Fleas can prove to be both a nuisance and a severe health risk for your dogs and cats that can also dramatically affect quality of life. Being itchy can pre-dispose to other health and behaviour problems. Here in Victoria, we are lucky enough to enjoy the mildest of climates, but with that come fleas all year-round. Fleas carry tapeworm and other diseases. Flea control can be simple if you follow a few basic steps.

Remember that the adult fleas you find on your pet are only a portion of what you must deal with in order to clear the entire flea infestation from your pet and house. The adults represent approximately 5% of the total infestation in your home. Roughly ten times that or 50% of the total population are the microscopic eggs that are present all over your home right now. Fleas drop their eggs, which then develop into a larval stage and a pupae stage. Once the eggs have developed into pupae, they can lay dormant for over a year. At any time, under the correct conditions of humidity and animal movement, the pupae develop into adult fleas. Once this happens, the whole cycle starts over again.

We recommend year-round flea control. The two main products we recommend for both dogs and cats are Program and Advantage. Each work differently and can be combined together for maximum effectiveness.

Program (Lufenuron) is a once monthly oral medication for both dogs and cats that interrupts the flea cycle at the egg and larval stage. It is very safe. Program is classified as an insect development-inhibitor and is not an insecticide. It prevents the flea eggs from hatching when the adult fleas bite your pet. It comes in either a liquid or six-month injectable form for cats and in a chewable tablet for dogs. It should be noted that Program does not kill adult fleas. If animals already have an infestation, an adulticide, such as Advantage, will need to be started.

Advantage (Imidacloprid) is a topical insecticide that kills adult fleas on contact. It is safely applied monthly on the surface of the skin. It is absorbed quickly into the fat layer of the skin but does not travel to the blood stream. It spreads along the fat layer under the skin and lasts for the entire month to kill fleas as they bite. Advantage does not sit on the surface of the skin and is safe for the entire family.

Please be aware that in multi-pet households we often need to combine both products because of the nature of the flea cycle.

It is important that all pets in the house be treated even if they do not appear to have fleas. With the new products available for flea control – the once difficult to control flea is now very easy to deal with!