Both cats are now over 5 lbs. My postal scale no longer can weigh them unless I "tare" it with a known weight of 5 lbs. or less. Meanwhile, they have fleas.http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=658
| Compare! | bioSpot SPOT ON® |
Advantage® | Frontline® | Frontline Plus® | Capstar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kills Adult Fleas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes for 24 hrs. |
| Repels Adult Fleas | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Kills Eggs & Larvae | Yes | Kills Larvae | No | Yes | No |
| Controls Flea Development |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Repels & Kills Ticks (Lyme Disease vectors) | Yes | No | Kills Only | Kills Only | No |
| Repels & Kills Mosquitoes (Heartworm, West Nile Virus vectors) |
Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Administration | Topical | Topical | Topical | Topical | Oral Pill |
| Treatment Dosage |
Monthly | Monthly | Monthly | Monthly | One-Time |
| Minimum Age | For Cats 12 wks & older |
For Cats 8 wks & older |
For Cats 12 wks & older |
For Cats 8 wks & older |
For Cats 4 wks & older 2 lbs. or more |
| Active Ingredients | Methoprene IGR & Etofenprox | Imidacloprid | Fipronila | Fipronil & Methoprene | Nitenpyram |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitenpyram
Nitenpyram is an insecticide used in agriculture and veterinary medicine to kill insect external parasites of livestock and pets.
In veterinary medicine, it is used orally with dogs and cats to control fleas, often under the trade name Capstar.[2] After ingestion, it begins killing fleas within 30 minutes and kills every adult flea on the pet within 4 hours. The effects of this pill are approximately 24–48 hours. Nitenpyram is safe to use on puppies and kittens as young as four weeks old so long as they weigh at least 2 pounds (0.91 kg). However, panting and excitement have been noted in cats within 2 hours of Capstar administration.
Nitenpyram is a neonicotinoid, which means that it is a neurotoxin that blocks the ability for neural messages to transmit through the central nervous system of the flea causing (almost) instant death.
It has no long-term residual activity and therefore is not effective as a longer-term flea preventative. It is usually used to kill adult fleas quickly on an infested animal to give immediate relief for a day. It is then usually followed up with some other longer-term flea preventative to prevent reinfestation. In heavily infested animals, it can cause extreme itching as the fleas die; this almost always resolves on its own.
It is often used as part of the protocol in treating environmental infestations.
http://www.capstar.novartis.us/
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-City-Animals-Nitenpyram-Flavored/dp/B008NXB32A
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/nitenpyram
Yes Capstar is pretty cheap, but does not help with killing fleas in your house. The fleas will die on your pets, but then the other fleas will just come back.
