Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 6/5/2011

Question
Hi Jana,

I'm about at the end of my rope with my dog suffering from fleas.

I have tried just about everything to help the poor guy and nothing is working.

I've bombed my house, I've used Diatematious Earth, Capstar and Advantix.

Any suggestions?

Answer
I understand your frustration Angie. Your problem is that you are only treating the tip of the iceberg- your adult fleas. The biggest problem with fleas are the eggs, larvae and cocoons.

Here is the plan I have used for years and hundreds of clients have used with success:

Your main problem with fleas is not the adults but what's in your rugs and floors. The biggest issue are the eggs, cocoons, and larvae, which feed off the feces of the fleas. The eggs fall onto the floors and are in the fibers of the rugs and cracks of the floors. These hatch into the cocoon which nothing can penetrate and kill.

So you need a flea program that will- 1. Kill the adults.
I use Ovitrol spray as it is an insect growth regulator, or IGR, and it kills the adults and then makes the eggs unable to hatch and the larvae unable to spin a cocoon.

2. You need an IGR (insect growth regulator) to stop the growth of the millions of eggs in your rugs and floors and to stop the larvae from spinning a cocoon.

3. Once the cocoons that were already spun open and hatch (takes about two weeks) you will have a new crop of fleas that you can use the Ovitrol on to kill before they lay eggs.

4. You should put your dog on Sentinel tablets to sterilize the fleas so any eggs they lay won't hatch at all. Also, it stops the larvae from growing because they eat the flea feces and that is what has the IGR in it from the Sentinel. Sentinel is heartworm medication and flea control in one tablet. It's what I have used for 15 yrs and not one of my pets or even the wild animals have any fleas and I have 3 acres of land,most of it is brush and wild.

The flea pyramid is an example of what you are battling here:

http://www.murrayhillvethospital.com/flea_prevention_and_parasite_control.shtml

This is information about the life cycle of the flea and treatment

http://www.flea-info.com/cab/en/dog_fleas_lifecycle.shtml -dog

This is the treatment plan we usually suggest to clients:

1.Get a bottle of Ovitrol Spray. Ovitrol is an adult knock down spray along with an IGR- see below for description. Spray your dog from head to toes outside as the fleas will jump off and bite. You can also spray a rag until it is very damp and wipe the dog down with this. Use the rag around the face if you spray the dog with the bottle.

2. Get your dog on an oral flea product that will render the fleas sterlie. When a flea does bite the dog (until you get them all with step one) they will lay eggs that are sterile and will deposit feces that the larvea in your rugs and floors eat that are laden with a flea hormone that will disrupt their life cycle by rendering the eggs unable to hatch and the larvea in the rugs, etc unable to spin a cocoon and then hatch. Any fleas already in a cocoon will hatch and then you can knock them down again. This will occur in two week cycles until they are all hatched and gone. You will see a huge reduction in fleas in just a few weeks or sooner. I have been using this method for 15 years and my 3 acres of land has no fleas. Even the wildlife crossing my land daily don't leave fleas that stay alive.
I use Sentinel flea and heartworm prevention for both my dogs and cats. That way they are covered for both in one monthly, chewable pill that they love to eat.
Here is a rundown of the types of products available for you to buy. But you must by most of these at the vets, since the ones on the market outside the veterinary industry do NOT work anymore.


Adulticides
To remove adult fleas from your pet

Adulticides are designed to kill adult fleas on your pet. Most work within 24 hours. However it can not be ruled out completely that freshly caught fleas may have the chance to lay eggs. This is why scientists the world over agree that the most effective way to prevent or eliminate fleas is to use adulticides in combination with Insect Growth Regulators (see below). This is known as Integrated Flea Control.

Insect Growth Regulators (IGR)
To eliminate flea eggs in the home

Insect Growth Regulators have been developed especially to target the egg stage of the flea life cycle. Quite simply, they are designed to prevent flea eggs from hatching. So, if your cat or dog does shed any flea eggs around your home, they'll just die and get sucked up by the vacuum cleaner. And all without the need to spray the house, and wash all the bedding.


Type of Products
Integrated Flea Control

There are different ways of practising Integrated Flea Control, depending on the level of control required for the pet, its 'natural' exposure to fleas, the level of control that you want to achieve, and the type of product you want to use.

Please click on the links below, and we'll explain about the different products available to you.
http://www.ah.novartis.com/cab/en/dog_fleas_treatments.shtml

Oral Flea Treatments-Interceptor and Sentinel

Injectable Flea Control-for cats-Program

Household Flea Sprays-Ovitrol Spray and Premise Spray
Also comes in house foggers

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Oral Flea Treatments

Orally administered products can be used to eliminate both adult fleas on the pet, and flea eggs laid around the house.

Insect Growth Regulators

When a pet is treated with an oral insect growth regulator, it circulates in the animal's bloodstream. Then, if a flea bites the pet, it ingests the insect growth regulator and passes it on to its eggs, rendering them unable to hatch.

With these products, you can have confidence that even if you do see adult fleas on your pet, they will be unable to infest your house with flea eggs. This removes the need to spray insecticides around your house, and makes them ideally suited for preventative flea control.

In fact, oral insect growth regulators can also be used to eliminate an existing household infestation. In this case, once you start treating the pet, any fleas already in the house will hatch, leap aboard the pet, and die without laying any more viable eggs.

These products are available in tablet and liquid form for cats, and in tablet form for dogs, from veterinarians only. They can be given in-food once a month.

Orally administered products can be used to eliminate both adult fleas on the pet, and flea eggs laid around the house.

Benefits of oral Insect Growth Regulators

   * Effective prevention / removal of fleas in the home.
   * Protection for the home without the need to use household insecticides, vacuuming etc.
   * Easy to give, in food.
   * For dogs, there is a combined insect growth regulator / worming treatment available.
   * Convenient monthly dosing.

Flea Treatment Tips

Fleas are stubborn parasites, mainly because they reproduce at such a prolific rate. Follow these guidelines, though, and you'll be on your way to a flea free home.

     Treat every cat and dog in the house
     It doesn't matter which product or combination of products you use, or whether you can actually see fleas on all your pets, ALWAYS treat every cat and dog in the house.
  
     Persevere
     In most cases, flea infestations should clear within a few days. However, flea eggs laid around your home can survive in the carpet for up to 9 months. During this time, they can hatch and jump back aboard the pet whatever treatment you use. This doesn’t mean that the product you are using isn’t working. Just that the existing infestation is clearing.
   
     If you treat the pets correctly, you needn't spray the house
     That's right. It's because all fleas will jump on your cat or dog as part of their life cycle. So if you have treated the cat or dog, they'll die out when they come into contact with the animal. This process won't be hastened by treating the carpets.
  
     To hasten flea removal from the home
     You can hasten removal of fleas by raising the temperature and humidity in the house to encourage fleas to hatch faster, whereupon they'll leap onto the pet, be exposed to the insecticide, and die out.


Adulticides

Capstar is an oral adulticide specially developed to offer the fastest removal of adult fleas from a pet. It starts working within as little as 15 minutes, and removes fleas for 24 hours thereafter.

This means that Capstar is ideal for using 'if and when' adult fleas are seen on the pet, in combination with long term use of an insect growth regulator.

Because it kills fleas so fast, Capstar can also be especially useful for those pets that are allergic to fleas.
Benefits of oral adulticide

   * Fastest relief from adult fleas on the pet.
   * Especially useful in combination with Insect Growth Regulators and to create "flea-free-areas" in shelters, clinics, kennels, etc.


I know that it seems like a lot of information but basically you need two things: Ovitrol spray and a house bomber if you can get one, and to get your dog started on Sentinel tablets. He should already be on Heartworm prevention, so this will just replace what he is on with the added bonus of the lufeneron, the hormone that sterilizes the fleas.

Please let me know if you have any other questions etc.