Lufenuron

If you own a cat or dog, no doubt at one time or another you have been on the front lines of a seemingly endless war against fleas and/or ticks. You bathe, dip, collar, and spray, but still the enemy advances, sometimes infesting your entire house and yard. Frustrated, you pile on the chemicals, combining different products, only to find you have sickened your pet, maybe even your family.

For decades, this scenario has played out, especially in areas hospitable to fleas, such as the Southeast and California. Add the fact that pet populations have been increasing rapidly in recent years, and it's no wonder that annual expenditures on flea and tick remedies have reached nearly $1 billion. But fleas and ticks have survived for millions of years, and despite our arsenal of powerful chemicals they have always seemed able to retain the upper hand. Until, that is, chemical companies began making some serious advances in new product development. Early results of this determination to build a better product are now in, and at least where fleas are concerned, the tide appears to have turned.

"I think we are looking at a new era in flea control with these compounds," says veterinarian Richard Anderson, staff dermatologist at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, a division of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals/American Humane Education Society. Anderson is referring to the introduction of three flea-fighting chemicals to the market, lufenuron, imidacloprid, and fipronil, which are marketed under the brand names Program, Advantage, and Frontline. "These new products are not only effective; they are easy to use, long-lasting, and safe," he adds.

The first skirmish in the new high-tech battle against fleas began some two years ago with the introduction of Program, a kind of "birth control" for fleas that is given orally instead of applied to the fur. Program, an insect development inhibitor, suppresses the synthesis or deposition of chitin, a substance fleas need to produce eggs and larval shells. "It is given internally and gets in the pet's bloodstream, where it is eaten by adult fleas and becomes incorporated into the eggs," explains Roger Meola, a specialist in flea biology at Texas A & M University. "When the eggs are laid, the larvae are weakened, so that they cannot hatch without breaking their exoskeleton and dying."

Provided as a pill for dogs and as a pill or a liquid food additive for cats, Program is taken only once a month. Although the product breaks the chain of reproduction and eventually eliminates a flea problem, it has no immediate effect on adult fleas that may be on the pet or in the pet's environment. So scientists eventually came up with two additional products, Frontline and Advantage, to go after fleas. Not only are these new "adulticides" more effective and longer-lasting than traditional chemicals; a new method of application makes them safer for both pets and owners. Instead of having to spray, dip, or powder the animal all over, the owner applies a few drops monthly to the back of the neck; the products disperse safely over the entire body through the oils on the animal's skin. Both products disrupt the fleas' central nervous system function, resulting in death. Advantage also is larvacidal, making it useful in environmental control of fleas. Unlike Program, Advantage and Frontline kill fleas before they bite treated animals, providing an important benefit for flea-allergic pets.

Most experts agree that there are almost no drawbacks. Because Program is taken internally and the adulticides are dispersed on the animal's skin, pet owners now have many fewer worries about exposing themselves or their children to potentially toxic compounds. Still, if you are dealing with a major flea infestation, some attention to the pet's environment may be necessary to completely eradicate every flea.

"The problem is that for every adult flea living on the pet, there are probably 100 in varying stages of development in the environment," says Michael Dryden, a specialist in flea biology at Kansas State University. "A lot of people think that flea lays an egg and a little flea hatches out of that egg, but that's not what happens. In fact, the life cycle of a flea is much like that of a butterfly: the lane hatches from the egg, spins a silk cocoon, and develops into an adult flea inside the cocoon. The only difference is that when a butterfly comes out, it has wings, whereas a fleas has powerful jumping legs."

According to Dryden, all these stages of development take place off the animal, in the house or yard. Once the adult flea has hatched, it seeks a host and attaches itself to live out the rest of its life feeding on the animal's blood.

There are several products you can use to treat the environment, but you must take care to assure that they are not overused or combined incorrectly. "People still use dips, collars, sprays, and powders, sometimes combining several different products both on the animal and in the environment," says Richard Ford, a professor of veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University. "When such products are combined or overused, we have seen fatal reactions in pets."

According to Ford, some controversy has arisen because the new, more effective products are sold only through veterinarians. But, he notes, they are significant drugs for which people need the guidance of a professional in order to assure maximum effectiveness and safety. This is especially important if more than one of the products will be used at the same time or additional chemicals will be applied to treat the environment.

"Some people are bothered by the perception that veterinarians appear to be sequestering these drugs in order to generate profits," he says. "But like all drugs, in the wrong hands or used the wrong way, they can cause problems."

Technnology has also made advances in tick control that, according to Thomas Mather, a University of Rhode Island specialist in ticks and tick-borne diseases, "are tough to kill on animals. Of the newer products, only Frontline claims to be effective against ticks; there are, however, other products that can be used."

Although you can easily spot and remove most adult ticks during periodic examinations of your pet, younger ticks and the tiny deer ticks associated with Lyme disease are smaller and harder to see. Mather points out that pets who appear to lack energy or act arthritic may be suffering from Lyme disease. This ailment, which ticks can also transmit to humans, causes symptoms ranging from rashes and fevers to more serious complications, such as arthritis, nerve problems, and even heart trouble.

According to Mather, products such as Frontline and a tick collar called Preventic promise to kill ticks for several weeks. In areas where the disease is prevalent, however, owners may need to take extra precautions, frequently inspecting their pets to remove ticks, discussing the advisability of vaccinating the pet against Lyme disease, and perhaps using some of the more traditional insecticides.

In the end, most experts agree that, along with proper grooming and bathing, plus attention to the pet's environment, the new products can virtually eliminate the flea and tick problems of old. Still, whether you choose the new products or more conventional over-the-counter remedies, you need to carefully adhere to your veterinarian's recommendations and the product's instructions. Florida.

"Pet owners should be taking their animals to the vet on an annual basis and should be using their veterinarian as the expert in managing a flea problem," says Dryden. "With the new products available by prescription and others to treat the environment, we have, without a doubt, the most effective and safest methods of flea and tick control ever devised."

COPYRIGHT 1997 Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group