Top 3 Flea Control Pills for Dogs
Without effective flea control, fleas can multiply quickly on your dog.
In fact, female fleas lay between 20 and 50 eggs in a single day. And these eggs hatch quickly! The flea lifecycle can be dangerous as rapid reproductions, especially under warm conditions, can lead to horrible infestations.
Flea control pills are a great way to combat infestations. The options available fall into one of two categories- they either inhibit the larvae from spreading, or kill adult fleas.
After the flea pills are consumed by your pet, the ingredients mix with your pet’s bloodstream. The flea then ingests the medication when feeding on your dog.
Below are by far the best flea control pills that we’ve reviewed to date:
- Program Flavor Tabs:
- Sentinel Flea & Heartworm Pills:
- Capstar Flea Control Pills:
Program Flavor Tabs are the safest and most effective flea pills to protect your dog and cat from flea infestations for the long-term. They contain a powerful ingredient called Lufenuron, which is a flea growth inhibitor. This means that Lufenuron breaks the life cycle of fleas by preventing flea larvae from ever developing, rather than waiting to kill adult fleas. Program Flavor Tabs are a non-prescription product that you only have to give once-a-month. This makes it very easy for pet owners and they are beef flavored, so your dog will love them too!
The Sentinel flavored pills are designed specifically for dogs. Like Program’s Flavor Tabs, Sentinel contains Lufenuron and prevents flea infestations rather than killing them. Where the two products differ is Sentinel also contains the ingredient Milbemycin oxime, which guards against heartworms, roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. You only have to give Sentinel to your dog once-a-month, but it does require a prescription from your veterinarian. However, if you like the convenience of just one pill for both flea and heartworm control, it is worth calling your vet.
Using a potent compound called Nitenpyram, Capstar is both quite effective and quick at killing adult fleas. The compound affects a flea’s neurotransmission and kills it quickly. Capstar is a short-duration adulticide and cannot be used as a long term flea inhibitor. A single dose kills all adult fleas within 30 minutes, but there is the likelihood of a re-infestation. If you have a really bad infestation and want quick relief for your dog from fleas, then this product will help. However, you will want to follow it up with a product like Program or Sentinel for safe and effective long-term flea control.
It is important to note that there is no single cure-all pill for fleas. You need to utilize a robust flea control plan that protects not only your dog, but your home and yard as well. This means using flea control pills in combination with other methods like carpet powders and yard sprays.
These sound interesting but where would you buy them?
At the pet store? At the Vets? I’ve never heard of them all I know is my cat is allergic to the drops. My dog doesn’t seem to be flea free when I use the drops.. So I am looking for alternative soultions…