Q : How should it be given?
A : PROGRAM must be given with a full meal to be effective . Lufenuron is designed to be absorbed with the body's breakdown and metabolism of a meal, and if not given with a full meal the dose is not 100% effective.

Q : My cat has food down all the time, is that OK?
A : NO. For "free-fed" cats we recommend that on the day of dosing, you fast the cat and postpone dosing until later in the day. Then give your cat the dose after it has consumed a complete meal. A "special" treat of a meal (canned food when they are used to getting dry works well) or their regular meal but with a treat mixed in such as tuna water, or a bit of grated cheese mixed in should do the trick. Cats that munch and snack on their food all day do not have a full stomach all the time. They need to be fasted briefly to entice them to eat a full meal at one sitting for PROGRAM to be effective.

Q : Why do cats have a liquid and dogs have a tablet?
A : The active ingredient is the same, but most people are not able to pill a difficult cat without risk of personal injury. Most dogs are happy to take the tablet when mixed in with a piece of cheese (followed by the full meal) The liquid is designed to be mixed in with the cats food to eliminate the risk of injury to the owner.

Q : My cat will just not eat food with PROGRAM mixed in, but I'm sure I could get a tablet down him. Can I switch?
A : The active ingredient is the same, but the dose is different between dogs and cats. By law, any off label application such as this must be authorized and recommended by your vet. The active ingredient is the same, but the dose is different between dogs and cats. Cats are dosed at three times the dog dose. The easiest rule of thumb is to multiply the cats weight by 3, and dose him as if he were a dog of that weight. Most cats will need at least a yellow tablet, split or crushed and still given with a meal . Any application such as this is considered off label and must come only under the direction of your veterinarian.

Q : How does PROGRAM work?
A : Lufenuron works by preventing the linking of a chain of molecules in the flea called Chitin (KI-TIN). Chitin makes up the hard shell of the adult flea, as well as an egg-tooth that flea larvae use to break out of their eggs. Without chitin these stages cannot develop properly and the life cycle is broken. Lufenuron is stored in the pets body fat and released over the course of 32 days following dosing.

Q : How fast does it work?
A : PROGRAM is 100% effective 48 hours after the first dose, and remains so as long as subsequent monthly doses are given on the same day each month with a full meal.

Q : When should my pet start taking PROGRAM?
A : Your veterinarian will be able to recommend the correct date to begin PROGRAM, as climates and start dates differ across Canada. As a general policy, Novartis recommends PROGRAM be started one month prior to flea season to prevent the buildup of eggs in the home. Any later, and fleas will have been able to lay eggs that will hatch.

Q : Is PROGRAM a pesticide?
A : NO. PROGRAM's only effect on adult fleas is to stop their production of viable eggs through interfering with their developmental stages.

Q : How safe is PROGRAM for my pet?
A : PROGRAM has NO EFFECT ON MAMMALS . PROGRAM has been tested and found safe for all breeds of dogs and cats including pregnant and nursing females, breeding males and puppies and kittens as young as 6 weeks of age. It is the same molecule "going in" that is excreted by the pet. Mammals do not contain Chitin and as such there is no way that pets can react or metabolize the active ingredient.

Q : What about my pregnant pet?
A : PROGRAM has been given worldwide for over 9 years and there has never been a case where it has proven to have any effect on pregnant animals or their litters. PROGRAM has no effect on conception, litter size, offspring mortality, or any aspect of a pets reproductive cycle.

Q : What happens if I give my pet too strong a dose?
A : PROGRAM has such a high safety index that it was not possible to determine an LD50 during pre-clinical trials, even when given at hundreds of times the recommended dose. An "overdose" that would harm the pet is not possible.

Q : I saw a flea on my pet yesterday, does this mean PROGRAM is not working?
A : When given at the correct dose, with a full meal to all pets in the home, PROGRAM is Guaranteed to prevent the buildup of fleas in your home. If your pet is a social animal it could easily pick up some "hitch-hiker" fleas from an infested pet in the environment. Imagine you started your pet on PROGRAM today. All fleas that laid eggs in the home before today are still able to go through their life cycle as they were laid before PROGRAM could affect them. This is especially true for the pupae stage that is unaffected by any commercial spray available today. These already present fleas will hatch in a few weeks and these are likely the fleas you have seen. It is called a Delayed Pupael Hatch . Rest assured that any fleas your pet picks up from the environment or from within the home due to this effect are not able to reproduce.

Q : I think my pet may have had a reaction to the PROGRAM, what should I do?
A : Because of it's safety index, true reactions with PROGRAM have yet to be seen in Canada. Suspected reactions are typically a coincidence and do not repeat themselves on re-dosing of the medication. But if you are at all concerned about a reaction with a Novartis product please see your veterinarian or contact us directly. Common difficulties that some pets experience are vomiting or diarrhea, and these are usually transient and passing. In the same way that some humans are unable to tolerate a relatively mild drug like ASA, some pets may be sensitive to a component of PROGRAM and may get the equivalent of an upset stomach. Ensuring the dose is given after the full meal is one way to relieve this. Another is to change the pet from the tablets to the suspension or vice versa. Such a change must only be done at the recommendation and under the supervision of your veterinarian . Sometimes a direct dosing of dogs with the tablet or cats with the suspension (forcing it directly down the throat) can stimulate the gag reflex and cause vomiting which is unrelated to the drug itself. If this occurs repeatedly you will need to alter your dosing method, such as mixing the dose with a meal or crushing the tablet to powder.