If your pet has ever had fleas, you're probably already convinced that prevention is better than treatment. But if you do find yourself in that awful situation, we've got you covered! We hate to think that your adventurous pet should get punished for exploring and experiencing the outdoors. But picking up fleas means symptoms like itching, sores, hair loss, and an increased risk for infections and parasites. Check out our infographic below to find out what steps you should take if fleas become an issue. Fight back against fleas the right way, and they won’t come back.
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Are you aware of how the treatments work to help save your pets from teak and flea infestations? the next section gives you an overview of the same.
How Do Flea and Tick Treatments Work?
There are dozens of options when it comes to medications that keep dogs and cats safe from disease-causing pests, like Advantage for dogs, Advantage Multi for dogs, or Advantage for cats, but how exactly do they do what they do?
How Flea & Tick Spot On Treatments Work
All pet owners do it: we mark our calendars, and every month we snap the tip of our trusty flea & tick medication and apply a dab to that one spot on our dogs’ bodies they can’t reach with their mouths. But how does that one little squeeze of liquid do the trick?
Killing Insects Where They Lay
Insect neurotoxins are the primary active ingredients in most canine flea & tick medication. Insect neurotoxins will stop existing infestations of fleas and ticks by attacking the central nervous systems of bugs. It poisons insects as soon they eat it, but it doesn’t kill them too quickly! It gives infected insects time to return to their evil lair to infect others at the nesting site. These chemicals, in small doses, are harmful to insects but are generally safe for your pet.
The most common insect neurotoxins in dog flea and tick medications are:
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Fipronil (FIH-pron-ill), is found most commonly in Frontline Plus for cats, Frontline Plus for dogs, and PetArmor products.
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Imidacloprid (eye-mid-uh-CLOP-rid), is found most commonly in the K9 Advantix, Advantage II, and Advantage Multi dogs products.
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Permethrin (per-METH-rin), is also found most commonly in Advantix for dogs products, as well as Protocol products.
Some other common active ingredients you may come across in topical spot-on treatments may include Etofenprox (in BioSpot products), Selamectin (in Revolution products i.e revolution for cats, revolution for dogs, and revolution plus), Dinotefuran (in Vectra products), and others. Most active ingredients in dog flea and tick spot-on essentially function the same way.
Banishing Future Generations
Different chemicals do different jobs. The neurotoxins listed above do the dirty work of killing existing infestations, but there are still eggs and larvae to deal with. That’s where Juvenile Hormone Analogs come in. Also known as Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs), these chemicals work to make it impossible for larvae to develop into adulthood, and we can guess what happens when baby insects never make it through buggy puberty - they’re unable to reproduce.
The most common juvenile hormone analogs in dog flea and tick medications are:
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Pyriproxyfen (pie-rih-PROX-ifen), is found most commonly in K9 Advantix products.
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(S)-methoprene (ess-METH-oh-preen), found most commonly in Frontline Plus products.
The “Helping” Ingredients
Synergists are used to enhance the effects of the other ingredients in the medication. If neurotoxins and juvenile hormone analogs are the bullies, synergists have their back.
Two of the most common synergists are:
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piperonyl butoxide (pie-per-OH-nil byoo-TOX-eyed)
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N-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide (enn-OCT-il bye-sih-cloh-HEP-teen die-car-BOX-ih-mide)
Both synergists listed above work to make some “active ingredients” last longer by slowing their chemical degradation. This means the killing chemicals can stick around longer in the metabolism of the insect, which gives fleas and ticks time to get back to their nesting site, thereby bringing the poison home to roost.
How Flea & Tick Oral Tablets Work
Oral tablets may be preferred over spot-on flea treatments for a few reasons. Parents of small children, for example, sometimes have to quarantine their dogs so babies won’t rub their hands in a recently applied spot-on. Physical contact with medicine is not a concern with oral flea tablets.
The most common active ingredients found in dog flea and tick oral medications are:
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Spinosad, found in Comfortis for cats and Comfortis for dogs
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Lufenuron, found in Program Tablets
Spinosad works quickly to kill fleas and prevent future life cycles, and it lasts a full 30 days. Nitenpyram, conversely, only kills adult fleas and will not prevent future infestations. Nitenpram should be followed up with another oral treatment like Lufenuron, which does not kill adult fleas but does prevent future infestations by rendering eggs and larvae unable to grow and reproduce in much the same way as spot-on growth inhibitors.
How Flea & Tick Sprays Work
The active ingredients in flea and tick sprays work in the same way as flea and tick spot-on: neurotoxins upset the nervous system of the insects which quickly kills them, and growth inhibitors prevent eggs and larvae from developing to prevent future infestations.
The most common active ingredients found in dog flea and tick sprays are:
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Fipronil, found in Frontline Spray
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(S)-methoprene, found in Zodiac Power Spray
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Pyrethrins, also found in Zodiac Power Spray
Special care should be taken when using sprays, as introducing the chemicals into your environment through a spray greatly increases the chances of inhalation and physical contact, especially when children are present.
What are “Other," “Inactive,” or “Inert Ingredients?"
The actual work-doing medicine in many flea and tick treatments - spot-on, sprays, and tablets, may sometimes account for less than 10% of the actual product. The rest - between 15%-90% of the treatment - is other stuff. These ingredients may be classified on the label or box as “other ingredients," “inactive ingredients," or “inert ingredients."
Inert ingredients may serve a variety of functions, including extending shelf life, helping a pesticide stick around on your pet’s skin, and keeping the product in its desired state of viscosity or solidity.
The EPA provides a very long list of non-food inert ingredients that are permitted in products. Any of these could be in any number of flea and tick spot-on treatments.
Why aren’t they listed on packages?
Companies aren’t required by law to list their inactive ingredients. Inert Ingredients are protected as trade secrets or private business information.
Prevent Future Infestations
To prevent future infestations, take the following steps:
Clean your yard
The longer you let the grass grow, the more likely it is that fleas will find a home in your yard. Keep your grass short and free of debris like leaves and sticks. This will help keep the area clean and less hospitable to fleas.
Clean your pets regularly
Flea treatments aren't just for when you see signs of an infestation. It's important to use them regularly, even if you don't think there are any fleas around! They'll still be out there hiding in all sorts of places, waiting for another chance at getting into your fur babies' skin so they can lay their eggs inside them. Treating often will make sure those little bloodsuckers never get a chance to hatch!
Vacuum frequently with a HEPA vacuum cleaner or steam-clean carpets
This will remove any remaining eggs or larvae from carpets as well as any adults that may have fallen off recently but haven't been killed yet by our first two steps above.
In addition: wash all soft toys regularly in hot water mixed with vinegar. Dry thoroughly before putting back into play. Avoid synthetic fabrics where possible as they don't breathe well. Launder bedding weekly using hot water mixed with vinegar + baking soda. This helps kill adult fleas but not larvae which can live up to 30 days without feeding. So if left unchecked could cause another outbreak later down the road.
Solve Flea Problems Without Using Chemicals
If you have a problem with fleas, you can solve it without using chemicals.
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You can get rid of fleas from your home simply by vacuuming (or sweeping) the floor and furniture.
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To kill adult fleas in your pet's bedding, put it through the dryer or place it outside in direct sunlight for several hours.
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You can also stick small balls of cotton dipped in essential oils under your pet's bedding to prevent the development of eggs and larvae that may hatch at a later date. Some common essential oils include citronella, lavender, and tea tree oil.
* Examples based on ingredients in the leading flea & tick spot-on treatments.