What is Comfortis Used For?

Fleas can be a real burden to our pets and can be nearly impossible to eliminate once the infestation has begun. If your pet has ever had fleas then you know that it can be a huge burden to treat. Topical solutions can be difficult to apply and can wash off or cause serious side effects. Pets may lick these treatments and become very ill from the toxic ingredients meant to kill fleas. Flea collars can be helpful, but some may irritate your pet’s neck.

One way to avoid these problems is to use a flea treatment that can be fed to your cat or dog orally. One such solution is Comfortis, a prescription strength medication that works to protect against fleas with chewable tablet that is easy to administer. These tablets not only kill fleas fast, but they also offer up to a full month of protection from the pests after administering a single tablet.

Flea infestations will often return after treatment due to the nature of the flea lifecycle. Some flea treatments kill adult fleas that are present on your pet, but flea eggs remain in your pet’s environment for weeks after this treatment and can then reinfest your pet once they have matured. Comfortis ensures that this can’t happen by killing fleas on your pet well past this period, ensuring that any fleas trying to reinfest your pet bite the bullet quickly.

How Does Comfortis Work?

Comfortis uses the active ingredient spinosad and is administered at a dosage of 13.5 mg per pound of your dog’s weight, or 22.5 mg per pound of your cat’s weight. Spinosad is an insecticide that activates certain receptors on the insect that causes involuntary muscle contractions and tremors in the insects that interact with it. Eventually, a flea that comes into contact with spinosad will experience paralysis and death. When Comfortis is administered, it has been shown to start killing fleas within 30 minutes of administration and to be completely effective within the first 4 hours.

As previously stated, fleas surviving in your pet’s environment may persist for sometime after this initial 4 hour period; however, households infested with fleas experience between a 98% and 99.8% reduction of fleas during a three month period of using Comfortis. This means that it’s possible to remove fleas from the environment by simply treating all pets in the household with Comfortis over a three month period.

Comfortis is available in five sizes and two formulations to ensure that you can find the perfect dosage for your cat or dog. Each chewable tablet is also flavored to make it easy to administer. The tablets can be fed before a meal or mixed in with your pet’s food. It’s also safe to administer these monthly tablets year-round to ensure that your pet stays protected. These features are exactly what make Comfortis one of the best flea treatments and preventives available.

Concerns and Solutions

Comfortis isn’t right for all pets and requires a prescription from your veterinarian. Comfortis for Cats is only safe for cats and kittens that are at least 14 weeks of age and that weigh at least two pounds. Similarly, Comfortis is only appropriate for dogs and puppies that are at least 14 weeks of age. Both cats and dogs may also experience adverse reactions when taking Comfortis. In well-controlled US field studies, Comfortis for Dogs and Comfortis for Cats were each shown to have no adverse reactions when used properly.

Adverse reactions occurred at a very low rate over a 3-month period, with less than 1% of dogs and cats in the study afflicted by these problems. Those cats that did experience side effects felt one or more of the following: vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, weight loss, and diarrhea. Dogs experiencing adverse effects had one or more of the following ill effects: vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, cough, polydipsia, vocalization, increased appetite, erythema, hyperactivity, and excessive salivation.

For alternative solutions to flea and pest problems, try Frontline Plus- which is available in formulations for both dogs and cats. This topical is available without a prescription and also offers a full month of protection from fleas that can be reapplied year-round. We hope this article has helped you determine if Comfortis is right for you- if you have any questions or concerns about Comfortis, we encourage you to leave a comment below!