Flea Control for your Dog
Fleas are by far the most common cause of skin disease in dogs and are not always that obvious to the owner. With a dog that is allergic to fleas it is USUAL to find FEW or even NO FLEAS on the animal at any one time as the dog is exquisitely sensitive to flea saliva and it may only take one flea bite per week whilst out on a walk to perpetuate the scratching. Therefore do not be surprised that when presented with a scratching dog, our first priority will be to treat for fleas EVEN IN THEIR ABSENCE!! The best way to diagnose flea allergy is to eliminate fleas from the pet's environment using a combination of topical and environmental control.
Fleas spend 95% of their time in the animal's environment so for good flea control it is essential to treat PET and ENVIRONMENT:
Effective topical flea products (for the dog) include;
Frontline Spray (from 2 days of age - lasts up to 12 weeks and kills ticks for up to 4 weeks)
Promeris Duo Spot-On (from 8+ weeks of age - lasts up to 6 weeks and kills ticks for 4 weeks)
Promeris Duo is a very safe (non-organophosphate), persistent and effective flea killer that works within 24 hours and should be repeated as often as once a month in the face of a serious infestation, or with allergic skin disease, or for continuous tick control.
Effective environmental flea products (for the house, kennel, car) include;
Indorex Spray which when applied as directed can last up to 1 year.
It is important to thoroughly vacuum the entire house/car prior to spraying, to throw the Hoover bag away, and to follow the directions on the can.
Program is a monthly tablet that is fed to the dog that prevents fleas from breeding and therefore is a long-term preventative treatment for the environment.
It does not kill the adult flea but will reduce flea numbers in time therefore is not so useful for a current infestation alone. All dogs and cats in the house must be treated for it to be effective and it is important to keep on the treatment year-round once started as there is a slight delay before it is seen to reduce flea numbers, (because the initial fleas must die out naturally if used alone.)
Frontline Combo is a spot-on treatment which eliminates fleas on your dog and protects against re-infestation for up to 8 weeks. This product also inhibits the development of flea eggs, flea larvae and pupae for up to 8 weeks. Frontline Combo also kills ticks for up to 4 weeks and eliminates biting lice.
Program and Promeris Duo can actually be used safely together.
Please seek advice for further information on any of these products.
EAR MITES also commonly affect puppies and kittens. They are passed to the animal from the mother and are very contagious. They cause intense irritation of the ear canals which leads to the production of a large amount of dark wax which can usually be seen. These parasites can be simply treated by your veterinary surgeon.
