When Flea Medications Fail

What If A Flea Treatment Doesn't Seem To Work? 4 Approaches to Relentless Fleas, how to control fleas Make sure to apply topical medications correctly Make sure your pet's skin is healthy so topical medications work well Treat the yard and house where 95-99% of the flea population lives Kill all fleas as soon as they hatch from the cocoon stage (pupa). Cocooned fleas are impervious to insecticides, but the are susceptible to flea products as soon as they hatch.

1. Apply Topical Flea Medications Correctly

• Touch the skin with the applicator tip. Don't put the applicator tip in the hair because hair cannot absorb product. Put the tip on the skin, which is able to absorb the medication.
• You can slide the applicator under the hair (rather than parting the hair with your fingers) if you are sure the applicator touches the skin.
• Apply along the back where the pet cannot reach.
• You can apply to one spot or several spots, however, the more often you lift the applicator tip and move to another location, the more likely you are to get product in the hair or on yourself. If it is difficult to do well, do it only once.
• For some pets it is helpful to apply both above and below the collar.
• For flexible cats apply at the base of the skull rather than along the back. If a cat can lick it off, the medication won't work and the cat may get sick.
• Do not rub the product in.
• Keep your fingers away from the applicator tip so that the pet, and not you, receives the dose.
• Squeeze the tube until it is entirely empty.

2. Make Sure Your Pet's Skin is Healthy

• Be sure the skin is soft, flexible, and healthy.
• If skin is dry, thick, and unhealthy, the medication will not be carried through skin as it should.
• If necessary, supplement with Omega 3 & Omega 6 fatty acids to improve your pet's skin and coat. We recommend Be Well, 1-800-PetMeds Brite Coat XS and 1-800-PetMeds Shed Terminator.
• Keep the coat groomed and washed to remove matted hair, feces, old dry skin, and debris.

Because flea preventatives are carried in the oils on the skin, the kill rate may be slower in animals with heavy fur and in those with dry skin.

3. Treat the yard and house where 95-99% of the flea population lives with flea medications

• Only 1-5% of flea population lives on your pet, and 95-99% live in the house and yard. Remove fleas, flea eggs, and larvae from the house and yard by using flea medication treatments that kill adult fleas (adulticides) and contain Insect Growth Regulators (IGR's) to prevent eggs and larva from developing into adults. We recommend Zodiac Carpet and Upholstery Pump Spray for indoor use because it kills adults and contains an IGR to prevent resistant fleas from producing offspring that can survive. For the yard, we recommend Virbac Yard Spray Concentrate.
• Treat all shady areas in the yard, under fences, and in the dog house. Remove all leaf litter and material fleas can live in. If you mulch, use eucalyptus or cedar mulch to deter insects.
• Vacuum the house twice a week. Pay attention to mop boards, sofa cushions, carpets, and pet beds.

4. Kill all fleas when they hatch from the cocoon stage (pupa) and become susceptible to flea products

• Fleas go through 4 growth stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Flea treatments kill adult fleas and larvae, but no pet, house, or yard product kills fleas when they are in the pupal stage and wrapped in a cocoon. You have not failed. The insecticide has not failed. Nature made the flea cocoon as safe as a bomb shelter.
• Pupal fleas mature and emerge as adults over a wide time span. They can emerge from the cocoon in as little as a couple weeks, or as long as several months-depending upon temperature, humidity, and the flea's ability to sense a suitable host.
• Be prepared to treat newly hatching adult fleas by reapplying Zodiac Carpet and Upholstery Pump Spray to the carpet and Virbac Yard Spray Concentrate to the yard. Often, the best time for reapplication is 1-2 weeks after the first treatment. Then, reapply in another 1-2 weeks.
• If it is cold, flea pupae may not hatch for weeks or months. Over this time, your yard and carpet treatments will have dissipated, and will not be strong enough after several weeks to control the newly hatched fleas. To be successful, retreat the house and yard as soon as you find newly emerging fleas.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   Date Category Topic 02/08/06  Allergy  SKIN REACTION 01/01/06  Flea & Tick  TYPES OF MEDICINES 11/24/05  Skin Care  LITTLE RED ICHY BUMPS 11/13/05  Allergy  ALLERGY 11/06/05  Flea & Tick  DOG AND CAT TOGETHER, FRONTLINE AND ADVANTAGE NOT WORKING 11/05/05  Flea & Tick  TREATMENT FOR BOONE 11/05/05  Allergy  HOT SPOTS 10/28/05  Other  PULLING OUT FUR 10/20/05  Flea & Tick  CAT SCRATCHING 10/17/05  Flea & Tick  SENTINEL FLEA AND HEARTWORM MEDICATION

 

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