What Flea treatment do YOU use on your dog?
- Thread starter irisha
- Start date
storm22
Experienced Member
the best we use is advantage, it sticks to the fallen out hairs and helps treat there beds and carpet, we use it on all our dogs, but also flea spray and clean there beds and kennels, and a insect bomb
i got told from the vet the other day that dogs have 5% of the flea population on there bodies the rest is where your dog sleeps and in the carpet, so if your having trouble you can buy flea and insect bombs to de-flea your house they really work we do it about twice a year, good luck i know how those tiny bugs can drive you and your dogs nuts
i got told from the vet the other day that dogs have 5% of the flea population on there bodies the rest is where your dog sleeps and in the carpet, so if your having trouble you can buy flea and insect bombs to de-flea your house they really work we do it about twice a year, good luck i know how those tiny bugs can drive you and your dogs nuts
good_doggie
New Member
I use a special flea powder that kills the fleas and then I pull them sometimes by force and and sometimes it is stuck in his fur.
leema
New Member
I don't flea treat my dogs because they don't have fleas to treat. 
Fleas are parasites, attracted to unhealthy animals, and my dogs are healthy!
We had fleas, briefly, when we had the new foster dog appear, but only she was affected. I fed her small amounts of garlic for a couple of days but she soon stopped itching with a good diet.
Fleas are parasites, attracted to unhealthy animals, and my dogs are healthy!We had fleas, briefly, when we had the new foster dog appear, but only she was affected. I fed her small amounts of garlic for a couple of days but she soon stopped itching with a good diet.
lane
New Member
I Give my dogs garlic cloves in their food and we don't have a problem. We have problems ourselves though in the midge season and we use Avon Skin So Soft which seems to keep them away. My daughter has used it on her horse and says it works. I don't know what effect it would have on dogs but it smells nice:dogdry:
ruffmuttk9z
New Member
I don't buy the whole 'healthy dogs don't get fleas' thing myself. I've known people with very healthy, naturally reared dogs whose dogs have gotten fleas. I also won't give my dogs garlic as it can be toxic to dogs. It's in the same family as onions, which can cause pancreatitis and ultimately death. Each dog has a different sensitivity level and I don't really want to figure out what that level is for even one of my dogs. I've heard Apple Cider Vinegar (not regular white vinegar) will repel fleas and I used it in their food for a while, but it got to be a real pain in the butt to have to give it to them every single day. I live in TX where fleas are a REAL problem as are ticks. I also have 10 dogs of my own and anywhere from 8-15 fosters at a time. So the thought of a flea infestation makes me want to vomit. Whenever I get a new foster dog I immediately give the dog a Capstar tablet. When I get home, I bathe the dog with any shampoo. The dog should be sudsed up really well and then left to sit with the shampoo on him for 15 minutes. The suds suffocates all live fleas. After the bath, you should wait 48 hours to apply any topical flea/tick preventatives.
I've heard that a lot of fleas are becoming resistant to Frontline so I wouldn't use that product for fleas. I use an OTC product called Zodiac. It has the same active flea/tick killer as K9 Advantix and the same IGR (Insect Growth Regulator--kills the larvae) as Frontline. The best part is, it's about 1/5th the cost of either of those two products. It works like a charm and to date, I have NEVER had a flea problem at all. For having 20-25 dogs at a time, many of those fosters that come to me flea-infested and unhealthy is really saying something. I treat every single dog with the topical Zodiac on the 1st of every month year-round. In TX it doesn't get cold enough for the fleas to die so we can't stop using these products in the winter.
If you're having a flea problem you not only need to treat your dog but your house and yard as well. All bedding needs to be washed on HOT water, carpets need to be vacuumed daily and your yard needs to be sprayed with a Permethrin-based flea/tick spray. You'll never eradicate the fleas if you don't take care of your house and yard as well as the dog(s).
I've heard that a lot of fleas are becoming resistant to Frontline so I wouldn't use that product for fleas. I use an OTC product called Zodiac. It has the same active flea/tick killer as K9 Advantix and the same IGR (Insect Growth Regulator--kills the larvae) as Frontline. The best part is, it's about 1/5th the cost of either of those two products. It works like a charm and to date, I have NEVER had a flea problem at all. For having 20-25 dogs at a time, many of those fosters that come to me flea-infested and unhealthy is really saying something. I treat every single dog with the topical Zodiac on the 1st of every month year-round. In TX it doesn't get cold enough for the fleas to die so we can't stop using these products in the winter.
If you're having a flea problem you not only need to treat your dog but your house and yard as well. All bedding needs to be washed on HOT water, carpets need to be vacuumed daily and your yard needs to be sprayed with a Permethrin-based flea/tick spray. You'll never eradicate the fleas if you don't take care of your house and yard as well as the dog(s).
ruffmuttk9z
New Member
Advantage, as far as I've heard, is still working for fleas. It isn't for ticks, though. That would be Bayer's better product, K9 Advantix.
starbuck
New Member
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Comfortis (Spinosad). It's relatively new but it's similar to Capstar except it has memory. It's a chewable tablet, Starts killing within 30 minutes, kills all fleas within hours, and lasts a full month. The main ingredient is environmentally friendly (even organic farmers can use it on their crops.)
The vet I work for swears by Frontline (Fipronil), but i don't like it. Too many complaints about resistance.
I've always used K9 Advantix, which gets rid of Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and now it's labeled for Biting Flies.
As ruffmutt said above Advantage does only Fleas, but Advantage MULTI gives you flea pvt, heartworm pvt, and intestinal parasite pvt in one. Also talk of it helping with demodectic mange.
ProMeris is a good product too, but a lot of people don't like the eucalyptus smell or the lethargy side effect. It goes away within a couple hours but it still tends to put people off. But it's great for fleas, ticks, and demodectic mange.
Revolution is a good HW prevention but I don't think it's very effective on fleas.
I don't like Program or Sentinel, or any of the growth inhibitors because they don't KILL the fleas, they just keep them from reproducing.
PREVENTIC collars are great for ticks. Though flea collars usually don't do any good.
And as other people have said above, only 5% of fleas are on your pet, the other 95% are in the environment so you have to treat your house as well as your pet if you have an infestation.
The vet I work for swears by Frontline (Fipronil), but i don't like it. Too many complaints about resistance.
I've always used K9 Advantix, which gets rid of Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and now it's labeled for Biting Flies.
As ruffmutt said above Advantage does only Fleas, but Advantage MULTI gives you flea pvt, heartworm pvt, and intestinal parasite pvt in one. Also talk of it helping with demodectic mange.
ProMeris is a good product too, but a lot of people don't like the eucalyptus smell or the lethargy side effect. It goes away within a couple hours but it still tends to put people off. But it's great for fleas, ticks, and demodectic mange.
Revolution is a good HW prevention but I don't think it's very effective on fleas.
I don't like Program or Sentinel, or any of the growth inhibitors because they don't KILL the fleas, they just keep them from reproducing.
PREVENTIC collars are great for ticks. Though flea collars usually don't do any good.
And as other people have said above, only 5% of fleas are on your pet, the other 95% are in the environment so you have to treat your house as well as your pet if you have an infestation.
ruffmuttk9z
New Member
There's no way I'd put that ProMeris crap on my dogs. Just check out all of the negative feedback!
People that choose to use the new product Comfortis also need to be aware that it is being reported that it is interacting with Ivermectin adversely. Not your everyday HW dosage of Ivermectin, but higher levels, such as are used for treating Demodectic mange. So please be aware of this if your dog takes high doses of Ivermectin to control demodectic mange and you're considering using Comfortis for fleas.
People that choose to use the new product Comfortis also need to be aware that it is being reported that it is interacting with Ivermectin adversely. Not your everyday HW dosage of Ivermectin, but higher levels, such as are used for treating Demodectic mange. So please be aware of this if your dog takes high doses of Ivermectin to control demodectic mange and you're considering using Comfortis for fleas.
We use K9 Advantix on the dogs, and I use Revolution on the cats. I only treat the cats every two months though. They don't seem to need it as much.
We briefly had fleas in the house recently when my ex left his BC with us. I treated the throw carpets and furniture with Borax soap. They went away almost immediately. We have tile floors, so I didn't have to treat the whole floor.
We briefly had fleas in the house recently when my ex left his BC with us. I treated the throw carpets and furniture with Borax soap. They went away almost immediately. We have tile floors, so I didn't have to treat the whole floor.
justjesse197
Well-Known Member
I use Garlic and Brewer's yeast for Jesse, and it really helps repel the fleas. And it is a tasty boost to his food aswell. Also if you do have fleas, the best thing you can do is vacuum and wash bedding very frequently. Supposedly fleas only jump on the dog to eat, and live in carpet and bedding the rest of the time. Before vacuuming, you can shake table salt on the carpet (to kill the fleas), wait about 30 minutes, them vacuum it up. If you want to make a natural flea collar, take a cotton collar or bandana, and put a few drops of either tea tree oil, lavendar, or lemon oil on it. This repels the fleas, and you just need to refresh it about once a week! =) This works wonders for us,
Stay Happy and Healthy,
~Heather and Jesse~
Stay Happy and Healthy,
~Heather and Jesse~
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
So far, NO FLEAS!! WOOHOO!! Our last dog never ever had a flea either! How lucky are we? :dogbiggrin:
Oh nooo, why did i brag? every time i brag on anything, :msnrolleyes:it goes away...oh noo...now Buddy will bust out in fleas!!
But if Buddy DID ever get fleas, i like the post right above mine, Just Jesse's idea--that sounds like really great idea!!!
Oh nooo, why did i brag? every time i brag on anything, :msnrolleyes:it goes away...oh noo...now Buddy will bust out in fleas!!
But if Buddy DID ever get fleas, i like the post right above mine, Just Jesse's idea--that sounds like really great idea!!!
