Topical flea and pest control.

If you go to the store you will see all sorts of flea products on the shelves. Biospot, Hartz flea and tick powder, a variety of products line the shelves. But which product is safest for your pet and your home?

By and large, Advantage and Frontline are the number one sellers in the United States for flea and pest control. The products come in small tubes, where you pierce the tubing and then part the hair of your pet at the neck. You then apply the product directly to the skin, high enough on the neck that the cat can't reach it to lick it.

On a dog, you would put the product in a line, starting from the neck and following the spine, ending right at the tail. You need to follow the instructions carefully. Failure to do so, may result in harm coming to your pet.

Your best recourse is to buy these topical flea products direct from your vet.

Why? Some of the products in the markets are counterfeit, diluted forms of the product made to look just like the original Advantage or Frontline, but at a lot less cost to you. So beware of imitations.

How do these products work?

The natural oil in the skin and on the hair, will grab the insecticide chemicals and start them traveling throughout the animal. the movement of the animal aids in the dispersal as well. You will notice wet spots forming, or the hair will look extra oily in spots after application.

The product is applied monthly, and not before the age of 7 weeks for Advantage if the fleas are really heavy, but 12 weeks is best.

Advantage is waterproof, so 24 hours after application, the animal can get wet. Advantage only works on fleas, not on the ticks. Flea larvae are dead twenty minutes after application. Advantage effectively interrupts the cycle of the fleas in various stages of growth. It is advisable to switch every month between Advantage and Frontline, because fleas can become resistant to one insectide if used constantly.

Frontline

Frontline is also a topical flea control product that is applied monthly. The difference between Frontline and Advantage is that Frontline also has the properties to kill ticks. However, you cannot apply Frontline to an animal that is under 3 months old. Frontline will also only ward off and kill ticks for one month.

New on the market is Frontline Plus. Frontline Plus effectively kills fleas and ticks 48 hours after application.

As with any pesticide, or insecticide, use both products with caution. One of the advantages to buying Advantage or Frontline from your vet is that if any reaction occurs, your vet will know where the product came from.

Reactions to these two products are rare, but they can occur.