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 Pet Central
Q&A
Q: I’ve used flea
collars forever, and our new vet is telling us not to buy them. She blames
the flea collars for any fleas we’ve had over the years. I say, "We
live in the South," we’re bound to have an occasional problem. If
we do have fleas, we use a fogger. I’m afraid she wants to sell us a product
just so she can make a buck. Should I be looking for a new vet? — D.C.,
Spartanburg, S.C.
A: Assuming your
vet is recommending Advantage, Frontline or PROGRAM, you should be sending
her a thank you note, and you should buy the product she recommends. Even
in the deepest South, you can beat fleas. However, collars and
dips aren’t the way to go. In the long run, they’ll cost you more money
because as you suggest, if something doesn’t work, that means buying even
more stuff, sprays, foggers, or even hiring an exterminator.
Veterinary parasitologist
Dr. Michael Dryden, associate professor of veterinary parasitology at
Kansas State University, Manhattan, is a leading flea researcher. He explains
that collars, despite their continued popularity, don’t always work and
dips are totally unnecessary.
John Payne, vice
president sales and marketing at Bayer Animal Health Advantage in Shawnee
Mission, Ka., explains, "Some collars and all dips are based on an
older technology. At one time they may have been the best answer — they
were the only answer. Today there are better, safer alternatives. Certainly,
Advantage and Frontline are more effective choices than immersing an animal
into a chemical (dip)."
Dryden says he confidently
recommends either Frontline (a monthly spray or spot on product) or Advantage
(a monthly spot on product) to kill adult fleas and/or PROGRAM, a flea
birth control product (available in monthly pill for dogs or cats, liquid
suspension added to food for cats, or twice yearly injectable form administered
by vets for cats).
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