Fleas & Ticks

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Dear Dr. Hannon,

I’ve had it with fleas and ticks! I spray, dip, bathe, dust, apply collars and topicals, and they just keep coming! Have these critters reached cockroach status, in that it’s going to take a nuclear bomb to get rid of them? Help!!

- Flead Up and Ticked Off.

Dear Flead,

Don’t give up hope just yet! Don’t forget that for every flea you see on your pet, there are hundreds more living in the environment in different life stages, just waiting to infest. You need to treat the environment as well the pet, and about as often, to keep these things from getting out of hand.Many over-the-counter products for environmental pest control work well, especially those that contain an insect growth regulator (IGR) with the insecticide, such as methoprene.

Have you talked to your vet about your problems? The new topical applications such as Frontline, Advantage and Revolution are new types of pesticides that are safer, more effective, and last longer even when your pet gets wet.

These products are sold only through veterinarians, so beware of the knock-offs. Those similar products sold through retail giants and pet stores are not the same thing, regardless of what the store clerk says. If the owner of a flea infested pet tells me they use Frontline, I usually ask where it was purchased. If they tell me Wal-Mart or some big box pet store, I know that it’s not the same stuff. They are usually the same insecticides that have been used in dips and sprays for years, now in a concentrated form for easy application, which increases the probability of toxicity. Not to mention, many flea and tick populations are now resistant to these products. I have actually seen some of these products kill the pet and not the fleas!

Talk to your vet about your situation and environment, and together you can formulate a battle plan that should have you flea-free in no time, without violating the nuclear arms treaty.

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