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Flea and Tick Preventatives To help make your flea/tick prevention product selection it is important to ask yourself a few questions about what you expect from your new flea preventative. · Is your pet a dog or cat? (Cats have a more limited selection.)
· Do you want a product that goes above and beyond flea prevention to offer additional protection against ticks, heartworms, or mosquitoes?
· Does your pet swim or get bathed regularly?
· Do you prefer an oral or topical monthly preventative?
Here’s a list of the products available:
Advantage® Bayer
This topical flea prevention can be used on cats and dogs as well as puppies/kittens seven weeks of age and older. The product starts killing fleas within one hour, and kills 98 - 100% of adult fleas within twelve hours. It will also kill flea larval stages in your pet’s surroundings, once the pet has been treated with Advantage and has contact in these areas. Advantage can be used after a pet is towel dried from their bath, and offers flea protection for one month.
The downside: Advantage does NOT treat ticks.
Capstar® Novartis
Capstar is an oral, non-flavored tablet for both cats and dogs that starts killing adult fleas half an hour after it is given. Over 90% of adult fleas are gone within four to six hours. Capstar is safe enough to give your pets once daily, if needed. Puppies and kittens four weeks of age or older may receive Capstar, as long as they weigh at least two pounds. It is also a safe product for pregnant or nursing mothers.
The Downside: Capstar does NOT kill flea larvae or eggs, and it does not PREVENT fleas from re-infesting your pet.
Comfortis® Eli Lilly and Company
This ORAL flea killer and preventative is for DOGS ONLY. It comes in a six pack of beef flavored chewable tablets. After being given with a meal, it starts to kill fleas in 30 minutes and lasts all month long.
The downside: Dogs with food allergies to beef are out of luck. Puppies must wait until they are at least 14 weeks of age.
Frontline Plus® Merial
Both cats and dogs can benefit from this topical prevention. It is applied monthly to the skin on the shoulders of your dog or cat, and lasts for thirty days.Fleas start to die in less than 24 hours. It can be used on puppies and kittens eight weeks of age or older, and is also approved for use in pregnant or nursing mothers. Frontline Plus also kills/repels four kinds of ticks. (Deer Tick, Brown Dog Tick, American Dog Tick and Lone Star Tick)
The downside: You must apply this prevention 24 hours before or after a bath for it to remain waterproof for one full month.
K9 Advantix® Bayer
K9 Advantix repels and kills all four common types of ticks, as well as killing fleas BEFORE they can lay eggs on your dog. This product CANNOT BE USED ON CATS. The kill time for fleas on this product is less than twelve hours, and it works as a flea prevention for up to four weeks. It also repels and kills mosquitoes for four weeks, and repels and prevents blood-feeding by biting flies. K9 Advantix can be used on puppies seven weeks of age or older. You can apply it to your pet after they have been towel dried from a bath.
The Downside: This product contains Permethrin, which is TOXIC to cats, and therefore this product cannot be used on them.
Revolution® Pfizer
Revolution is another topical prevention that can be applied to cats starting at eight weeks of age and dogs starting at six weeks of age.
In CATS, Revolution kills adult fleas and prevents flea eggs from hatching, and prevents heartworm disease for one month. Feline Revolution also treats and controls ear mite infestations and two kinds of intestinal parasites: Roundworms and Hookworms.
In DOGS, Revolution kills adult fleas, prevents flea eggs from hatching, and prevents heartworm disease for one month. It also treats and controls ear mites and sarcoptic mange. Canine Revolution will also control infestations from the American Dog Tick, which causes Rocky Mountain Spotted fever.
Both cat and dog products can be applied after your pet is toweled dry from a bath.
The downside: Canine Revolution does not treat the three other common types of ticks, and Feline Revolution does not treat ticks at all.
Vectra® Summit Vet Pharm
This is a new topical flea preventative with an impressively easy to use applicator tip. The cat version treats FLEAS ONLY. The dog version kills FLEAS, repels/kills four species of TICKS and repels/kills three species of MOSQUITOES. The product kills fleas within six hours, remains effective after bathing and swimming and lasts all month long. With tick control for dogs, this product can help prevent transmission of tick-borne diseases like Lymes disease, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma.
The downside: The dog version contains compounds that are toxic to cats. This is clearly labeled on the packaging. Once dry it is considered safe. It is a larger quantity than most topicals and may need to be applied to multiple areas on larger dogs. This product is NOT a substitute heartworm preventative even though it does help repel mosquitoes.
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