Why are fleas still alive after treatment?

This means that, regardless of which flea treatment is used, we may still see new fleas on our pets before the flea treatment kills them. So, even if the treatment kills all fleas on a pet within 6 - 24 hours (depending on the speed of kill of the product you’re using), the next day new fleas could jump onto the pet.

As new arrivals, the clock is reset, meaning this fresh batch of fleas will themselves take up to 6 - 24 hours to be killed. And so on, every time a pet goes into an area where fleas are present. The important thing is that these newly arriving fleas are being killed by the treatment in the time specified on the product label – and crucially, before they have a chance to lay eggs.

Therefore, when choosing a flea treatment, it’s important to remember they’re not all the same. Some products only kill fleas that are on your pets. Others can also stop the eggs that fleas lay from hatching in your home or can kill fleas before they have a chance to lay eggs – key factors in helping avoid future infestations.

FRONTLINE PLUS^® stops flea eggs from hatching in the home. Whereas FRONTPRO^® and FRONTLINE TRI-ACT^® kill fleas before they have a chance to lay eggs.

There are two other reasons for this.

One is that some flea treatments make fleas more active before they die. For example, the ingredient in FRONTPRO^® and FRONTLINE^® products kills fleas by making them hyper-excited. This makes them move around up to the top of the pet’s hair where they’re easier to spot. So, seeing fleas more after treatment is often a sign the product is working, strange as that might sound.

The other reason is, as mentioned above, fleas will still jump on pets from an infested environment. So, if your pets go somewhere that’s scattered with flea life stages – such as gardens, parks or even other homes if there’s an infestation going on – new fleas will keep jumping on the treated pet. But don’t worry, these new arrivals will be killed as long as the pet is treated.

The fleas on a pet are just 5% of the problem.

95% are in the environment as flea eggs, larvae and pupae. That’s why it’s crucial to treat the pet’s home environment as well as the pet.

Seeing fleas after treatment isn’t really about how long it takes for flea treatment to work or for fleas to die. It’s about the number of life stages in the pet’s environment that develop into new fleas and jump on a pet. That’s why it’s important when considering flea prevention for dogs and cats to maintain the correct treatment in accordance with your pet’s lifestyle.

This helps our pets stay healthy and it helps stop flea infestations from developing – a win-win for us pet parents and our furry family members.