Fleas, Fleas, Fleas

San Diego, California. Paradise. Year-long, wonderful weather. Temperate climate. We all enjoy this amazing environment, and the fleas love it too. So much so, San Diego is the flea capital of the WORLD.

Last week, Mrs. Patterson came in with her cat Punkin because she was scratching. Punkin was not on flea medication because she is an indoor cat and doesn’t have fleas. At least, this is what Mrs. Patterson informed me. Now, as I did my physical exam, I pulled out my trusty flea comb, and yup, there it was: a flea. She was mortified. This happens every day to every veterinarian in San Diego.

Let’s first consider some over-the-counter remedies. Drugs like Frontline and Advantage (and their generics) just do not work well anymore—don’t waste your money. Drugs like Hertz (pyrethrin-based products) are not very safe, and they will kill your cat, so be very careful.

Flea dips or shampoos? Just say no. Flea dips use poison to kill the fleas, often it’s the same stuff you spray in your yard, we just have better options now.

There are also a lot of home remedies or holistic methods. I haven’t seen any of them work very well, but it is worth mentioning that garlic is a home remedy. Garlic is toxic to both dogs and cats, so this should be avoided.

There are a couple of good over-the-counter products. For cats, there is Cheristan, a topical. It works excellently, and no prescription is needed. Capstar is also a good option for both dogs and cats. It is an oral pill that will kill all the fleas on your pet in thirty minutes. Unfortunately, it only works for one day, so it’s not a long-term solution.

Nowadays, we are pretty lucky to have a large number of highly effective flea medications (Bravecto, Simparica, Nexgard, Credelio) that all kill fleas and ticks. This class of drugs is oral. We call these drugs “bite to die drugs,” meaning the flea or tick has to bite the pet to die. If you have a large infestation, you are gonna want to talk to your veterinarian about how to drop down the flea load so they all don’t bite your pet. However, these work excellently as a preventative, so start them now, because the weather is warming up, and we are going into our heavy flea season.

The biggest question I get about the oral drugs is: Are they safe? When Bravecto first came out, I had about fifteen samples on my kitchen table, and my Great Dane decided they would be good to graze on… All of them. Yes, the vet’s dog does stupid stuff, too. I didn’t discover this disaster until the next day. You know what happened? Absolutely nothing. She was fine. So, they are safe for almost all dogs. But if your pet eats a bunch of flea medications, definitely contact your vet! The biggest side effect is an upset stomach. There is also some concern for dogs with a history of seizures, so make sure to speak with your veterinarian.