Control of fleas on dogs and cats and in homes with the combination of oral lufenuron and nitenpyram.

Efficacy of lufenuron (Program, Novartis Animal Health, Greensboro, NC), an insect growth regulator, and nitenpyram (Capstar, Novartis Animal Health), an insecticide for reducing flea populations, was evaluated in 35 flea-infested dogs and cats residing in 18 households in Tampa, Florida. Pets were randomly allocated by household to two treatment groups. Pets in both treatment groups were given lufenuron orally according to label directions on Day 0, then once a month for 3 months. Pets in one group were also given nitenpyram tablets by the owner orally once a day every other day. Pets in the second group were given nitenpyram by their owners as needed but no more frequently than once daily. Flea numbers on pets and in homes were assessed throughout the study by the use of visual body area counts and intermittent-light traps, respectively. The combination of lufenuron and nitenpyram reduced flea populations on pets by at least 97.3% within 7 days and maintained this rate of reduction in flea numbers for the duration of the study, regardless of which regimen was used for administering nitenpyram. For either group, premise flea counts were reduced by up to 89.5% by Day 28 and by as much as 100% by Days 84 to 90.