Fleas are one of the most common parasites seen on dogs. Effective flea control is a must for dogs and dog owners. Using available flea medicines to prevent flea infestations before your dog becomes infested is the best way to control fleas. However, flea medicines are also able to control existing flea infestations when used properly.
- Fleas are one of the most common parasites seen on dogs. Effective flea control is a must for dogs and dog owners. Using available flea medicines to prevent flea infestations before your dog becomes infested is the best way to control fleas. However, flea medicines are also able to control existing flea infestations when used properly.
- Understanding the flea cycle is important in understanding how your dog gets fleas. Fleas breed in the environment in which your dog lives and one adult female flea can lay thousands of eggs in her lifetime, each one of which may hatch into a flea larvae and eventually mature into an adult flea, which will infest your pet. This photo shows flea dirt on the back of an dog infested with fleas. This dog is severely infested.
- To determine whether a dog has fleas, examination for flea dirt is necessary. Use a flea comb to examine a dog for flea dirt. By taking a white paper towel, placing the dirt on the towel and moistening it with water, a dog owner can see the flea dirt dissolve into the blood which the fleas have fed on. This photo depicts dissolved blood resulting from moistening bits of flea dirt.
- Comfortis is a tablet which can be administered to dogs to prevent and control fleas. It has a very rapid kill rate, often giving dogs with flea allergies relief more quickly than some of the other flea control medications. It is available as a flavored chew and is administered monthly. Comfortis treats only fleas and is not effective against ticks or other parasites. Capstar is a similar product but must be given orally daily or every few days.
- Sentinel is a tablet which should be administered monthly. Sentinel works well to prevent fleas, as it kills flea eggs and flea larvae. However, if Sentinel is used in an active flea infestation as a stand-alone medicine, it will take several months to rid the home of the flea infestation.
- Frontline Plus is a topically applied flea control product which should be used monthly. It controls both fleas and ticks. Recently, it has come under investigation by the EPA and there has been some question about whether there may be some resistant populations of fleas, but many veterinarians have complete faith in Frontline Plus and Frontline Plus remains the number one veterinary recommended and dispensed flea control medication.
- Promeris is a liquid medication which is applied topically on a monthly basis. Promeris effectively controls both fleas and ticks. It has also recently been approved as a treatment for demodectic mange. Promeris does have a eucalyptus-like odor which will linger in the air after application. The odor dissipates after a few hours, but some have found the odor objectionable. Others do not seem to mind the odor at all.
- Revolution is a topically applied flea control and preventive medicine which also prevents heartworms. Revolution also prevents intestinal parasites (roundworms and hookworms) as well as sarcoptic mange. However, Revolution is only effective in treating one type of tick in dogs and thus is not a good choice as a single agent for dogs requiring both flea and tick control.
- Advantage Multi is applied topically once monthly. Advantage Multi not only controls and prevents fleas, but it prevents heartworms as well. In addition, Advantage Multi controls hookworms, roundworms and whipworms, three types of intestinal parasites. Advantage Multi does not, however, kill ticks.
- K9 Advantix prevents and repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. It also repels flies which may bite your dog and kills chewing lice which may infest your dog. K9 Advantix is a topical medication which should be applied monthly.
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