Tag Archives: flea prevention

Ask a Pets Blogger: Why Flea and Tick Prevention Fails

I treat my cat regularly with Advantage, but she keeps turning up with fleas! Why won’t they go away? You’re not alone with this problem — flea and tick management can be a constant battle. Here are some things that might help turn the tide in your favor. Make sure you are applying the medication correctly. The liquid needs to go on the skin, not on the fur — hair won’t absorb the medication. Make sure you place the medication in a place your pet can’t reach to lick off. Be sure to apply ALL the medication! Make sure your … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Fleeing Fleas

Not all guests who come to the cats only boarding facility are indoor cats. Some are allowed to roam the “big blue room” once in a while; some spend the majority of their time outdoors and only show up for meals and bedtime. Not that fleas are solely a problem of outdoor cats — far from it. Fleas can get into your house (and onto your pets) even if your furry family never sets a paw outside the door. One thing we don’t want at the boarding facility is for a guest to catch a case of critters while they … Continue reading →

Flea and Tick Prevention Options for Pets with Sensitive Skin

I mentioned recently that Lally seems to be having trouble with a new flea and tick preventative we tried. Hopefully we won’t have any more skin problems if I switch back to Frontline… but I wonder if she’s just getting more allergic as she ages. That got me thinking about alternatives to the insecticide-medication-on-the-skin type of flea and tick prevention. Traditional flea and tick collars. You might remember the narrow white collars that dogs and cats used to wear before medications like Frontline and Sentinel came along? Since the medication doesn’t get soaked into the skin, it might be an … Continue reading →

Flea and Tick Prevention Options

There are lots of choices when it comes to flea and tick prevention. Here’s a look at five popular choices that you may find at your veterinarian’s office or local pet store. Frontline — available as Frontline Top Spot and Frontline Plus for both dogs and cats. Both versions contain fipronil to kill fleas and ticks. Frontline Plus also contains an insect growth regulator that takes care of fleas and ticks from egg to larvae to adult. Liquid is applied monthly between the shoulders; controls ticks for one month and fleas for up to three months. Water resistant. Safe for … Continue reading →

Natural Flea Management

If your pets are like my pets, they want to spend more time outside during the summer. Moose likes to spend the days in the yard, alternately sprawled out in the sunshine and curled up in a shallow hole underneath the bushes. I do keep Moose and Lally on a monthly flea and tick preventative, but sometimes they need a little extra help. There are lots of herbs that are naturally good at repelling fleas from pets and people. If you’re planning a camping trip or a nature walk… or just don’t want to subject your pets to the harsh … Continue reading →

Frontline

Since it looks like winter is pretty much on the outs (at least here in New Jersey), I gave my dogs Frontline today. Frontline is a flea, tick, and lice control for dogs and cats from drug maker Merial. Given once a month, Frontline controls (okay, that’s a nice word for “kills”) fleas, several types of ticks, and chewing lice. The main ingredient is fipronil, which actually collects in the natural skin oils and hair follicles for a continuous release. So even after the dose dissolves into the skin, it keeps working for a month. Here in central Jersey, I … Continue reading →