Flea Control

The Flea Life Cycle

Dogs and Cats pick up fleas anywhere other animals have been. In summer that can be outside, in the winter it has to be from warm cars and houses and often carpets.  New research has shown that fleas live their lives on the first animal they meet and neither hop from animal to animal nor jump off.  Most fleas only live for 10 to 14 days but will bite their host many times in those few days.  The female flea will start laying eggs within a day of jumping on to your pet and will lay up to 30 eggs a day for the 10-14 days she lives.  These eggs are very shiny and fall out of the coat as tiny white specks. The eggs hatch out into tiny larvae with black heads that eat dust and dander, growing very rapidly. If conditions are warm enough the larvae will pupate within a couple of weeks and after a further week or so will be ready to hatch.  The pupae, which are very sticky, attach to whatever surface they are on and also get covered in dust which camouflages them.  The pupae wait until they can sense a dog or cat (or sometimes a person!) coming near them, when they hatch out and use their powerful jump to leap aboard. The life cycle takes about a month in the summer or in a centrally-heated house, but slows down when it is cold. This is why rooms that have been shut up are often found to be alive with fleas a few months later. Hoovering helps to reduce flea numbers, but will not eradicate them.

As you can see, picking up even one flea from where another animal has been a few months ago results in hundreds of eggs in the house. An infestation can soon build up.

Controlling Adult Fleas

 Few products will kill the adult fleas before they have time to lay more eggs. Therefore complete flea eradication is difficult and usually requires the use of several products together. The various options are:

Flea Collars, Flea Powders, Flea Shampoos & Flea Sprays

Traditionally these released organophosphorous which is now banned. Modern replacements are not as effective and so not recommended and some are fatal if used on cats!

Tick Collars

“Scalibor Collars” control ticks, sandflies & Mosquitoes very well but have little effect against fleas.

Frontline Spray

This is a very safe long acting spray which provides good control of adult fleas for up to two months in cats and three months in dogs if applied properly. If used monthly it also helps control ticks.

Spot-On Liquids

The spot-on liquids are very easy to use and very safe, but their effectiveness depends on your pet’s coat:  "Frontline" is effective against adult fleas but doesn’t kill larvae so won’t control infestations however it does help control  ticks in both dogs and cats. "Advantage" is effective against fleas and also helps control the larvae in the environment, but doesn't control ticks. “Advantix” (for dogs only) is the best treatment for ticks and also controls fleas, flea larvae and mosquitoes very well but can leave greasy spots on your dog’s coat for a few days. “Stronghold” kills fleas, roundworms, sarcoptic mange in dogs and ear mites in cats. “Advocate” kills fleas, roundworms, ear mites, sarcoptic and demodectic mange in dogs. “Prac-tic” For Dogs Only treats and prevents flea and tick infestations. “Promeris Duo” For Dogs Only Kills fleas and ticks.

“Capstar” is a tablet for killing adult fleas which is very effective and safe and can be used throughout pregnancy and nursing. It lasts for 24 hours in dogs and 48 hours in cats. It is usually given to kill adult fleas whilst environmental control is implemented.

Environmental Control

Most people use a spray to treat the carpets, bedding, chairs, etc. This reduces the numbers of fleas but requires a great deal of time and effort to kill them all. It is important to wash your pet's bedding regularly and hoover thoroughly as well.  The modern spays are very safe. "Acclaim" “Indorex” “Skoosh” & “RIP” are aerosols that work for approximately 12 months.

There are also treatments for your pet which will stop fleas breeding and so control fleas in the environment.  “Program” can be given as an injection in cats which lasts for up to six months, orgiven as a liquid or tablet in the food. “Frontline Combo” a spot on combining  flea killer with a treatment that stops flea eggs hatching.

Within a few months of starting any of these environmental treatments, almost all the fleas in a house will have hatched and died, and as any new eggs are sterile, there should be no new fleas following on. You may find your pet will pick up fleas when they are out, which may need treating with an adult killer such as “Capstar”, but as long as you keep up the environmental treatment, these can't breed so disappear.

Summary

“Advantage” used monthly is very effective and the cheapest method of routine flea  control at the moment.

“Frontline Combo” is good for flea control and also reduces the number of ticks you will find on your pet.

“Advantix” “Prac-tic” & “Promeris Duo” are spot-ons to control ticks and fleas in dogs but are toxic to cats.

“Stonghold” & “Advocate” are effective against fleas, mange and roundworms.

“Program“ is good for environmental control in most cases as long as all the pets in the house are treated regularly.

Scalibor Collars” control Ticks well.

In severe infestations and for pets with a severe flea allergy, environmental control and a spot-on used together will usually control the problem.

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