LINCOLNTON ANIMAL HOSPITAL

NEW FLEA AND TICK

MEDICATIONS

This season we are recommending 2 new medications for fleas and ticks.

The first is a medication from Ft. Dodge called Promeris. It kills fleas and ticks in dogs and fleas in cats. It is applied topically on the skin between the shoulders of dogs and on the back of the head/neck on cats. It can be used in patients as young as 8 weeks old and is applied once monthly. It takes about 12 hours to dry and until it is dry, it has a strong eucalyptus smell on dogs and a coconut smell on cats. You should not apply the dog product on a cat. Pets can be bathed with the product on but we recommend not to bath or swim for 2 days after application. The tick product in the dog Promeris is an extremely effective product that has previously only been available in a collar or dip form.

The second product that is for dogs only is a flea medication made by Eli Lilly called Comfortis. It is a beef flavored chewable tablet that is given monthly. It can be given to dogs 14 weeks of age and older. It starts working within 30 minutes to kill fleas.

We still prefer and recommend the topical medication called Revolution for cats. It is applied to the skin on the back of the head/neck once monthly and is a great multi purpose medication. It kills fleas, ear mites, controls hookworms and roundworms, and is a heartworm preventative. Yes, cats need heartworm prevention too. We are seeing more and more cases of feline heartworms and they are a rising cause of sudden death in cats. We cannot treat cats for adult heartworms like we can dogs so prevention is the key.