4 Factoids of Flea Control

In the Southeast, I commonly have to help people decide on the proper flea and tick medicine for their needs. Sometimes there is a single medicine that will be best for the pets and owners; sometimes more than one product will work just as well. The purpose of this article is to make simple the complex. The Factoids are made for information. If you just want an answer to what is right for you, skip to the Situation section below.

Factoid #1: Fleas are hardy, complex creatures.
A flea has many life stages: Adult (This one bites your pets), egg, larva, and cocoon. Unless you use a microscope, you will never see a flea egg, larva or cocoon. Cocoons are probably the most formidable defense the flea has. They cover the flea larva while it develops safe and sound. Pesticides don’t touch them and the flea can wait for the optimum time for emerging. This time frame can be 2 weeks, or over a year!

Factoid #2: Fleas reproduce at a rapid rate.
A female flea can lay 50 eggs a day and reproduction does not have to be limited to one male flea. This means lots of offspring in the environment that have a varied genetic make-up. Because of this, it is easy for the fleas to become resistant to pesticides and topical applications of flea medicines. On average it will take from 6 – 10 years before resistance to these chemicals is seen in the average household. Using topical products on your dog or cat improperly, such as using a monthly product every two months, or using part of the dose will increase the chance of resistance occurring.

Factoid #3: Adult fleas spend 99% of there life on the pet.
Although a flea can jump far, they use this ability to escape being bitten and jumping on a host, not for transport. This is important, because control only has to be made for your pets’ environment. In other words if your backyard is separated by a fence, your neighbor’s fleas are not going to go to your yard. Also, this makes your pet(s) a primary means of controlling fleas with topical and oral medicines.

Factoid #4: Contrary to what companies say you cannot control a serious flea problem with just one medication on your pet.
Because of the information above it is absolutely necessary to treat the environment initially for severe infestations. Treating the environment can be as easy as contacting your local pest control service or as difficult as buying multiple sprays and powders and doing the job yourself. Remember these things when treating the environment: 1. Retreat in 2 weeks to kill the newly emerging fleas before they get a chance to reproduce. These fleas were protected in their cocoon during the first treatment. If treatment is started in the fall or winter, treat again in the spring. 2. Make sure to get dark and shaded areas, especially when the ground is sand, dirt or carpet. This includes under decks, shrubs and furniture. Exposed cement and tile does not need treatment. 3. When you treat inside, make sure to vacuum after the treatment is finished drying. Vacuum well and immediately throw away the vacuum bag. Vacuum well again after the next treatment in 2 weeks. 4. Always treat the environment when you first start treatment on the pets when using the topical flea preparations. This way, the fleas have nowhere to hide. 5. Always follow the label directions on the product.

The best flea control medications are listed below. There are numerous spot on medications. Some flea control products work better than others and some can cause serious reacions in a small percentage of pets. The ones below are the safest and most effective. These are chosen based solely on my experience working with people, pets, and their flea problems. I have also used each of these products and others on my own dogs and cats long term. I am only listing the ones I trust 100%. They are listed in the order in which they have emerged into the flea control market.

Player #1: Program for dogs and cats / Sentinel
Program for dogs and cats has just the flea preventative in it. Sentinel has the flea preventative plus heartworm and intestinal worm preventative. Program is a tablet given once monthly. The active ingredient in Program blocks the formation of chitin in insects. Baby flea larvae need an egg tooth in order to hatch out of a flea egg. That egg tooth is composed of chitin. Flea eggs produced by a flea that has bitten a pet on Program are unable to hatch and die. This is very effective and the results are dramatic. The drawback is, Program does not kill adult fleas. This means that in ideal flea conditions (warm and humid weather) you will continue to see adult fleas for 4 – 6 months. If Program is started in the fall or winter, you will see adult fleas emerge from their cocoons come springtime also. Program works best when all pets are treated and there is no steady influx of new fleas. To insure adequate absorption of Program, it must be given with a full meal. Price: $40 - $45 per 6 month supply (around $7 per month).

Player # 2: Advantage
Advantage has shaped the flea control market more that any other flea control product. It was the first product launched that was safe for cats and dogs and killed all the fleas effectively for a whole month. It changed the market, because unlike Program, the effects were immediately seen. Advantage is a topical spot on that uses healthy skin cells to transport the active ingredient over the entire body. This is important to remember, because in a pet with diseased skin, the product will not be as effective. It still has the fastest kill rate of any of the monthly topical products. People are starting to see some resistance to Advantage in some areas. Price: $40 per 4 month supply (around $10 per month).

Player # 3: Frontline Plus
Frontline Plus is another good topical flea control product. The active ingredient in Frontline uses the oil layer on the skin to cover the body of the pet. Then, the Frontline travels with the oil into the hair follicles where as the hairs grow; Frontline is continually replaced to the skin. Although both Advantage and Frontline are both still effective after bathing, Frontline is more so because of this. Frontline also protects against ticks. It is better if you can afford it to purchase the Frontline Plus over Frontline. Frontline Plus has an added ingredient that inhibits the growth of flea larva. People are starting to see some resistance to Frontline in some areas. Price: $40 per 3 month supply (around $13 per month).

Player # 4: Capstar
Capstar is a tablet that can be given daily for fleas. It kills the fleas within minutes by working on the flea’s nervous system. There is very little residual effect with Capstar, so it is usually used in conjunction with other products. Giving Capstar is similar in efficacy as giving your pet a flea bath or a flea dip, but without the mess.

The situations listed below are going to be listed in the order of easiest to treat to hardest. Each take into account a variety of factors including finances.

Situation # 1: Pets housed inside only or inside/outside but outside is within a fenced in yard. Little or no fleas are present. Invisible fence doesn’t count, because other animals are allowed in. Outside cats don’t count, because they will invariably climb or squeeze through the fence or attract other cats that will do like wise. Treat preventatively with Program for dogs or cats or Sentinel monthly. Control will be 100% unless there is a break in the medicine or a pet gets into a lot of fleas outside the home area. Cost is $7 per month per pet.

Situation # 2: Pets housed inside only or inside/outside but outside is within a fenced in yard. There are moderate fleas that are affecting pets by causing sores, constant scratching or allergies. Place all pets on a topical monthly flea adulticide such as Advantage or Frontline Plus for 3 – 4 months. Use Frontline Plus over Advantage if ticks are also a problem or you bathe your pets more frequent than every 2 weeks. At the same time, put all pets on Program for dogs or cats and keep them on Program year round. Cost is $17 per month per pet for the first 3 – 4 months then $7 per pet per month thereafter. Once the fleas are under control, still use a topical flea adulticide or Capstar if you are traveling with your pets to an area where they may pick up fleas.

Situation # 3: Dogs and/or Cats housed inside only or inside and outside but outside is within a fenced in yard. There are so many fleas they are biting people. I really feel sorry for these households. Treatment is the same, as Situation # 2, except the treatment must include treating the environment. See above Factoid # 4 above for tips on this. Hiring a company to come and spray your yard and house has a variable cost, but if done by a reputable company can relieve a lot of stress and anxiety over the use of these pesticides. If you are not averse to chemical pesticides and don’t mind doing a little legwork it will be cheaper to do it yourself. I recommend Siphotrol Plus 2 Premise Spray for the inside of the house. One can treats 2,000 square feet and it contains a growth inhibitor. For the outside I recommend Bayer Advanced Home Pest Control. This comes in a premixed ready to spray 1-gallon container. Your cost if doing this yourself on a 2,000 square foot house with a moderate size yard is $33 per treatment on the environment, plus $17 per pet per month for the first 3 – 4 months. Not to be too exact, $66 environmental treatment plus $17 per pet for the first month, then $17 per pet for the next 2 months, and then $7 per pet per month thereafter.

Situation # 4: Outside pets that routinely visit other places or other animals that are not on a flea medicine visit them. This situation will never be completely flea free. They need to be on Frontline Plus or Advantage monthly. This will kill the fleas that are on them, but there will still always be fleas in the environment. In extreme cases the environment will have to be treated 1 – 3 times a year (spring, and twice during the summer).

Situation # 5: Outside/Inside pets that routinely visit other places, or other animals that are not on a flea medicine visit them. This is similar to Situation # 4 except the pet goes inside also, or there is a pet inside and a pet outside. This is probably one of the most common scenarios and includes the inside only dog with the inside/outside cat family. In this case, all pets need to be on Program for dogs or cats. Also, all outside, roaming pets need to be on a topical flea adulticide like Frontline Plus or Advantage. If you just put the roaming pet(s) on a topical flea treatment, you will still get flea eggs that will hatch in the house because no topical flea control is 100%. In extreme cases the environment will have to be treated 1 – 3 times a year (spring, and twice during the summer).

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