How does flea repellent work

Philippines English. Poland - Polska. Puerto Rico English. Republic of Singapore English. South Africa. Sweden - Sverige. Switzerland Suisse. Switzerland Schweiz. United Kingdom. United Arab Emirates English. United States. For Dogs.

For Cats. About Hill's. Media Press Releases Media Kit. Other Careers. Flea and Tick Medication: Oral vs. Topical Treatments. Published by. Oral Treatments Oral flea and tick medication treatments—which come as chewables or pills — are ingested by your pet, rather than applied to his body. The most common active chemicals in oral treatments include: Lufenuron: This compound does not kill adult fleas.

Instead, any larvae produced by the adults will not survive. It does not kill ticks. Spinosad: Spinosad only kills adult fleas, not ticks. It works by overstimulating the flea's nervous system, which causes its death. Using a spot-on flea treatment like Advantage helps protect your dog or cat against fleas and their irritating effects.

Find out how Advantage works. Buy Online. More of the good stuff. Reducing the chance of flea bites helps to protect your pet against the discomfort and irritation these pests can cause, and also helps limit the exposure to potential infections that can be carried by fleas. Imidacloprid kills fleas within 24 hours. Along with imidacloprid, Seresto flea and tick control collar also contains flumethrin, which repels and kills ticks.

The collar works for up to eight months, providing the longest-lasting flea and tick protection in a single application. Imidacloprid also kills flea larvae in the home environment, for example in carpets and pet bedding, helping to break the flea life cycle. Scrubbing your pet will only kill fleas on them at the time of bathing, so your pet will be at risk of re-infestation once the shampoo has been rinsed away.

If you do want to use a shampoo, ideally follow this up with a longer-term preventative flea treatment. The larvae spin cocoons around themselves, and after a period of time these hatch into new fleas ready to bite your pet and start the cycle all over again. Treating your home, as well as your pet, is an important part of getting on top of a flea infestation. Vacuum carpets. Wash all bedding.

Use a household flea spray. The most effective are veterinary approved household flea sprays. These handheld sprays enable you to pay particular attention to places flea eggs, larvae and pupae like to hide, such as under beds and furniture.

The active chemical is found in bacteria living in the soil. It should be used carefully in animals with epilepsy. Nitenpyram is an oral flea control product that is approved for use in both cats and dogs. It works by blocking nerve receptors in the insect, killing adult fleas on the animal in about 30 minutes.

It does not have a long-term effect, so it cannot be used for continuous flea control. This product is good for short-term trips to areas where fleas might be present -- such as dog parks, shows, trials, or boarding kennels. Remember that drugs are never without risk.

Whichever product or products you choose to use for parasite control, be sure to read the label carefully and get advice from your veterinarian if your animal is very young or old, is sick, or is debilitated. Home Dog Care Center. Published: May 20, Other Plant Extracts A few other plant-derived flea deterrents include rotenone, d-limonene, and linalool. Commonly Used Flea Treatment Chemicals Imidacloprid is a topical insecticide that works by blocking nervous system conduction in insects.

Oral Flea Control Chemicals Lufenuron is an oral product, meaning that it is ingested by the animal, rather than applied to the outer body as with the above examples. Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful? Yes No.