Kathi's
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(714) 525-0556

Flea Control

This information was provided courtesy of Brea Veterinary Hospital (Brea, California)

Over the past two years, great strides have been taken toward eliminating the nemesis of every pet owner, the flea. Before this time flea control was a constant barrage of insecticides applied to the pet and it's environment. This proved to be very time consuming, expensive, and frustrating.

It is important to understand the life cycle of the flea before you try to eliminate it from your environment. That cycle starts with an adult flea. The flea must take a blood meal from the pet in order to lay eggs. A single flea can lay a large number of eggs in a short period of time. These eggs will develop into larvae, which advance to a pupae (cocoon) stage. These pupae can lay dormant in the environment for up to 3 months before hatching into an adult flea to start the cycle all over again.

Insecticides are only able to address the adult flea, which only accounts for 5% of the entire population. With the life cycle in mind, new treatments have developed.

PROGRAM is an orally administered Insect Development Inhibitor (IDI) which enters the flea when it bites the dog and inhibits the flea from producing chiton which make up the shell of the egg; thus, non-viable eggs are produced and quickly die. The product is considered 99% effective at breaking the life cycle. Unfortunately, this will not immediately stop an active problem.

ADVANTAGE and FRONTLINE are topical adulticides, which spread over the surface of a pet's coat and kill fleas on contact. These products are also highly effective and will show a rapid decrease in adult populations, but they don't prevent the flea from biting the dog, which may allow the production of eggs.

With the advent of these products, environmental control has become obsolete. We can now control fleas with one or a combination of products, which only require a monthly treatment.

Prevention with no active flea problem
Use PROGRAM on a year-round monthly basis and supplement with a topical adulticide as needed.
Moderate Active Infestation
Treat animal with a monthly adulticide for 2-3 months. Also, start PROGRAM immediately and continue year-round.
Severe Flea Infestation
Treat pet with a topical adulticide for 2-3 months, apply an environmental insecticide for 1-2 treatments, and maintain PROGRAM year-round.
Flea-allergic Pet
Treat as a severe infestation regardless of flea load.

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