Safety

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A contemplative dog looks curiously at the camera. Photo by Ava Witter

There is a risk associated with opting for the safest medications. Sometimes, these products may not yield as high of an efficiency in killing fleas and ticks and preventing diseases. It should be understood that a medication rarely will make a difference if it does not have any side-effects; this goes for humans as well. An example of a safe yet ineffective flea/tick medication is Bio Spot, which contains two relatively safe insecticides (etofenprox and methoprene) as well as a synergist (piperonyl butoxide).

Additionally, some medications are exclusive for specific species, ages, and sizes. For example, a cat’s physiological response to medications such as Bio Spot, K-9 Advantix, NexGard, Certifect, and Hartz First Defense will differ greatly from a dog’s response. This is due to a glucuronidase deficiency, an enzyme that breaks down synthetic pyrethroids in glucuronidation. Small pets (as well as puppies and kittens) also have a higher safety risk than large pets due to their specifically proportioned body. A dose for a large dog could be fatal to a small dog. Because of this importance in size, veterinarians usually postpone flea/tick treatment until the young pet has reached six weeks.

Although oral medications are typically much more effective, there is still a risk of your pet contracting a flea/tick borne disease. This is because the flea or tick must bite the pet and receive the medicine through the pet’s blood in order to die. There is still question about whether the oral medication works faster than the disease transmission.

Read more about the side effects of specific medications.