Controlling Fleas in Labrador Retrievers

The ordinary flea (called the cat flea - scientific name Ctenocephalides felis)is the leading cause of itching and scratching in Labrador Retrievers. Fleas survive by jumping onto a host animal, cutting open their skin, and feeding on the blood. In many Labrador Retrievers, the bites cause only a mild itch, but a heavy infestation in a Labrador Retrievers puppy or small Labrador Retriever can cause severe anemia and even death.

Some Labrador Retrievers develop a marked hypersensitivity to the saliva of fleas and experience intense itching which results in skin abrasions, hair loss, and secondary pyoderma. Fleas are also an intermediate host for tapeworms.

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Flea infestation in Labrador Retrievers can be diagnosed by finding fleas on the Labrador Retriever or by seeing black-and-white, salt-and-pepper-like grains in the Labrador Retriever's coat. These particles are flea feces (the “pepper”) and flea eggs (the “salt”). Fecal material is made up of digested blood. When brushed onto a wet paper, it turns a reddish brown.

The adult flea is a small dark brown insect about 2.5 millimeters in size and can be seen with the naked eye. Although fleas have no wings and cannot fly, they do have powerful back legs and can jump great distances. Fleas move through the hair rapidly and are difficult to catch. Run a fine-tooth flea comb through the hair to look for fleas on your Labrador Retriever’s back, in the groin, and around the tail and hindquarters. Itching is most pronounced in these areas.

Advantage kills fleas on direct contact and may reduce hatching eggs and larvae. Following application, 98 to 100 percent of adult fleas are killed within 12 hours. Thus, any new fleas that infest the Labrador Retriever should be killed before they have a chance to lay eggs. This breaks the flea life cycle and eventually eliminates fleas in the environment. Advantage is not absorbed into the Labrador Retriever’s system, and therefore is nontoxic. Humans do not absorb the chemical after petting a treated Labrador Retriever. Advantix is a new formulation that also acts against ticks.

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One drawback of Advantage is that it loses some of its effectiveness if the Labrador Retriever’s coat becomes thoroughly wet more often than once a week. If this happens, the Labrador Retriever can be retreated as often as once a week.

Frontline and Frontline Spray contain the active ingredient fipronil,which kills fleas on contact within 24 to 48 hours. The fleas do not need to bite the Labrador Retriever to be killed. Frontline is a liquid that comes in tubes and is applied as described for Advantage. The effectiveness of Frontline is not diminished if the Labrador Retriever’s coat becomes wet. The product has a residual effect that lasts up to 90 days in some dogs. Like Advantage, Frontline is not absorbed and thus appears to be nontoxic. One additional benefit is that it also kills ticks for up to 30 days.

Frontline Plus has (S) methoprene, which is labeled to kill adult fleas, flea eggs, and larvae. It also treats chewing lice and is used as part of a program to control sarcoptic mange.

The heartworm preventive Revolution (selamectin) is a once-a-month liquid preparation applied to the skin of the dog’s neck between the shoulder blades, as described for Advantage. It also controls adult fleas and prevents flea eggs from hatching.

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