Comfortis for Dogs

Comfortis is a prescription medication that kills and controls fleas on dogs. It is given once a month and protects against fleas for a full 30 days.

How to use Comfortis

Comfortis for dogs is easy to use-just give the tasty, beef and liver flavored chewable to your dog once a month in association with a full meal. Most dogs gobble it up and think it is a treat. It does require a prescription from a veterinarian before purchasing.

How it works

Dogs can pick up fleas from many places in their environment, and once fleas make their way into your yard and house, they can be challenging to eliminate. The adult fleas live on your dogs and cats and drink their blood, and then they lay tiny eggs on your pet, which fall off all over your house and yard. The eggs hatch and produce larvae, which go through a pupa stage and then turn into new adults.

Under optimal conditions (warm and humid), the entire flea life cycle can be completed in two to three weeks, and a single adult flea making its way into your home can lay 50 eggs a day for up to three months. That's a lot of fleas.

Comfortis rapidly kills all adult fleas on your dog; some studies have shown it could eliminate all of the fleas within four hours. It then continues to kill adult fleas for up to thirty days. Since the fleas are killed immediately, they can't lay new eggs and this breaks the cycle of the current flea infestation. It also prevents the dog from bringing in new live adults from outside.

Safety

Comfortis is safe for use on both cats and dogs. It can be used on dogs older than 14 weeks of age that weigh at least five pounds. Side effects are rare; some dogs vomit, develop diarrhea, or get itchy. In extremely rare cases, some dogs have exhibited signs of lethargy, twitching, incoordination, drooling, confusion, and even overt seizures.

Since the medication is taken orally and not placed on the dog's fur, it cannot affect children or adults who play with the dog, and it cannot be washed off.

Use in conjunction with other medications

Comfortis is safe when used in conjunction with medications used to prevent heartworm that do not contain ivermectin. Using Comfortis concurrently with ivermectin-containing products may increase the risk of severe side effects.