This ain't your mama's flea collar.
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| Seresto is the gray collar above the purple collar. |
This is Seresto, from Bayer, the makers of Advantage, Advantix and Frontline. Seresto came out earlier this year, after being on the market a year in Europe. Lulu has had it on about a month.
Seresto uses the same basic ingredient as the topicals, but the way this works, you don't have to apply it once a month, or as needed (who hasn't had to apply Frontline or Advantix more than once a month?). The collar slowly releases the active ingredient, Imidacloprid, to kill and fight off flea infestations.
Seresto also uses Flumethrin, a European treatment to repel and kill ticks.
If done right, Bayer Seresto Flea and Tick Collar
can last up to eight months.
The collar comes wrapped in plastic inside a tin. You shouldn't open it until you decide to put it on your dog.
Now the Bayer website says it kills fleas within 24 hours, but I found (and most people find, from the reviews I've read), that you really don't see a difference until about a week after. Also, you should probably wait a couple days after bathing a dog before putting the collar on for the first time.
I found after that first week it worked very well. Lulu has not had any problems with the collar. She also hasn't had any irritation from it, something that I understand can be a problem with collars. She doesn't scratch at it, and there's no redness or loss of hair.
Something else I've noticed -- Galadriel has stopped scratching. She is an indoor cat, but she has seemed to be a carrier of fleas in the past, so Lulu will still be dealing with fleas even when treated. And Galadriel is a pain in the butt to give treatment to.
Seresto, according to Bayer, not only kills fleas before eggs can be laid, but it helps curbs flea larvae in the dog's surroundings. Lulu's surroundings are every where in the house, and Galadriel shares them. I haven't seen a flea on the cat.
Pros:
- Seems to effectively kill and keep fleas off the dog.
- Doesn't require applying the treatment once a month -- Lulu hates when I tried to put the topicals on her, but I was not fond of giving her Comfortis, even though it worked well.
- Also provides protection against several kinds of ticks. Bayer also says it helps ward off tapeworm infections, chewing lice, and helps treat sarcoptic mange.
- Is easy to put on and doesn't bother the dog.
- You don't have to take it off to wash the dog.
- Works for up to eight months.
- Not greasy, or powdery.
- Seresto is a chemical treatment for fleas. I know many are not a fan of this. I live in Florida. I know it can be possible to naturally deal with fleas down here, but I have never been successful. I live in an apartment complex, so that makes it harder. I promise to look into more natural remedies at some point.
- Seresto lasts up to eight months. But in order to ensure that, you can't bathe the dog more than once a month. When that happens, it reduces the duration of the treatment to five months. With a beagle during the rainy season, that can be a problem. Not because of the rain, but because she likes to run in mud afterwards.
- Because of that issue alone, Seresto may not be economical for you. When comparing it to K9 Advantix II, it's more expensive than a six-month supply.
- Some vets suggest not putting flea and tick treatment on all the time. If you subscribe to this, you may not want something that get this.
Seresto is now available in stores everywhere, and you can check with your vet too. It comes in small dog (up to 18 lbs.), large dog (over 18 lbs.) and one for cats.
You can also buy Seresto on Amazon.com.
DISCLAIMER: I received a Seresto flea collar for free from Bayer at Global Pet Expo in Orlando in February.
