Flea Control Solutions (Part 1)

It’s official – your cat or dog is flea-infested – now what? You need to get rid of the fleas to solve the problem once and for all. However, while there are several treatments, not all of them are effective, and not all of them are necessary for every case. The choice depends on what you have to control.

Flea dips or shampoos are effective in eliminating fleas. The big problem is in actually getting the cat or dog into the bath. As well, the dip or shampoo must be applied as instructed to work. But when used right, the dip or shampoo is highly effective, and will leave almost no chemical residue on your cat or dog. This benefit is also a liability since there’s no long-term protection from a bath, and you’ll need to combine it with other flea protection measures to totally safeguard your cat or dog from future flea attacks.

Flea collars are an easy to the problem of fleas, however they vary in effectiveness. Some work by emitting a gas that is poisonous for fleas, which means they are most effective close to the neck area, with reduced potency elsewhere on your pet. Others work by transferring the active ingredient into your pet’s tissues (absorbed from the collar), that is poisonous to fleas. This collar is much more effective, but means your dog or cat absorbing flea chemicals over a long time, which owners may wish to avoid. In any case, be careful to not reduce its effectiveness by misapplying it, for example letting it get wet.

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