Preventing fleas on your dogs is actually a two-step process of killing the adult fleas on the body of your pets (using adulticides) and stopping their eggs from hatching in the environment. Flea eggs are not sticky and therefore drop off the body and fall onto the floor, the carpet, and any area that your dog occupies. Read below to learn how to prevent dogs from getting fleas with the help of a few products you can use to control infestation!
Insect Growth Regulators (IRGs)
Insect Growth Regulators are orally ingestible, flavored tablets or pills that have an active ingredient which kills the eggs and flea larvae. Some of these products are Comfortis/AcuGuard, Trifexis, Capstar, Sentinel (see a veterinarian for prescription), or Program. Check with your veterinarian to figure out which product would work best for your dog, and the appropriate schedules in which to administer them (e.g. monthly, seasonally). Most of these products have an immediate effect and achieve their maximum effect within four hours; certain products will completely kill the flea larvae and eggs. However, these tablets do not kill adult fleas and must be used in combination with spot treatments.
Spot Treatments
Spot Treatments are usually in the form of sprays and should be applied between the shoulder blades of your dogs back. Some of the popular brands you may have heard of are Frontline, Advantage, and Revolution. These sprays will kill the adult fleas and protect your dog for up to 12 hours after application. It might be wise to spray your dog and then proceed to vacuum the area for flea eggs and larvae that dropped off onto the floor and carpet. Using both IRGs and Spot Treatments will ensure that your dog is flea-free.
Tips for Keeping the Environment Flea-Free
When cleaning the area that your dog inhabits the most, throw a flea collar into the vacuum bag and vacuum up the eggs and larvae – this would ensure that they die and it will not infect the vacuum.
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