There are new oral products that interrupt the flea's life cycle, a Lyme disease vaccine for dogs, and a pesticide product that mimics mouse nesting material to reduce ticks outdoors. FDA shares regulation of these products with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If a pest-control product for pets is given by mouth, injected, or absorbed through the skin, FDA regulates it. Otherwise, EPA does. USDA licenses products that treat or prevent animal illness caused by pests.
States sometimes add licensing requirements.
While there are more than 200 species of fleas in this country, the main troublemaker for pets is the cat flea. Female fleas lay as many as 50 eggs a day, starting a life cycle that can be completed in as little as three weeks, depending on temperature and humidity. Larvae grow and molt twice, then spin cocoons, where they grow to pupae and then adults. The adult remains in the cocoon until vibrations indicate a host is nearby. This waiting can extend the life cycle.