentioned, we are fortunate to have new, highly effective flea products available now. No specific product or treatment works best every time. In fact, sometimes different products work better than others, depending on the pet. At times, trial and error determines the most effective product or combination of products. · For effective flea control to occur, several issues must be addressed: · Every pet in the household must be treated · Use products that attack the flea life cycle in multiple places (See the Flea Life Cycle Chart) · Products that kill adult, biting fleas · Products that prevent flea eggs from hatching and immature fleas from maturing · Products that treat the home and yard, including regular vacuuming and laundering of pet bedding. (Discard your vacuum cleaner bag quickly, to prevent fleas from escaping back into the home). There are many good products for carpet and yard treatment, but these products should be used every 3 weeks for several treatments in order to kill the fleas as they hatch. So, what new products are available, which should you use, and which ones don’t work well? ALL the products available in stores are OLD news, and because of that, there is flea resistance to them. The label states, “Kills fleas for 4 weeks!”- But it really doesn’t. Many of the products work reasonably for 3-5 days, but that is all. Don’t expect the over-the-counter products to be that helpful, and especially not for more than a few days. For example, several of the “1 month flea kill products” contain only “permethrin”, which is about 23 years old. Fleas have built up a great resistance to this, and it usually lasts a few days at best. There can be SEVERE side effects from this ingredient (even death) to cats. Flea shampoos and “dips” will kill fleas on your pet, but they do not last longer than a day or two, and frequent use can be toxic to your pet. WHAT ARE THE NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE, AND WHICH ARE RECOMMENDED? The HVH Preventative Flea Control Program consists of the following products (Click on any product name below for more information): PROGRAM: An IGR to use in place of Sentinel, if you prefer to keep your dog on Heartgard Plus, for heartworm protection. Sentinel and Heartgard are both equally effective when given monthly. Using Heartgard and Program may cost slightly more than the combination product Sentinel. CAPSTAR: A safe oral tablet, which kills ALL fleas on your pet in 2 hours. It lasts only 1 day. Used every 2 days on dogs, it can provide excellent flea control, and helps with Flea Allergy Dermatitis. This product should be used for very quick flea kill and itch relief. It should be used in conjunction with one of the one month products (which take longer to start killing fleas). PROMERIS: A new “spot-on” applied monthly to kill fleas. Very effective product, no flea resistance. It has a peculiar odor (not unpleasant) which goes away in a few hours, or overnight. Leaves a gresy spot for a couple of days, BUT IT IS EFFECTIVE AND SAFE. Kills ticks also. If your pet licks some of this from his fur, he may become nauseated for awhile, and he may get drowsy for a day or two. However, it a safe product with no side effects. COMFORTIS: FOR DOGS ONLY. An oral tablet which kills fleas for 4 weeks. Very safe, and IT WORKS. The only significant side effect occasionally reported is vomiting. If this does occur, it is usually after the first tablet and is short-term. SENTINEL: A combination Heartworm Prevention AND insect growth regulator (IGR) to zap the immature fleas and eggs. DOES NOT KILL ADULT FLEAS. Prevents immature fleas from developing into adult, reproducing, biting fleas. The IGR is EXTREMELY important to use in the flea war. (Remember, immature fleas are 95% of the problem!) ADVANTAGE: This product still works well on cats. It’s only “advantage” is that it is odorless and “clean” to use. It will probably not be as effective as PROMERIS. DAWN DISHWASHING SOAP: This is the ONLY safe product to use for puppies or kittens too young for the other products. Use as a shampoo as needed for flea control until puppies or kittens are old enough to use one of the other products.
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