It used to be that flea control was a labor intensive, time consuming chore that had to be repeated on a weekly basis. The best products available at the time were horrible smelling, messy dips and shampoos, or flea collars that only succeeded in keeping fleas off the animal's neck. We've come a long way!

Today the market is saturated with flea and tick control products that are easy to use, safer than they've ever been, and require only a minimum of labor on the part of the pet owner. Once-a-month spot-on application and you're good to go, right?

So why are you still having a flea problem?

First, let's make sure it's a flea problem. Just because your pet scratches a lot doesn't neccessarily mean it's because of fleas. Allergies, dry skin, fungal infections and mange are other common causes of itchy skin in pets.  If it's a flea problem, there should be evidence of fleas - more than 5 live fleas seen anywhere on the pet or in the environment, or "flea dirt" (brownish-red specks of grit) on the animal or in their bedding.  If you don't see those things, your pet may have a different problem.

Flea Life Cycle

To understand how to effectively control fleas, it helps to know a little about the flea's life cycle.  An adult female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, which fall off the host animal into the environment and begin hatching in about a week.   The flea larvae that hatch spend another week crawling around, feeding on flea dirt, until they form a cocoon and pupate.  The pupae, given the right envirnmental conditions (warmth and humidity), will turn into adult fleas and emerge in about 7 days.  The cycle begins again when these new adult fleas jump on the nearest acceptable host and begin feeding.

Effective Flea Control

The best flea control products, like Frontline Plus, aim to control fleas with both an adulticide (to kill adult fleas) and an insect growth regulator (IGR) to prevent eggs from hatching.  Those are the easiest stages of the flea life cycle to control, and it's important that whatever spot-on product you choose contains these essential ingredients. 

Although it's not always neccessary when using spot-on treatments, sometimes it's helpful to treat the environment as well.  Your local home and garden store probably carries many inseciticide treatments for your lawn.  For best results, look for a product that contains IGR, and repeat treatment according to the label directions.

When Flea Control Fails

Flea control failure is defined as a persistent infestation that lasts more than 60 days with all 4 life stages of the flea present (egg, larva, pupa and adult).  If you see some adult fleas on your pet (5 or less), it's possible these are newcomers that your pet picked up on a walk, or a trip to the park, etc.  It may not be an indication of a true infestation.  If you're using a spot-on treatment, like Frontline Plus, these fleas will likely be dead in a matter of hours.

Once a flea problem has been identified and proper control has been implemented, it can take up to 3 months to eliminate it.  If you have a persistent flea infestation that lasts longer than 90 days there may be a problem with one or more of your flea control measures.

Common Reasons for Flea Control Failure

The number one reason flea control fails is improper application of the product. Topical spot-on products must be applied directly to the skin. If you have difficulty because of a heavy undercoat, try applying the product in your pet's armpits where there is less hair (1/2 application under each front leg). The skin is more sensitive there, so if irritation develops, discontinue that technique and consider shaving a tiny spot between the shoulder blades or at the base of the tail for future applications.

Make sure the weight range of the product is appropriate for your pet.  If you're not sure, get your pet weighed.  Also, do not split applicators between two or more pets.  Use one weight-appropriate application per pet to ensure effectiveness.

Apply the product as often as the label recommends.  Frontline Plus can be effective against fleas for up to 3 months in some situations, but typically it needs to be applied monthly.

Other Tips

Use a soap-free shampoo when bathing your pet.   Detergent based shampoos strip the skin of oil and reduce the effectiveness of spot-on treatments.  Many people make the mistake of using baby shampoo which is highly alkaline.  Instead, use an oatmeal shampoo which contains no detergents and moisturizes the skin rather than stripping it of oil.

Do not apply a topical spot-on flea treatment within 48 hours, either before or after, a bath, no matter what shampoo you use.  Pets do not have the same amount of sweat and oil-producing glands in their skin as we do, so it takes their body up to 48 hours to return the skin pH to a normal neutral state after a bath has washed off some of the natural oils.  Spot-on treatments rely on a neutral skin pH to spread rapidly and completely across the top skin layer.

Apply the product to all household dogs and cats, not just the ones that go outside.  Even the best topical flea treatments take hours to do their job.  If a treated pet comes inside with even one adult female flea, she can find her way to the non-treated pet in a matter of minutes.

Some people make the mistake of thinking a spot-on treatment will repel or kill fleas within minutes, or that they should never see fleas on their pet when they use these types of treatments.  These misconceptions may lead you to believe you have a flea problem when you don't.  Have realistic expectations and understand that fleas from the environment will jump on your pet and it can take hours for them to die after exposure to a spot-on flea treatment.