Holy jumping beans…oh wait, just fleas

I saw several cases of flea allergy dermatitis today (skin infection due to allergy to flea saliva). This condition is easily preventable with very good flea control. Please make sure to keep your dog and cat on monthly flea control. For dogs, my preference is Trifexis which gets fleas, heartworm, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. It’s oral (needs to be given with food or yucky tummy occurs). For cats. I like oral Comfortis. It works just like the Trifexis but only gets fleas. It’s not FDA approved for cats, but has been used worldwide by veterinarians on kitties who can’t stand the topical stuff including my own cats (I prefer the small dog size). There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet about these products (likely planted by competition) with it killing small dogs. Haven’t lost one yet. I’ve seen lots of deaths from other over the counter products….poor Jacques, may he rest in peace, was my last. Other than vomiting (12% reported side effects, which seems to subside with repeated monthly dosing) I have had zero side effects in my patients. There are two major contraindications: a drug called ivermectin and pets with pork allergies when using these products. Like many flea products, it should be avoided in pregnant and nursing pets. It does not protect against ticks according to the label but some studies have shown effectiveness for 9 days and some veterinarians claim no ticks for up to 18 days (which is about equal to all other tick products other than Preventic and Scalibur tick collars). Because it is oral, it is 100% waterproof though and works in about 30 minutes after administration.