There are two different forms of Vectra flea treatment, and it is especially important that Vectra 3D for dogs is not applied to cats.  The reason for this is that one of the main ingredients in Vectra 3D is permethrin, which if ingested by cats is highly damaging.  Vectra flea treatment is designed to be applied to the body of the animal, not ingested, but cats in particular are very diligent groomers so if they have it on their fur they will end up licking it off and causing harmful effects.  It is not harmful to dogs, however, so that is not a concern.

For dogs Vectra 3D is an effective product in giving lasting protection against fleas, only requiring reapplication every month.  It works by disrupting the life cycle of fleas by not allowing eggs to develop, so that no new fleas will grow.  Meanwhile the permethrin acts as a repellent, keeping more fleas or ticks from attacking your dog.  In order to get rid of the problem of fleas more permanently, however, it is necessary to keep the house, living quarters, pet’s bedding, and garden free of fleas and developing fleas.  Flea’s eggs fall off the host animal so that they can grow in their environment, and when they are in adult form they will be ready to hop onto your pet.  For this reason merely treating the animal in question for their fleas will not be effective, you must also treat their environment.  Vacuuming carpets and washing bedding are good starts, although to completely eradicate the problem you might have to also treat the carpets and garden with insecticides.  Alternatively there are natural and non-chemical solutions to this problem which have less potential to produce harmful side effects.

This applies to the complete treatment of cats as well as dogs of course.  In fact the Vectra flea treatment works in much the same way for cats as it does for dogs, with results seen within six hours in most cases, and lasting for about thirty days.  Again, this treatment interrupts the life cycle by terminating the eggs.  To be sure of good results, just make sure that your pet is completely dry before the treatment, so to be safe twenty four hours before the treatment.  They should also remain dry for twenty four hours after the treatment has been applied.  This may mean keeping the pet inside, but this is a good idea anyway as you do not want them coming into contact with a source of fleas outside your control.

Overall, Vectra flea treatment supplies long lasting effects against fleas and ticks.  If you can use natural or non-chemical treatments as an alternative, however, then this is in most cases preferable.  For more information see the “holistic flea treatment” section.