1 Answer

5) How long does Capstar work for once it has been given?

Capstar flea medication is rapidly excreted via the urine and does not last for very long in the animal's body (Nitenpyram is non-cumulative and has no long term, residual activity). Capstar flea medication needs to be given daily to maintain an ongoing 100% flea-kill effect, otherwise the fleas developing and hatching out of the environment will soon invade the pet once again. 

A 2003 article published in the Journal of Medical Entomology showed that Nitenpyram killed 100% of all adult fleas on the host animal at the time of treatment and that it maintained this 100% kill effect throughout the first 24 hours immediately following dosing (i.e. new fleas that jumped onto the animal within the first 24 hours died also). Between days 1 and 2 following a single Nitenpyram dose, adult flea numbers were still found to be decreased by 98.6% (i.e. the Capstar flea medication was still highly effective up to 48 hours after dosing). Following day 2, however, flea control with Capstar flea treatment was greatly reduced, with only a 5% reduction in flea numbers recorded. Thus, it can be said that Capstar flea medication is massively effective at killing fleas in the first 24 hours after dosing and that its effectiveness is probably still quite high even 48 hours after dosing. 

Capstar flea treatment is often given as a once-off dose to achieve a high-level, rapid knock-down effect on adult fleas crawling on the dog or cat. Although the Capstar product could quite easily be given daily to maintain this flea killing effect, most owners generally follow the initial dose of Capstar up with another, long-lasting (monthly) flea control product. This is because of convenience (daily tableting is inconvenient and often quite tricky in small dogs and cats) and cost (with daily dosing, you'd be mowing through just over a packet of Capstar per week and that's if you only had one animal). 

Read more here>>http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/capstar-flea-medication.html#capstar-long