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Kills Fleas |
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Repels Fleas |
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Kills Flea eggs and Larvae |
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Kills Ticks |
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Repels Ticks |
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Kills and/or Repels Mosquitoes |
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Prevents Heartworm |
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Other Parasites Information | NA | Eliminates infestations with chewing lice, aids in the control of sarcoptic mange infestation | |
Waterproof (shampooing once a week can reduce effectiveness) |
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NA |
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Safe for pregnant or nursing Pets |
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Consult with your veterinarian before using this product on debilitated, aged, pregnant or nursing animals. |
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How long does it take to work | Reapply Activyl every 30 days. | Starts killing fleas in 30 minutes, and kills 98-100% of fleas in 12 hours. | Starts working in 1 hour |
Taste | Applied to skin | Topical application | Applied to skin |
Active Ingredient(s) | indoxacarb | Spinetoram | Fipronil and Cyphenothrin |
RX Required |
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Dosage | |||
Usage |
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Video | Coming soon | Coming soon | Coming soon |
Vet Review | Another recently available new topical flea preventative for dogs and cats. This new product works by being activated by only the flea's enzyme systems into a flea specific mechanism which paralyzes and kills the adult flea. The company claims that it does not get into the blood stream, but stays only in the superficial skin layers of the pet. Any adult fleas which come into contact with this product are quickly killed so that fleas do not have to actually bite the pet, which is tremendously helpful in those flea-allergic pets, where it only takes a few flea bites to set off an extensive itchy allergic reaction. Another wonderful benefit of this product is that it is waterproof, which is especially helpful in those active outside pets who are exposed to rain or like to swim. This effective product starts working within 12 hours of application, where over 90% of adult fleas are killed. Another excellent benefit of this product is that it also inhibits the development of flea eggs and larvae in the environment, which is a big bonus since much of the flea life cycle occurs in the home environment. While Activyl is very safe and effective for most pets, I have seen occasional rare reactions in sensitive pets, which most commonly is seen as irritation or excessive itchiness at the site of application. While the company says that it is odorless, some of my clients have said that they do sense an odor within the first several days of application, as well as leaving an occasional oily film for the first day or two following application. This film, however usually quickly disappears. The only other very rare reactions include digestive upset and/or drooling/neurological reactions, and certainly if a pet has any chronic digestive weaknesses or history of seizures, etc then the local veterinarian should be consulted before applying the product. I give this product an overall rating of 4, with an ease of use of 4. | Fleas are easily the most common external parasite that plague cats throughout the country. Fleas have been shown to not only cause weakness and anemia in affected cats, but also transmit dangerous infectious diseases, including bartonellosis, an also increasing threat to humans. Cheristin is made with the same main ingredient as Comfortis for cats, and acts uniquely on the nervous system of the flea. Unlike flea prevention tablets, Cheristin starts killing fleas within 30 minutes and almost 100 percent of fleas within 12 hours. With the easy to use applicator, this product has been shown to be quite effective for one month. The most common, yet rare side effect I have seen in cats is an allergic reaction or hair loss at the site of application, and even less commonly vomiting and lethargy. It is an excellent and fast acting, effective product with an overall rating of a 4.5 with an ease of administration of a 5. | Parastar Plus combines the proven performing main ingredient of fipronil with cyphenothrin, which allows for more rapid killing and treatment of fleas, ticks, certain mites, and lice. This combination allows for this topically applied product to begin killing within an hour. In my experience, most of my clients have reported higher efficacy and better satisfaction for tick control over fleas. It seems to be easier to dispense out of the applicator over competitor products, and especially with lighter colored dogs the product does not seem to stain. However on occasion, I have seen a sensitive darker coated dog have some mild bleaching at the site of application. With some longer haired dogs, I have seen it leave an occasional slightly sticky spot at the site of application as well. Like many of the competitor products, it is touted as waterproof, however, I try and recommend that clients do not bathe dogs for 2 or 3 days before or after application, as some feel that this may affect the efficacy of the product. In my experience, I have found that this product is better at preventing problems rather than controlling already heavy flea infestations, in which case I usually will go to one of the newer oral tablets for flea/tick control that usually kill rapidly within 30 minutes. Another limitation of the product is that you can't use Parastar Plus on less than 4-pound dogs, which is an added benefit of topical prescription products like Revolution. As with any product of this type, occasional itchiness, and/or irritation/agitation from applying the product may be seen, but I find this side effect less common than with competitor products. It is also important for clients to understand that it is critical, especially with heavy flea infestations, to also focus on treating the environment as well. Overall this product has performed better for tick control and prevention than for fleas. I give it an overall rating of a 3, with an ease-of-application rating of 4.5 out of 5. |