Frequently Asked Questions

The quickest way to kill a flea and tick is to apply an insecticide product directly to it. Shampoos and sprays work fast because they are applied directly to the entire coat, penetrating to the skin, where fleas and ticks are usually found.

It’s easy for pets to pick up occasional fleas during outings. The adults can be killed with insecticide products, but on-going flea egg control helps keep your pet’s home environment flea-free. Zodiac on-animal products, containing Precor, an Insect Growth Regulator, will kill flea eggs laid on the pet. Our premise control products will prevent flea eggs and larvae from developing for 7 months. Occasional fleas seen on the pet should only be a temporary nuisance when Precor®, an Insect Growth Regulator is used on your pets and in your home.

It’s a good idea to treat all the carpeting and upholstery in your home, at least one time, as a precaution. Flea eggs, the size of sand grains, are very rarely seen but easily spread by your pet. A female flea may lay as many as 40-50 eggs on your pet, per day. Your pet can deposit a multitude of flea eggs, just by being in any area of your home for a brief moment. In addition, the larvae that hatch out can migrate for several feet into areas your pet may never have actually been.

Carpet, upholstered furniture, pet bedding, and favorite pet resting areas should be targeted. Flea eggs are laid on pets and will drop off wherever the pets go. Mostly, we don’t see the flea eggs, or the pre-adults that later develop deep within the carpeting or in the crevices of the furniture. The larvae that hatch from the eggs will migrate further and seek out dark, hidden places. That’s why it’s important to treat areas like underneath furniture and in closets, even if your pet has not been in the exact spot. Zodiac premise control products are designed to penetrate to the base of carpeting and into crevices when applied to these areas.

When a flea comes into contact with the insecticide on a treated pet, it will typically take only a few minutes for the flea to die. However, some products, like our Zodiac PowerSpot Flea, Tick, and Mosquito Control for Dogs, will take about 24 hours to spread throughout the entire coat before it can give your dog whole body protection. We also have on-animal products containing Precor, an Insect Growth Regulator to kill the flea eggs that are laid right on your pet, before they can infest your home. All of our premise control products for your home contain an adulticide to quickly kill adult fleas and ticks, and an Insect Growth Regulator to prevent flea eggs and larvae from developing into adult fleas in your home.

Using two insecticide products on your pet, at the same time, will not kill fleas twice as fast. Each product is designed to contain just the right dosage of active ingredient to kill the fleas that come in contact with the insecticide. If you are continually seeing fleas, this usually means that your pet is being regularly exposed to infested areas. Rather than doubling up on the insecticide, we recommend the additional use of an Insect Growth Regulator, to kill flea eggs and larvae. All of our premise control products, and many of our on-animal products, contain an Insect Growth Regulator for long-term control of flea infestations.

Getting wet in the rain during a short walk should not interfere with the efficacy of any Zodiac product. The effectiveness of some products such as sprays and topicals could be reduced if bathed with a detergent soap or shampoo.

When fleas are first seen, bathing with a flea and tick shampoo is a great way to give your pet immediate relief. Bathing will quickly kill fleas, while cleansing the coat and removing flea dirt or waste product. Once the lather is rinsed, it will not continue to kill any new fleas that jump on your pet. Shampoos are designed for short term, quick results against adult pests. For longer term protection, we recommend following up with a product like a topical to provide residual control of adult fleas. One special Zodiac shampoo formulation contains an Insect Growth Regulator to control flea eggs. Our Zodiac Double Action Flea and Tick Shampoo will quickly kill adult fleas and ticks, while killing flea eggs for 28 days.

While most existing fleas can be killed fairly quickly, it is the newly emerging fleas that can delay complete control. If you already have a pretty advanced infestation both on your pet and in your home, it may take about 2–3 weeks after the initial application before complete flea eradication is realized. A second treatment of your home in about 2 weeks may be needed to kill the new fleas as they emerge from the protective cocoon of the pupal stage.

It’s not unusual to continue to see fleas for approximately 2–3 weeks after you’ve begun treating your pet and your home. This is known as the pupal window period. The protective cocoon of the pupal flea often enables it to survive home treatment. In order to be killed, fleas must first emerge from their cocoons and come in direct contact with the insecticide. These new adult fleas will be seen while they are being exposed to the products used on your pet and in your home. Re-treatment of your home in about 2 weeks should knock out the final generation of pupal fleas that have matured and emerged.

Even though it can be frustrating to see fleas, re-treating your home immediately will not solve the problem faster. The best strategy is to wait the full 2 weeks before re-treating. While your first treatment will kill existing eggs, larvae and adult fleas, new adult fleas already forming within protective cocoons will be seen after treatment. It usually takes about one to two weeks for pupal fleas to mature and emerge from cocoons. When you retreat in two weeks time, you’ll be able to quickly kill the remaining population and bring your infestation under complete control.

While you can’t prevent fleas in the environment from jumping on your pet, you can prevent them from infesting your home and your pet’s favourite areas. There are a variety of Zodiac on-animal products with an Insect Growth Regulator to prevent flea eggs from developing. Fleas lay their eggs on the pet, so on-animal egg control prevents infestation right at the source. Our premise control products will prevent pre-adult fleas from developing for 7 months. This will help prevent pre-adult fleas that may already be in the environment from maturing and jumping back on your pet.

All Zodiac products labeled to kill ticks will be effective but some formulations work faster or last longer than others. It can take as long as one to two days for a tick to die, once exposed to the ingredients. The quickest way to kill ticks is to expose them directly to a wet product like a shampoo or spray. While topicals may kill ticks a bit more slowly, they provide the longest term protection.

Once ticks infest a home, it can take several weeks before dramatic results are seen. Even if you’re consistently using a tick control product on your pet, you may see ticks from time to time. It’s very easy for pets to pick up ticks from infested areas indoors, as well as outdoor environments that we cannot control. You can help prevent an infestation of the home by using tick control on your pet throughout the entire season. If your home does become infested, we recommend weekly treatments until the infestation is brought under control.

Ticks can be found in a variety of places, but they are most prevalent in thickly vegetated areas outdoors. Many of the places we take our pets for recreation, like parks, wooded areas, and even our own back yards can be hotbeds for infestation. Some ticks thrive in dark, moist areas, underneath objects and plants, so they are often hidden from view. They are often found on vertical surfaces, like the sides of fences, trees or tall grass. Ticks can then easily attach themselves to a pet or person who is passing by.

Products that repel ticks, like Zodiac PowerSpot topical for Dogs or Zodiac Flea Spray for Dogs & Cats are extremely helpful in reducing the number of ticks your pet may pick up. Avoiding woody or grassy tick habitats will reduce your pet’s chances of encountering ticks. Checking your pet regularly for ticks will give you the best chance of finding and removing them before they can cause a problem.

Consult a veterinarian before using if your pet is aged, debilitated, pregnant, nursing or taking other medication.

Once the liquid has dried completely, it is okay for children and all family members to play with treated dogs or cats.

No, Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control products do not carry expiration dates. Our products will remain effective long after their date of manufacture when they are stored according to label directions.

Zodiac products are labeled for use on dogs and/or cats only. We would not recommend use on any other type of pet. When a flea and tick product is labeled for a specific type of pet, this means that the appropriate testing has been done to support safe and effective use on that particular animal. If you don’t see your type of pet on the label, we would recommend that you consult with your veterinarian for treatment advice.

Once dry, it’s okay for children and pets to play on carpeting, upholstered furniture and other treated areas in the home. Zodiac premise products are designed with the understanding that children will have close and direct contact with carpet and upholstery, the very areas that need to be treated for flea and tick control.

Some premise product labels give a specific time frame for re-entering the treated area, so the label should always be checked first. If the product label doesn’t give a re-entry time, then it’s okay for pets and people to return once the treated surfaces have dried. Our premise sprays dry so quickly, there isn’t really a specific amount of time that can be predicted in every situation. As a rule of thumb, we recommend waiting at least 20 minutes when using a Zodiac aerosol spray and 1 hour when using a Zodiac pump spray for the home.

Normal grooming after application is expected and should not be a problem when a product is used according to label directions. The amount of active ingredient in each dose is just enough to be effective against a flea, tick or other targeted insect. The pet, which is much larger than the targeted pest, should not be affected by this small amount of active ingredient. All of our products have been tested for use on dogs and/or cats, knowing they will groom themselves. Cats that actively groom or engage in close physical contact with recently treated dogs may be at risk of harm.

Treating wood floors, tile, linoleum and other smooth floorings/surfaces should not be necessary. Flea eggs and larvae rarely survive out in open, well-trafficked areas. Carpet and upholstery are the ideal environments for fleas in the home. We do recommend that you clean, mop and vacuum all floors, to remove any eggs that might have been deposited by your pets. Special attention should be paid to flooring underneath all furniture and other large objects, baseboards, as well as closets, storage areas, garages, etc. The more hidden, undisturbed areas could harbor fleas and should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any pre-adults that may be developing.