Flea Control Product Review For 2011 And An Update On Flea Allergy Dermatitis

This is a quick review of the best flea control products on the market in 2011. I am a veterinarian and we see hundreds of animals a week that have had flea control applied (or not) so I get a great feel for the products that work effectively and how quickly they take to work. I also get a great feeling for the strengths and weaknesses of each product.

Frontline : Has had its day. When this was released in the mid 1990's, it was just fantastic. In our area of the world, it simply isn't working anymore. It is a safe product however although can be fatal in rabbits. I have occasionally seen a reaction at the site of application although this is rare.

Advantage : Has been on the market for a similar time frame to frontline. It is working OK although I feel there is some better products.

Advocate : Is essentially Advantage with respect to flea control as the chemical is the same. Advocate also claims to do Demodex mange and intestinal worms and heartworm. It's claim against Demodex is dubious. In a dog with generalised Demodex, Advocate will not control this. In a dog with localised Demodex, it may well have resolved without product application. I have seen far too many dogs passing round worms despite religious application of Advocate. I feel it is not a good product for intestinal worms from what I have seen and for this reason I must question its effectiveness against heartworm. This is a high end product that is very expensive and quite frankly, the product does not deliver on its claims. I would suggest you spend your money elsewhere.

Revolution : This has been a good product over the years. We find it is still working well in our part of the world. It is extremely safe. I have never seen an adverse reaction to it and it can be used on all species for mites and fleas. As well as cats and dogs, we use it liberally in pocket pets and rabbits and birds without incident. This is perhaps the safest product of all time for flea control. It doubles as a treatment for scabies and ear mites in cats and dogs and mites in many other species. A fantastic all round product.

Capstar : The quintessental product for dogs that have flea allergy dermatitis. This is the only product that will stop fleas biting your dog. Most spot ons have a small number of fleas that still get a few bites in before being overwhelmed by the product. Capstar actually paralyses the flea as it pushes the proboscis through the skin of your pet. The flea becomes paralysed and dies before an antigenic reaction is triggered to flea saliva. This is an absolutely fantastic product. The downside is you have to give it to your dog every single day which means there is a huge compliance problem.

Comfortis : is a hugely effective flea control that is relatively new since it has only appeared on the market in the last few years. It works really well with a fast kill time. If your dog has a flea problem, this will sort it out fast. The fleas have not been exposed to it so it works extremely well. It can occasionally cause vomiting. It is very safe however. It shouldn't be used in dogs with seizures. It only treats fleas.

Flea allergy dermatitis is still the most common cause of itching in dogs. Your pet will scratch and rub the lower back and scratch at the abdomen. Religious flea control is the only way to cure it. Capstar is used for dogs with severe flea allergy dermatitis. Comfortis is also very good and for dogs with severe allergic reactions to fleas, you can use Comfortis every 2 weeks. I have been using this strategy quite safely without incident.

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