A Vet’s Insight - Are Fleas Becoming More Strong Or Immune to Treatments?

According to recent survey after the heat wave had swollen down, some pet owners think that the flea treatments are not working. Added to this, over the past few years, reports from animal shelters as well as dog and cat owners around the country state that the bloodsucking critters are getting more and more stubborn to control, despise the use of effective flea and tick treatments.

However, on the other side of the picture, vets and researchers say that the product can work properly only when it is used optimally. Lack of proper usage, pet owners making mistakes or having too high expectations from treatments can definitely disappoint them.

Pet owners say that in spite of applying the flea spot-on, they find the fleas are just coming back and causing the infestation. As the pooch have been already treated, owners try to turn on to other products such as flea bomb, flea baths, natural remedies for fleas and even flea spray for the surroundings but nothing works.

When one product does not work, pet parents switch to other product to resolve the problem and sometimes, it works and then they decide to stick to it.

Usually, veterinarians hear such stories but there is no solid proof that how come one product works perfectly well on one animal and the same product lacks the efficacy to treat the problem on the other pooch.

Well, to give solid support to this theory here we have come up with the profound explanation.

Numerous studies have been carried out on the efficacy of flea treatments. There are some regions where heavy flea infestations prevail, particularly in the southeastern United States. Here flea populations are strong and some products do not work, which were working few years back. On the other side of the coin, in most parts of the country, these flea treatments work perfectly. So, the most imperative thing is to educate consumers on the right way to use the products and what they can expect as the end result.

As Dr. Dryden says, “Most of us, by the time we start treating fleas, our homes are already infested.” Once infested, no home can be free from flea infestation in one week as it can take several weeks or months to clear it. For complete elimination, it can take time that has nothing to do with resistance.

Even when pets are treated for fleas, outbreaks can occur. It can be anything from a number of reasons including – missing a monthly preventive, exposing your pet to heavy infected area without protection or lack of cleanliness at homes. At times, specifically in pets with long hair, a topical treatment may not have been applied properly or may have unwittingly washed off before it has been completely seeped in. Therefore, many times fleas come back. Moreover, pet parents lack knowledge that pets that come in contact with infected animals are not resistant to fleas as most long lasting monthly flea treatments do not repel new fleas.

As Dr. Cain said that what most pet owners comprehend as resistance may not be true resistance. Topical treatments are in use since 1990 to control fleas. These are applied to the skin to treat fleas and prevent infestation. Moreover, new flea control products are coming in time by time bringing in new methods such chewable tablets, flea collars and flea spray to treat these parasites.

Not only this, sometimes, flea bloom is also responsible for sudden flea infestation. Flea bloom is a sudden outburst of fleas which mostly occurs in a rainy summer. During a flea bloom even the protected pet with flea treatment is most vulnerable to infestation. Even before owners have caught sight of fleas on their pets, they have got infested. Normally, flea products don’t work instantly and it is much difficult when there is sudden heavy influx of these blood-sucking creatures. And during such flea bloom people see these parasites and conclude that the flea treatments are not working.

But, during such times, people need to have patience and allow the product to do its work. If you missed a treatment, then definitely it will take a longer time to get rid of these parasites. It will take a little time as three weeks or a longer period as several months for the flea treatment to work and control fleas for an untreated animal.