Flea Preventatives—Choosing the Right Product For Your Pet

There are so many different types of flea products on the market today. Choosing the right product for your pet can be confusing—if not overwhelming!

Fleas and ticks can cause two specific problems. One, they can cause discomfort and skin irritation through their bites, and in some cases can cause severe allergic reactions in both pets and people. Two, they both can carry diseases and can cause illness both in pets and people. 

If you’re struggling to work out which flea treatments are best for your pet, then read on. 

What To Consider Before Buying a Flea Product

There are number of other things you should consider before purchasing a flea treatment for your pet:

Start With the Heart

Is your pet already on heartworm medication?

• If you prefer the annual heartworm injection for your dog* it might be easier to remember to book a flea & tick injection at the same time. This option provides 12 months of flea and tick protection with just one dose.

• If your dog is usually given a monthly heartworm treatment, then you might choose a monthly flea and tick product and line them up together. 

*Please note that there is no heartworm injection available for cats.

Cat or Dog?

Flea products vary significantly for cats and dogs. Attempting to administer oral medications to a fractious feline is stressful at the best of times! Dogs on the other hand will gobble up a tasty chewable tablet before you can say “fleas”.

Additionally, there are no oral tick preventatives for cats, so collars and spot-ons are usually the first choice.

Flea products are suitable for puppies, but please check with us first as the ages vary from product to product for when it is safe to use.

Another point to note is that fleas not only cause a lot of discomfort for your pets but they also carry tapeworm. Tapeworm is transmitted to your pet when they ingest (eat) the flea carrying the tapeworm as they groom themselves. For this reason we strongly encourage regular intestinal worming for your pets.

Does your pet already have fleas? 

If you’ve found fleas on your cat or dog you’ll most likely have a flea infestation in your pet’s bedding, carpets and furniture too. 

Flea eggs fall off your pets’ fur as they move around, allowing them to be disbursed throughout the environment. Eggs can take anywhere from two days to two weeks to develop and they represent about 50% of the entire flea population present in an average home.

Products such as Revolution or Capstar will kill all fleas on your pet within 24hrs, but unless you flea bomb your home and thoroughly wash or replace your pet’s bedding, simply treating your pet won’t be enough to stop those high jumpers from moving right back in.

Topical vs. Oral vs. Injection

Topical refers to externally applied products such as spot-ons. Oral refers to chews or tablets which are administered internally.Injection - a single injection is required for protection all year round

Points to note:

• All-in-one treatments including Nexgard Spectra (dogs), Simparica Trio (dogs), Bravecto Plus (cats) and Revolution Plus (cats) offer protection against fleas, worms and ticks, however Nexgard Spectra is the only one of these that includes protection against the flea tapeworm.

• Not all dogs will eat the chewables however, in which case a spot-on such as Bravecto or Revolution or annual injection will be easier to administer.

• Spot-ons require you to part the fur and squeeze the contents of a small pipette onto an excitable moving target. If the fur is not parted correctly, liquid can run off the fur onto the floor instead of being absorbed into the skin.

• If your dog enjoys a swim at the beach they will have to wait until 48 hours after application, otherwise the treatment won’t work.

• Some topicals can leave behind an unpleasant smell.

• Shampoos, flea rinses and sprays will kill fleas that are on your pet at the time of application but you will also need to implement a longer-term preventative flea treatment.

• Flea powders can be messy and dogs will often shake it off. More worryingly, your pet may try to lick it off and potentially ingest harmful chemicals.

• Flea collars such as Seresto are easier than trying to give a tablet to your cat or dog and can kill fleas for up to 8 months. They work by delivering an active ingredient into your dog’s or cat’s fur, and the fleas don’t have to bite your pet for the active ingredients to be effective and kill the fleas. For this reason Seresto collars can be suitable for dogs suffering from Flea Allergy Dermatitis.

Frequency

Some people find it easier to remember to give their pet a monthly flea treatment, while others prefer the convenience of an annual injection or 3-monthly protection against all parasites.

As previously mentioned, your choice may also depend on the frequency that you administer other products for ticks and worms so that you align them all together.

Similarly, households with multiple pets often find it easier to treat them all at the same time.

Still Confused?

Hopefully we’ve given you some helpful tips to help you choose the best flea products for your pet. If you're still unsure about which products to use for your pet, pop in and speak to one of our friendly vet nurses. We’ll help you to narrow down the choices so that you can be confident your pet is getting the very best protection from fleas all year round.