What Is the Best Flea And Tick Treatment For Your Pet? Frontline vs Nexgard vs Revolution.
How do topical flea and tick treatments work?
After being applied to the skin surface, most topical medications are absorbed through the skin before the effect can be manifested. But there are also topical products that are not absorbed but rather dispersed along the external part of the skin and hair coat. To ensure optimum efficacy, it is recommended that you read the information material that comes with the product. It is also a good idea to consult with your veterinarian and follow dosage and administration instructions to the letter to prevent potential adverse reactions.
What is the frequency of application of flea and tick treatments?
Flea and tick preventatives are now formulated to suit a wide range of application schedules. Some brands, like Bravecto, offer longer protection and only need to be administered every 3 months. Frontline, Nexgard, and Revolution need to be given monthly for optimum protection.
Is there an “all-in-one” treatment?
Unfortunately, there’s no product that can give your pet cat or dog 100% protection against ticks and/or fleas. This is one important reason why veterinarians combine certain products to target and/or prevent endoparasites (fleas, ticks, ear mites, mange mites), heartworms, and intestinal parasites (hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms).
It is recommended that you work closely with your veterinarian in formulating a flea and tick preventive program that will give adequate protection to your pet not only during flea and tick seasons but throughout the year.
Fleas and ticks are the top external parasites that can infest cats and dogs. The demand for effective flea and tick products has led to a constant churning of new products every year so much so that pet owners can have a hard time figuring out which one is safe and effective for use on their pets.
Among the different flea and tick products that are available, some of the most popular are Frontline, Nexgard, Revolution, and Bravecto. Each of these products may have several variants and having a deeper knowledge about each can help ensure you’re getting value for your money while protecting your furry friends from fleas, ticks, and other parasites throughout the months of the year.
Here is a quick few lists to refer to for your pet’s healthcare needs:
There is no single best treatment for flea and tick infestations pets because there are several factors that can affect the efficacy, safety, and length of coverage of each product.
Are you treating for fleas and ticks, or just fleas or ticks?
You should have an idea of what parasites are prevalent in your area so you can protect your pet against it. But if there is already an existing infestation, there are some products that can offer protection and/or treatment of fleas and ticks.
If flea and/or tick infestation is already present in pet cats or dogs, Frontline Plus is highly recommended. It has 2 active ingredients–Fipronyl and S-methoprene. Fipronil works by attacking the central nervous system of fleas and ticks. It is stored in the sebaceous glands of a cat or dog after being applied. This can helps ensure long-lasting protection. S-methoprene is an insect growth regulator (IGR). It works by killing flea eggs and larvae and disrupts the life cycle of the flea and eventually preventing adult fleas from developing. After administration, it can kill fleas within 4-12 hours and ticks within 48 hours. Frontline plus is unable to repel fleas and hence is not good for preventing infestation.
Another popular flea and tick medication is Nexgard Chewable, which can be used for both prevention and treatment of fleas and ticks for dogs only. Its active ingredient, afoxolaner, is absorbed rapidly into a dog’s blood circulation and causes over-stimulation of the parasites’ central nervous system, causing 100% of fleas to die within 24 hours.
Another highly recommended treatment and prevention of flea and tick infestation is Revolution. Its active ingredient, Selamectin, treats and prevents infections of fleas and certain types of ticks in dogs. Unlike Nexgard Chewables, Frontline Plus, and Bravecto, Revolution is also effective in preventing heartworms, hookworms, and roundworms in cats.
Bravecto, contains the active ingredient Fluralaner. It works by inhibiting the nervous system of fleas and ticks. Fleas are killed within 2 hours after administration. Studies have shown more than 98% reduction of fleas and ticks within 12 hours. The length of protection extends for 12 weeks, which is a lot longer than the above products.
What flea and tick medication is easier for you to administer to your pet?
Both Frontline Plus and Revolution are topical products, which means they have to be applied to the skin of your pet. On the other hand, Nexgard can be given orally as it is available as a chewable tablet. Bravecto is available in oral and topical preparations. Take note, however, that at present, there is no oral medication that can be given to cats for prevention or treatment of ticks. Only topical medications are available.
Which is better– topical or oral flea and tick treatment?
Between oral and topical medications, many veterinarians prefer oral preparations because the effect is generally guaranteed if the cat or dog consumes the tablet or chew and doesn’t throw up soon after. As for topical treatment, application requires some skill and the medication will not work if the animal gets wet within the first 48 hours after application. Most topical medications are formulated to be applied to and absorbed through the skin to work. Applying a topical medication on the outer layer of the hair coat or any part of the coat will only render it useless.
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