Fleas...old news but bad problem!

by Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)

Carolina Pets Animal Hospital

 

Fleas…those icky little brown bugs that infest your dog or cat when you lapse in flea control (or sometimes in spite of flea control). They are terrible this year, primarily because of the weather. We are seeing a huge surge in the number of flea infested pets in the past two weeks. So, I thought it time to parade out this old problem and remind you it is time to put that flea preventive product onto your pet. Fleas in this area spike in August and September and will be in high numbers until well into November. Indoor only pets are susceptible to infestations too.

Newsflash on flea preventive products: The traditional Frontline Top Spot and Frontline Plus, and its knock-off fipronil-containing products are not working well in North Carolina. Most inexpensive grocery/pet store products will not work.

What does work right now? Frontline TRITAK, which is the newest generation Frontline product is working extremely well. Both Frontline Tritak and Advantix (only to be used in dogs) are our only reliably effective products for both fleas and ticks. For flea-only the other effective products are Comfortis tablet (or Trifexis which has both the Comfortis plus heartworm preventive), Revolution (topical) and Advantage (topical).

What to do if you are already seeing fleas on your pet? First step, treat ALL furry pets in the household with an effective flea product such as one of those listed above; and use it once a month unless your veterinarian tells you to apply more frequently. If you are already using one of these products, give us a call. There are guarantees on some of the products that, if purchased through our clinic, we may be able to help you activate.

Second, treat the environment. For indoors, you should do a good vacuum every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks. This as effective, if not more so, than any chemical sprays/bombs/powders.  For the outdoors we recommend you use a sprinkle granule treatment that you can purchase at any home improvement store that has the active ingredient: imidicloprid. Follow directions on package for application outside.

 

Call us if nothing is working or you have any questions:

(704)220-0226.