If you ask any pet owner what they dislike the most about the summer months, at some point they will undoubtedly say fleas. These small dark brown insects like humidity levels of 75-85% and temperatures of 65-80 degrees – and so for many parts of the country, the problem of fleas is more than just a summer issue.
Animals tend to get infested with fleas through contact with these tiny insects in their environment or via contact with other animals. When your pet is bitten, a mild urge to scratch the itch emerges, and for flea-allergic pets, this itching can become severe and lead to secondary skin infections, inflammation, and hair loss. Many pets that are hypersensitive to the flea’s saliva can actually itch all over just from a single bite from a single flea.
Fleas used to be incredibly hard to get rid of, but thanks to advances in flea treatment and prevention over the years, the issue is not as big of a problem as it used to be.
Typically, there are two types of medications used to eliminate fleas – oral and liquid (topical). The following are the most effective products available on the market to treat fleas.
Oral Medication
- Program
Program is an orally administered medication that works by preventing fleas from having functional chitin, which is a material that is vital for fleas to live. Program works in three ways. First, the flea is prevented from laying a healthy egg (flea eggs contain chitin). Secondly, fleas are prevented from having a chitin egg tooth, which means that the flea is unable to hatch out of the egg. Finally, adult fleas are prevented from possessing a healthy, hard exoskeleton.
While Program is an effective solution to get rid of fleas, there are a couple of distinct disadvantages to this flea treatment product. One is that the product will be unable to kill the adult fleas which already exist on your pet. Therefore, you must wait for the fleas to die from old age during an active infestation. This means that Program is not the treatment to use if you want to get rid of fleas on your cat or dog as soon as possible as you will continue to see fleas for 4-6 months. Secondly, if your pet has a flea allergy, it will continue to experience a reaction as the fleas will still be able to bite your pet.
- Capstar
Capstar is an orally administered product which is able to start working within just 30 minutes. It is an excellent product to use if your pet does not have advanced flea infestations. This is because it only works for 24 hours. It is therefore recommended to use this product in situations where a new flea infestation has occurred.
Liquid Medication
- Advantage
Advantage is a liquid medication that is applied to the skin of your cat or dog. Over a period of 12-24 hours, Advantage will fully be absorbed into the skin of your pet and all stages of the flea cycle will then be killed, with the exception of the larval form. Advantage promises to kill 98-100% of fleas within 12 hours of application.
The great thing about Advantage is that it is fast working as well as being water resistant. This means that it will continue to work even if your dog or cat gets wet in the rain, goes for a swim, or if you decide to give it a bath.
- Frontline Plus
Frontline Plus is similar to Advantage in the way that it is a liquid medication which must be applied topically to the skin of your pet. Frontline Plus is just as effective as Advantage, but it is the better option if your cat/dog likes to spend a lot of time outdoors in the spring and summer months thanks to its ability to repel ticks.
What about other animals?
Fleas are not just a problem which only affects cat and dog owners but they also affect other animals such as rabbits and ferrets.
Rabbits
For rabbits, it is paramount that Frontline is not used because this topically applied medication has been linked with many rabbit deaths due to its ability to cause severe neurological side effects.
Flea collars should definitely be avoided as not only do rabbits hate restraints around their neck, but the majority of flea collars on the market also contain a dose that is only suitable for much heavier animals like cats and dogs.
Flea powders or a pyrethrin based flea dip should also not be used on rabbits as they are very sensitive to chemicals.
Some people use flea combs which are effective to a certain extent but most likely will not solve the problem alone.
The only topical product which has been tried and tested to effectively and safely work on rabbits is Advantage.
Ferrets
While Frontline should never be used on rabbits, it is an effective product to treat fleas on ferrets – owners also report no negative side effects. Advantage can also be used but keep in mind that while the manufacturers of Advantage do not possess a product license for use of their topical medication on ferrets, many pet owners and veterinarians have found it to be an effective product to kill fleas in ferrets.
Certain insecticides found in flea medications should not be used on ferrets including sulfuramid, hydramethylnon, fipronil, and pyrethroids. Therefore, you must always check the ingredients when shopping for flea treatment products. If in doubt, the best course of action is to contact a veterinarian.
Just like rabbits, flea collars should never be used as the dose contained is only suitable for heavier animals. Flea powders should also be avoided as they are known to cause lung problems in ferrets.
The Environment
To minimise the chances of your pet being on the end of another flea infestation you will need to treat the environment. Doing the following things is a good idea:
Indoors
- To kill all flea stages, wash bedding used by pets at 60 degrees Celsius and tumble dry bedding at the maximum heat
- Thoroughly vacuum your skirting boards, floors, furniture, and carpets as this will help to eliminate immature flea stages. Make sure that you also steam clean carpets in the event of heavy infestations.
- Mop hard floors using floor detergent and hot water, and put more of an emphasis on cleaning crevices and cracks where flea eggs tend to accumulate
Outdoors
- Large flea infestations need the use of strong chemicals to be effective. Therefore, it is best to call a professional pest control company to deal with the issue
- Rake and mow outside areas to remove organic material, particularly in the areas where your pet likes to rest such as moist areas which are protected from direct sunlight – kennels, shrubs, verandas, under patios etc.
Under the house
- Under the house is a prime breeding spot for fleas, particularly under hot water systems. Therefore, block off any access to these areas.