Flea infestation is probably the most common external parasite seen by small animal veterinarians. Flea infestations cause tremendous suffering in affected allergic animals, with it taking only a few fleas to trigger and set off a vicious itch cycle. Fleas can affect any other mammals in the home, as well as completing their life cycle in the home or yard environment. Fleas may also carry infectious disease such as Bartonellosis and others. That is why it is so critical to have your pet on some type of flea control program with products such as topical Frontline Plus or Advantage II.
A common question often asked is “How do I know if my pet has fleas?” Often fleas may be seen crawling through the fur and skin on the lower abdomen and groin, and often around the tail. Many flea-allergic pets have a classic hair loss pattern down both sides of the back, often indicating flea bite allergy. Other times, a special tool called a flea comb is necessary in those pets with thick coats and/or a few fleas. Using this comb through the coat will often catch unwanted adult and larval fleas, including what is known as flea dirt, which is often the only evidence we find of flea infestation in many cases. Many times human guardians will also report being itchier around such pets, most commonly in the lower leg areas. No matter how one detects fleas, implementing an aggressive flea control program is important in not only in alleviating discomfort, but also in preventing the spread of disease to our animals and their human guardians.
Fleas are certainly very common external parasites seen in all areas of the country. When infestation is heavy, especially in young puppies and kittens, there can always be the risk of flea bite anemia. Because fleas are voracious blood feeders, red blood cell counts can drop dramatically especially in these younger animals. Symptoms include lethargy, weakness, pale gums, low body temperature, and in severe cases death may occur.
Treatment of flea bite anemia includes supportive care as well as specific therapy for the flea infestations, such as products like Frontline Plus or Advantage II. Affected pets may be bathed to remove adult fleas, as well as the oral medication Capstar given, which quickly kills adult fleas within a few hours. Warm subcutaneous or IV fluid therapy may be needed, in addition to supportive vitamin therapy. In severe cases, transfusion may be necessary to restore red blood cell counts to normal. Prevention of flea bite anemia involves using specific products to kill and prevent flea infestation such as the products mentioned above.
| Removing ticks from our pets properly is very important in the prevention of many tick transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis. The most common mistake animal guardians make in removing ticks is not removing the whole tick by either attempting to twist the burrowed tick out of the skin and/or leaving in the tick head. |
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For tick removal, I first instruct clients to hold a cotton ball immersed in mineral oil against the tick for up to one minute. Using tweezers or special tick removal instruments such as Arctick Tick Removal Spray for Pets, it is best to then grab the skin that surrounds the tick, trying to grab its head. Try to avoid the tick’s body. In one steady motion and without jerking, it is then best to pull firmly and steadily directly outward. Twisting usually leaves the head behind. The most common mistake made is squashing the tick, which may lead to the transmission of disease causing bacteria into a pet’s bloodstream.
Removing the tick with bare fingers is also not recommended due to the risk of disease transmission into the animal guardian. Burning the tick with a match also should not be used. After removing the tick, placing it in a glass of rubbing alcohol will often kill it. It is not unusual to see a bump or mild skin reaction after removing a tick, which can be treated with topical antibiotics and/or hydrocortisone. Of course the best prevention of tick transmitted disease to our pets and/or us is to use a good effective tick control measure such as topical tick preventatives Frontline Plus or K9 Advantix II.
| All too often, a pet owner will come in and share their experiences in which he or she regularly applies Frontline Plus (Fiproguard Plus) or Advantage II, yet is angry that after several treatments they are still seeing fleas. There are several plausible explanations for persistent flea infestations that have nothing to do with lack of efficacy of these products. |
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First, I make sure that they are correctly applying the topical flea medications. It is easy to forget that it is important to completely part the hair and apply the product directly to the skin so that proper skin and hair follicle distribution can occur. This is something that can be somewhat of a challenge for thick haired pets, however, the mediacation will not work properly if only the hair follicles receive the medication – it must be applied to the skin. It’s also important to properly follow product label directions, which for some products like Advantage II for large dogs require that animal guardians apply the product in multiple spots down the pet’s back. While it is tempting for animal guardians to try and save money by using only portions of products labeled for larger pets on smaller animals, it is a process such as this that can lead to product failure. Another big reason for product failure involves not addressing or treating the home environment of the pet, where in some cases 80% of the flea life cycle may occur. Consider using Premise Treatment for indoor home use.
In very heavy infestations, I will often recommend a professional home exterminating service. My favorite home products include borate based products such as Flea Busters, which can often dry out or dessicate the various flea life stages. In spite of recent discussion in the veterinary literature, the development of wide spread flea resistance is still not believed to be a major factor to clients still finding fleas on their pets.
Have you been battling a flea infestation in your home? What are some of the ways in which you have been trying to get rid of them?
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Frontline Top Spot is an easy to use one spot application that has been one of the most highly recommended products by veterinarians over the years. It kills all existing fleas within 24 hours of application, as well all stages of ticks and chewing lice. For the most part clients have found this product to work wonderfully for their pets. When this product does not work for clients, it is usually due to failure to treat the home environment of pets, where much of the flea life cycle still occurs. |
Common client concerns with this product include safety of use around homes with young children. This is usually not a problem as long as the product has completely dried. Other concerns include safety in young kittens and puppies. As long as kittens and puppies are healthy and over 8 weeks of age, Frontline Top Spot is usually safe to use. Side effects most commonly resolve around irritation at the sight of application of this product. This is usually only transient, and will resolve with supportive care.
Other less common side effects include digestive and/or neurological reactions, however, these are rare. It is important to note that although Frontline Top Spot kills fleas, it does not kill flea eggs and/or larvae, but it does prevent their development. For a more comprehensive flea control medication, there is Frontline Plus. Or if you are interested in other popular flea control products, see the 1-800-PetMeds Flea and Tick Comparison Chart.
| Did you know that not all flea control products for dogs are applied to the skin? Many pet owners prefer oral administration of external parasiticides to avoid exposure of themselves to topical pesticides, which is why some dog owners prefer the ease of administering a chewable tablet such as Comfortis. |
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Comfortis kills fleas within 30 minutes and lasts for up to one month. In my experience common client concerns include lack of efficacy against other external parasites such as ticks, as well as the need for written prescription from the veterinarian.
One of my concerns with Comfortis is the occasional wide range of side effects including vomiting and/or diarrhea and various neurological reactions ranging from incoordination, trembling, and seizures. It’s for these reasons that I generally prefer using other flea and tick products in my practice such as Frontline Plus or Advantage II.
Hpwever, clients do report mostly high satisfaction with this product, with the exception of these occasionally severe side effects. It is also important to still treat the environment for fleas, as well as incorporate additional measure to help control other parasites such as ticks if using Comfortis.
How does one provide protection to their dogs against 5 major disease carrying external parasites such as fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, lice and biting flies? The new and improved K9 Advantix 2 product kills 98% of adult fleas are killed within 12 hours, and the trio of main ingredients also repels many of these parasites as well.
Being water proof is also a wonderful benefit, especially in those dogs who swim or are bathed often. Of course the best side effect with this product is the wonderful broad spectrum parasite control which is highly superior to most other products. Rare reactions include sensitivity at the site of application, digestive upset and even less commonly neurological reactions.
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One of the main client concerns with K9 Advantix II is its use in households with cats. When this product first came out it was recommended that it be used only in those households without cats, but with additional research it was found that it was safe to use this product on dogs who live with cats, as long as one allows 1-2 hours for the product to adequately dry on your dog, before reintroducing them to the cats in the home. Please note, this product is NOT to be used directly on cats due to potential severe toxicity.
If you have been using K9 Advantix on your dog, are you planning on switching to the K9 Advantix II?
Need help choosing the correct flea medication for your pet? Try our Flea & Tick Comparison chart.
| The new and improved version of Advantage 2 now has imidacloprid to kill flea adults, larvae and eggs, and also has the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen, which inhibits flea eggs from hatching. Clients in the clinic have been extremely satisfied with the performance of this updated version of Advantage, and report even better efficacy of flea control. Side effects of the product are rare. |
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The most common usually mild side effect is irritation at the site of application. Even less commonly digestive upset or neurological reactions can occur. However, the vast majority of pets tolerate this product quite well. When clients report flea outbreaks with regular use of Advantage 2, the first thing I look at is the client applying the product in the appropriate fashion to the skin, as well as if the client is also utilizing environmental flea control as well in the home and possibly in the yard.
Resistance has yet to be seen with this product in my experience and opinion. Common client concerns also include whether it is safe to use around small children. However, once the product has dried, risks to humans is usually quite low. And now that the warmer months are upon us and our pets will be spending more time outside, what is one of the most important preventative steps you can take towards good health with dogs and cats? Using an excellent topical flea preventative like Advantage 2 is certainly an important place to start.
| Many animal guardians are often looking for more natural alternatives to some of the commonly available topical flea medication like Frontline Plus or Advantage. And while I’m always a supporter of more natural alternatives for our pets, product efficacy will vary, as there is often a lack of controlled clinical trials and even safety of many of these products. Many of these natural alternatives employ essential oils including tea tree oil, cedar, eucalyptus, citronella and others as their active ingredients. |
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Some pets including many felines can be sensitive to some of these products, so be careful to always follow product label recommendations and precautions. It is important to realize that using such products will likely require more active participation by pet owners in order for many of these products to be effective – as opposed to other simple “one drop” products. This is because many of the natural products don’t have a long term residual flea and tick efficacy which products like Frontline Plus and Advantage offer.
| While we’re all aware of the cold wintry weather that December and holiday time can bring to most areas of the country, this is a time of year when animal guardians often become very lax about their flea control programs. In fact, just this week in the clinic, a woman presented her flea-ridden indoor-only cats very upset, not understanding how her indoor cats could get fleas especially when there have been several cold frosty nights in a row. |
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What people often don’t realize is that in much of the northern two thirds of the country, flea season usually does not peak until mid to late fall (often around Halloween) as leaves begin to fall and make a nice hiding place for fleas to grab onto either pets’ or guardians’ legs who are passing against the leaves. In many areas fleas remain quite a problem right up through the New Year, while of course in many southern areas, as well as inside even northern homes, fleas can be a problem all year.
That is why most veterinarians recommend year-round flea control with effective products like Frontline Plus or Advantage. Not only with regular use and environmental control measures will one prevent annoying fleas in their home, but given the increasing numbers of diseases carried by both fleas and ticks, a continuous flea/tick preventative program will help prevent many serious illnesses not only in pets, but in people as well, as there are some diseases like Bartonella for example, that is transmitted by contact with flea larvae, etc and can cause rare serious illness in people.
