Flea and Pest Control

John T. Kristy VMD
Wendy B.Harris DVM
181 Kings Highway
Fairfield, CT 06825
203-367-4475 Phone
203-366-0878 Fax

FLEA & TICK CONTROL

PRODUCT: POWDER, SPRAYS & DIPS
DESCRIPTION:
Topical insecticides in various forms for application
Minimum age varies with product
PROS *Have been around for years *Lots of previous experience
CONS *very labor intensive *must be applied frequently *poor residual effect
*owners exposed to insecticide frequently due to need for repeated applications
COST *varies with product * initially inexpensive but adds up over season
PRODUCT: COLLARS
DESCRIPTION: Topical broad spectrum insecticide to control fleas and ticks but also kills many other insects impregnated in plastic collar * minimum ages varies with product
PROS *easy to apply * long residual effect
CONS *effectiveness decreases with size of pet *poor parasite control on pets larger than a cat
COST *inexpensive

PRODUCT: PrevenTic Collar

DESCRIPTION:
Tick collar which affects ticks
PROS *not a broad spectrum insectacide, very effective against ticks on animals of all sizes
CONS no effect on fleas not approved for use on cats
COST about $18 a month

PRODUCT: PROGRAM (SENTINEL) 6 month injection available for cats
DESCRIPTION:
Oral monthly control of flea reproduction *minimum age 4 weeks
PROS *not an insecticide *nothing toxic on pet * safer to eat than table salt *prevents home infestation
CONS *no effect on ticks *doesn’t stop fleas from feeding on pet *will require insecticide for rapid flea control
COST *$9 to $13 per month depending on size

PRODUCT: ADVANTAGE
DESCRIPTION:
Spot-on topical insecticide applied once a month from a small vial *minimum age 7 weeks
PROS * effective * convenient *does not wash off *pet can swim
CONS * no effect on ticks
COST * $9 to $10 per month

PRODUCT: FRONTLINE
DESCRIPTION:
Spot-on topical insecticide applied once a month from a small vial *minimum age 3 months
PROS * effective up to: 3 months for fleas - 1 month for ticks *does not wash off *pets can swim
CONS * concentration in skin glands makes in difficult to remove if pet has reaction
(although rate is very, very low) Avoid contact with treated area until dry.
COST * $9 to $10 per month

PRODUCT: REVOLUTION

DESCRIPTION:
Spot-on topical insecticide applied once a month it controls flea infestation, ear mites, and sarcoptic mange (dogs), prevents canine and feline heartworm disease; inhibits the brown dog tick. It controls intestinal roundworms and hookworms in cats. Minimum age: dogs 6 weeks, cats 6 weeks
PROS * controls fleas and heartworm with one monthly application. Good for outside cats where fleas, earmites and intestinal parasites are concerns
CONS * not as effective to treat ongoing flea and tick infestations as Advantage or Frontline. Does not control the deer tick (Lyme disease carrier)
COST * not in stock

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FLEA TRIVIA

Flea Facts

· Fleas are small (2 to 5mm long) parasites that live on mammals and birds.
· The lifespan of fleas on dogs is over 100 days, in which time a pair of fleas can produce thousands of offspring.
· Fleas can be found nearly everywhere, even in the Polar Regions. More than 2,000 species and sub-species have been described.
· Fleas are attracted to house pets by the warmth of the pet's body, its movement, changes in light intensity, and the carbon monoxide they exhale. When stimulated by one or more of these factors, the flea will jump toward the pet and try to attach itself.
· While many flea species lay their eggs off the host, the fleas common to dogs lay their eggs in hair coat.

Flea Feats
· Fleas can jump 150 times the length of their bodies - sideways or up - equivalent to a human jumping nearly a thousand feet.
· Fleas accelerate almost 50 times faster than a space shuttle does after lift off.
· A flea can leap tirelessly again and again. One entomologist clocked a flea jumping 30,000 times without stopping.
· A female flea can lay as many as 40 eggs per day with over 2,000 eggs laid in her lifetime.

The Feasting Flea
· A female flea consumes 15 times its body weight in blood daily.
· Fleas can withstand enormous pressure - the secret to surviving the scratching and biting of the flea ridden pet.
· Newly emerged fleas can survive two to four weeks without feeding, but as soon as they are on an animal they will feed and mate. Some female fleas can begin producing feces (food for their young) within eight to ten minutes after starting to feed.
· The reproductive cycle of the female flea begins 24 to 36 hours after her first blood meal, when she lays her first egg.
· The flea's entire life cycle can be completed in as little as 12 to 14 days, or as long as 190 days.
· Like the butterfly, the life cycle of the flea involves an egg, larva, cocoon and adult.
· Flea eggs are pearly white, are not sticky and easily roll off the animal's fur when laid. Flea eggs will usually hatch in one to 10 days, depending on temperature and humidity.
· Larvae do not like directing light and, when searching for food, moving deep in carpet fibers or under organic debris such as grass, branches or leaves.
· The flea cocoon is sticky and can be found in soil, on vegetation, in carpets, under furniture and on animal bedding. Adult fleas are stimulated to emerge from the cocoon by heat, vibrations and exhaled carbon dioxide.

TICK TRIVIA

· Ticks don't "bite." They attach to an animal by sticking their harpooned-shaped mouthparts into the animal's skin. If a tick is scraped off, sometimes the tick's mouthparts break off and remain in the skin, causing irritation or infection.
· Ticks' only food is the blood they suck from their hosts, usually warm-blooded animals like dogs. Some ticks can increase their size 20-50 fold as they feed.
· Female ticks, and sometimes males, emit a chemical called pheromone to attract the opposite sex.
· Females die after laying all their eggs. Male live to mate several females.
· Ticks have a unique system for finding animals to attack. They have sense organs on their front legs that detect carbon monoxide given off by warm-blooded animals. Ticks may crawl 10-15 or more feet to the source of the carbon dioxide- they do not fly or jump.
· There are about 800 kinds of ticks in the world. About 100 of these carry diseases of wildlife, livestock or people.
· Lyme disease is now a major health problem in some areas of the Northeast, Midwest and the Pacific Coast. The disease is carried by at least two kinds of hard ticks, the deer tick, found in the Northeast and upper Midwest, and the western black-legged tick, found in the Pacific Coast states.
When not attached to animals, most hard ticks live on the ground in vegetation, such as grassy meadows, woods, brush and weeds. Most ticks live in the nest and burrows of their hosts.

Source:
Roger Drummond, PHD., retired director of the U.S. Livestock Insects Laboratory,
U. S. Department of Agriculture