Nitenpyram

Nitenpyram is an insecticide used in agriculture and veterinary medicine to kill external parasites of pets. It is a neonicotinoid, a neurotoxin that blocks neural messages and binds particularly tightly in the central nervous system of insects, causing rapid death.

It has been used orally in dogs, cats and some wildlife species for over 10 years. After ingestion, it begins killing adult fleas within 10 to 30 minutes and continues to kill fleas for 4 to 6 hours. The effects of nitenpyram last approximately 24–48 hours. Nitenpyram is safe to use on puppies and kittens as young as four weeks old if they weigh at least 2 pounds (0.91 kg). Panting and excitement, as well as other symptoms, have been noted in cats and dogs within 2 hours of administration. In heavily infested animals, it can cause extreme itching as the fleas die. There is no antidote for Nitenpyram poisoning.

Nitenpyram does not kill insect eggs and has no long-term activity. Thus, it is not effective as a long-term flea preventative. It is used to kill adult fleas quickly on an infested animal, and combined with a longer-term flea preventative like fipronil or lufenuron to prevent reinfestation.