Kerry Flea Control

This article is based on several posts on KerryBlues-L.
Reprinted with permission from the posters.
Copyright © 2003 Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation

John Van den Bergh asked:
Has anyone on this list had any problems with Program flea control for Kerries?

Daryl Enstone responded:
At the Dr. Jean Dodds seminar I attended in May, Dr. Dodds mentioned that there are now some reports of adverse drug reactions in dogs to Program, but that most of the affected dogs were greyhounds or other sighthounds.

Then Deloris explained:
Program is a flea-control pill/liquid that contains lufenuron, a chitin synthesis inhibitor. Chitin in the protein that forms the outer skeleton of insects, as well as their eggs. Chitin is not manufactured by mammals. Whenever the insect molts, it dies of exposure since the new skeleton is compromised. In fleas, only juveniles (larvae) molt; adults do not molt. Therefore, Program kills larval fleas as well as 'fetal fleas' in the eggs. Program is stored in fatty tissues; this is the reasoning behind administration with a full meal. Program will not cure flea bite dermatitis since the flea must bite the animal to injest the poison.

I would not expect that Program would produce adverse effects in dogs or cats, but protein sythesis can be a strange thing. Seems that those sighthounds are very sensitive to many common drugs, so I'm not at all surprized that they are sensitive to Program.

Daryl gave us this information:
Dr. Dodds mentioned that the new Frontline Flea and Tick spray from Rhone Merieux is not absorbed into the body (the company did radiotracer studies), so I'm trying to find out if it is available in Canada yet. It is pretty new in the US.

Deloris responded:
[I] sprayed it on my body and I've yet to see a flea . Since Program does not prevent FAD, I need an additional method to prevent my dogs from eating themselves alive. Frontline (Fipronil) is a GABA agonist that sticks to the coat of the dog. I live in an area where we have fleas all year long, and I have yet to see a single flea upon my dogs this year. Rhone-Merieux is currently doing clinical trials of a application system much like Advantage: you place a few drops of this on the dog's shoulders and rump, and it spreads itself out over the entire body.

I would guess that there would be more adverse side effects to Frontline than to Program, since mammals do use the neurotransmitter GABA. However, the properties of the drug prohibit it from entering the brain, so the possibility of adverse effects are remote. Personally, I hate poisoning my dogs, and I feel that any of these products will shorten their lifespan, although I do not have any data to substantiate that claim. However, I have to make the choice between allowing my dogs to live in misery for 14-16 years or in comfort for 13-15 years. For me, the choice is obvious.

BTW, Frontline is also effective against ticks.