The Seresto Flea and Tick Control collar is a popular choice for dog and cat owners wanting to control fleas and ticks on their pets. Using an advanced polymer matrix, the active ingredients imidacloprid and flumethrin are stored within the collar itself. Utilising the natural oils in your pet's skin, Seresto steadily releases the active ingredients from head to tail, keeping them protected for 7-8 months.
However, sometimes it might seem as though your Seresto collar is not working as you might expect. There may be a few reasons for this.
1. You may own a fake Seresto collar
If your Seresto collar doesn’t seem to be effective against fleas or ticks, it may be a fake. Some popular online marketplaces offer Seresto collars at what might seem like good prices, but unfortunately these are often counterfeit. If it’s fake, the product is unlikely to contain the correct ingredients and you may not see the results you would expect.
You can be confident you have bought a genuine Seresto collar when you purchase from your vet or one of our official retailers.
If you’re concerned you have a counterfeit product or want to know how to spot fake product, read our guide.
2. Your pet has only just started wearing the Seresto collar
Once the collar is applied, activity against the cat flea (C.felis) starts immediately. Ticks will be killed and will fall off the pet within 24-48 hours. We would generally recommend removing any ticks that are already attached; if you’ve spotted a tick on your pet, use our guide to removing ticks. However, once your pet has been wearing their collar for 48 hours, new ticks that jump onto your pet and try to attach will be actively repelled and killed.
However, if your pet has brought fleas into the home, it’s likely you will need to treat your home for an infestation as well as your pet. This is because by the time we notice fleas on our pets, it is often the case that the flea population is well established within our homes.
It’s believed that about five per cent of the flea population is found on our pet and the other 95 per cent is within the home environment at different life cycle stages: eggs, larvae, pupae and adult fleas.
Because of this, it can be normal to see fleas around the home for some time after treatment; it may take weeks or months to get rid of a large flea infestation. However, once they jump onto a treated pet, they should be subsequently killed.
When tackling a flea infestation, it's important break the flea life cycle to rid your home of fleas.
3. Other pets are re-infesting your home with fleas
You need to treat all of the pets in your house, not just the one that you’ve spotted the fleas on, otherwise pesky fleas will keep infesting your home and continue hopping onto your pet.
Even if you don’t have any other pets, your pet can still pick up fleas from other places that they visit such as kennels or from infested wildlife. To avoid this, try to keep your dog away from stray cats or wildlife in your garden, and if your pet is visiting a kennels or cattery, make sure you ask what their flea prevention strategy is.
4. Your pet isn’t wearing their collar continuously
Seresto utilises the natural oils in your pet's skin to steadily release the active ingredients from head to tail, keeping them protected agaist fleas and ticks for 7-8 months. If the collar is removed, it is not able to release the active ingredients and your pet will not be protected.
To keep the collar working optimally, check and adjust it regularly so it’s fitted correctly around your pet’s neck. It should not be too tight or too loose – you should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between the collar and your pet’s neck. Watch our video to help you correctly put the collar on your pet.
5. Your pet swims or is bathed a lot
Seresto is water resistant; it remains effective after a spell of rain or splashing in puddles. However, prolonged, intense exposure to water, or extensive shampooing, should be avoided as the duration of activity may be reduced. Studies show that monthly shampooing or water immersion does not significantly shorten the 8-month efficacy duration for ticks, whereas the product’s flea efficacy gradually decreased starting in the 5th month. If your pet is swimming or being bathed regularly, an alternative product may be more appropriate. This can be discussed with your vet or local retail store.
If you have looked at the advice posted here and still feel that your Seresto collar is not performing as you might expect, please email us; alternatively you can contact your local vet practice.
Buy Seresto Online
Seresto™ Flea and Tick Control collar contains imidacloprid and flumethrin. Legal category: NFA-VPS. Information regarding the side effects, precautions, warnings and contra-indications can be found in product packaging and leaflets; further information can also be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics. Use medicines responsibly. Advice should be sought from the prescriber prior to use.
Seresto™, Elanco™ and the diagonal bar are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates.
