Capstar Flea Treatment Tablets vs. Frontline Gold Comparison

Capstar Flea Treatment Tablets

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Frontline Gold

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Frontline Plus

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Kills Fleas

Repels Fleas

Kills Flea eggs and Larvae

Kills Ticks

Repels Ticks

Kills and/or Repels Mosquitoes

Prevents Heartworm

Other Parasites Information

Eliminates infestations with chewing lice

Eliminates infestations with chewing lice, aids in the control of sarcoptic mange infestation

Waterproof (shampooing once a week can reduce effectiveness)

Not Applicable

Safe for pregnant or nursing Pets

How long does it take to work

Kills fleas in 30 minutes.

Starts killing fleas in 30 minutes

Kills Fleas within 12 hours and Ticks within 48 hours

Taste

Unflavored Tablet

Applied to skin

Applied to Skin

Active Ingredient(s)

Nitenpyram

Fipronil, S-methoprene, Pyriproxyfen

Fipronil/(S)-Methoprene

RX Required

Dosage

Monthly

Usage

Video

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Vet Review

This is a wonderful quick kill short duration flea adulticide that begins killing adult fleas within 30 minutes. It does not leave pesticide residue on the pet or in the home, and when combined with its sister product Program, offers an excellent non-pesticidal alternative for all around flea control to topical pesticides that some clients are concerned about. I have rarely seen any side effects in my clinical experience in using this product. I have used it up to once daily in flea infested animals, but more commonly I use it once or twice weekly during flea transmission season along with the once monthly Program product. Another wonderful advantage of this product is its safety in administering it to pregnant or nursing dogs, who can often be a big source of fleas to their nursing puppies or kittens. The biggest disadvantage to this product is that it only kills adult fleas, but this problem is easily circumvented by combining it with the Program product.

As most exterminators will tell you, the battle with external parasites and pests is an always evolving battle, as over time, parasites will develop partial resistance to products that had once worked almost perfectly in the past. This has been my experience with some of the older flea/tick formulations and has been reported by my veterinary colleagues and clients alike on occasion. While the older products are mostly still effective, companies are always researching new formulations to stay one step ahead of the development of resistance in the parasites. One of the latest formulations, Frontline Gold takes advantage of newer technologies and now has added an additional insect growth regulator, Pyriproxyfen, to its original formulation, to help enhance the efficacy of the Frontline plus product. The Frontline product is thus able to kill the next generation of flea larvae and eggs even more effectively by breaking the life cycle of the flea. The likelihood of flea immune resistance to this new triple action formula is thus significantly reduced. Given the increasing global warming seen in recent years, the expanding and increasing flea populations in heavily infested areas, however, do require a truly holistic approach by the animal guardian in treating the home, environment and yard for optimal flea control, as it is important to keep in mind that much of the flea life cycle still occurs in the home. While many clients find the more easily applied, self-puncturing tube dispensing method(often only requiring the use of one hand) to the old product, other clients find it difficult to see if all of the product has been dispensed from the colored tube. This new product, however, is quite effective, with only rare topical irritation at the site of the application an only rare complication. With that being said, I give this product an overall rating of a 5, with an ease of application of 4.

I find that the effective combination of an ingredient like fipronil, along with the insect growth regulator methoprene, provides the best spectrum of activity and protection against all stages of the flea life cycle from egg through larval stage on to adult. Because of these two main ingredients and their method of action, I find that clients don't have to treat the environment as much. I find that this product tends to be safer in smaller breed animals when compared to its competition. I find its tick efficacy quite good. The fact that it is waterproof also allows clients, whose pets swim frequently, to confidently use this product during the swimming months. I also find that this product works the longest for fleas, while some of the competitive products have to be reapplied before the end of the month. The lack of label efficacy against mosquitoes and flies, as well as the fact that this product does not repel fleas or ticks are the two main disadvantages. As with any insecticidal products, I find that every pet is an individual, in terms of which of the products works best on them. When I am dealing with more of a flea issue in a patient, this is the product I will likely reach for first.

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