Fleas and pesticides

[citygirl]

What's the best on the market to keep fleas and ticks under control? As some of you know it was about this time last year, I became Pumpkin's new mommy. I did not have a problem with fleas on her, but recently I can not get rid of them. She gets a bath weekly, I have been using Frontline but it's doesn't seem to be working.

I bought a box from the vet (7 month supply) and have been using it religiously once a month. She gets it when she gets her heartguard. I picked up something from Wal-Mart the other day and put it on her yesterday morning. Won't ever do that again.

She was acting strange when I went home at lunch and last night she sat and whined and twitched. I ended up bathing her again, to get it off, but she apparently has had a severe reaction to it. She's very tender on her back, and I think she was running a fever. Seemed a bit better this morning, but if she's still acting strange when I go home at lunch, I'm gonna run her to the vet.

[fuzzis]

You need to treat your yard. Which reminds me that I need to treat my yard too. The first year I lived here, my indoor cats got fleas and I couldn't figure out how that happened. Then I realized that they were coming into the house on my feet, through the little cracks and crevices that are part of an older house. The last two years, I've treated the yard and not had a problem...even last year with Cob.

[aaron]

Veterinary Associates gives us two things when we have a flea/tick attack. One is a pill that gets rid of them immediately called Capstar. They literally start jumping off or falling off within an hour of taking it. Second is Advantage. You apply it by dropping a drop on the neck on their back. Keeps them away for one month.

[JMC]

i'd stay away from store brand flea/tick stuff. hartz makes a lot of that and a little research will provide a lot of horror stories. Get something like ortho or spectracide flea and tick to spray in the yard. you can buy the stuff that hooks on the end of your water hose. Very east to use. If they have fleas now, shampoo and front line won't solve your problem. Check with your vet and get a pill call capstar. It'll kill all they now then use the frontline and you should be fine.

[JMC]

Like Aaron said, advantage is the about the best.

[fuzzis]

Also...if she has fleas now, you're going to have to be religious about vacuuming every day. If she has fleas, the fleas are in your carpet, laying eggs. The eggs can live up to a year. The vibrations from the vacuuming help move the eggs up through the carpet fibers. If you have a bagged vacuum, put a flea collar in the bag to kill the things that get in there. If you have a bagless, empty the canister after every vacuum.

[jmb]

When we had trouble with fleas a few years ago, we tried everything, and I do mean everything! What finally took care of the fleas was the combination of Frontline or Advantage, Capstar, spraying the yard, and removing the bag from the vacuum cleaner every single time I vacuumed.

[countrygirl]

Frontline quit working for my dogs and I switched to advantage. and it kept the fleas off. Be aware that advantage doesn't kill ticks though and I wouldn't use that stuff that Advantage sells to go along with it...I forget why, but I think there were some strong warnings about it...

[dyates]

We used to use frontline as well. I think these days it's diluted down so bad that it's not even affective anymore. Doesn't work for our dogs. It only irritates their skin.
We've had hell controlling fleas the past couple of summers. We have 2 dogs that are highly allergic to fleas and it can be way expensive trying to treat them. Capstar is what we start off with also.

As far as treating the yard...go by one of the farm supply places and ask someone to suggest something for the yard. We found a powder last year that worked really well. I can't recall the name of it though. It was alot cheaper than some of the other products we've used and worked way better. We need to treat our yard as well so I'll be going by to get some. I'll let you know the name of the stuff when I find out. Goodluck!

[betsy]

The year befor my dog and I moved to Wesley Manor we had a terrible flea problem. I was using Advavtage. My vet suggested changing to Fronline plus, giving her a Capstar before using the Fronline, puttin Seven dust out in my yard, and spraying my house with Virbac Knockout E.S. which was sold in his office. I had tried flea foggers and stuff I got at the store and they did no good whatsoever. This spray is a miracle. After two days I had no fleas or ticks and neither did Patches. Of course it is an ongoing thing and you have to use the Fronline Plus more like every three weeks instead of monthly as it says on the box. And I sprayed my house every two weeks and put the Seven dust thinly on the yard every week or so. Fleas and ticks are so hard to get rid of.

[jkspatty]

I have had great results with homemade garlic treats and tea tree oil. I do not like to put pesticides in my yard and have found that these treatments work very well. I also brush and bathe my dogs on a regular basis, and have never had a flea problem. My dogs don't roam in the woods, so I think that helps too.

[citygirl]

We used to use frontline as well. I think these days it's diluted down so bad that it's not even affective anymore. Doesn't work for our dogs. It only irritates their skin.
We've had hell controlling fleas the past couple of summers. We have 2 dogs that are highly allergic to fleas and it can be way expensive trying to treat them. Capstar is what we start off with also.

As far as treating the yard...go by one of the farm supply places and ask someone to suggest something for the yard. We found a powder last year that worked really well. I can't recall the name of it though. It was alot cheaper than some of the other products we've used and worked way better. We need to treat our yard as well so I'll be going by to get some. I'll let you know the name of the stuff when I find out. Goodluck!

Would a spray be less harmful than a powder. She does like to lay outside. Matter of fact when I go home a lunch she usually lays in the sun and refuses to come inside. I just leave her there until I get ready to head back to work, but then she's usually on the porch. I let her back in and leave.

I would worry though that with a powder, if she licks/chews the grass she'd get sick. 'Course, if whats the difference if the spray dries on the grass and she licks or chews that???

[fuzzis]

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef602.asp

This has some good ideas.

[carsalesguy]

i used scott's summer guard fertilizer with the insect killer mixed in. kills ants, fleas, ticks, etc etc and the yard comes up greener than a leprecon's hat.

[JMC]

i used scott's summer guard fertilizer with the insect killer mixed in. kills ants, fleas, ticks, etc etc and the yard comes up greener than a leprecon's hat.


that's good stuff....and it's getting close to time to put it out...

[citygirl]

ok hubby talked to his vet buddy - I'm actually more concerned about my baby than the fleas but the fleas are the root of my problems.

He's going by the farm center to pick up some type of powder that is an active ingredient in Frontline (and is actually something bagged up for ants) for the yard. Vet says if we have squirrels in the yard, it may take up to 3 months to get the flea problem under control. And therein lies my problems.

Noway, you need some more squirrels? I know where you can get them.

Anyway, Punk's going to get another bath tonight. Whew, 3 days in a row...he also said he had a patient that lost their baby to Sergeant's (sp) flea and tick shampoo. Pup got sick within minutes of it touching the skin.

He also advised that if she's still acting strange tomorrow, to bring her in for blood work to make sure there's no damage to kidney's or liver. Said it's also possible that her hair will fall out on the spot where I put the solution.

Have I said lately, I do love my little punk head, but man, I didn't know it would be this difficult...

[Petal4Life]

We used to use Frontline Plus and Advantage; however, both stopped working. It is because the chemical in them used to kill the fleas is no longer working. There is a new flea treatment applied the same way. I can not remember the name; however, Animal ER and Petal Animal Clinic both sale them. It lasts for 6 weeks. It cost about the same as the others.

If your dog already has fleas then you need to start with a capstar and then 24 hours later apply the preventative. I have never had to treat my yard or house as long as I stay on top of the preventative.

[BayStBum]

We used Frontline for years in Jackson with no problems at all, but I couldn't get it to last through the first summer when we moved back here. On the vet's advice, we switched to a Capstar pill followed by a bath and Advantage and it worked very well. We switched to ProMeris a few months ago just to keep the fleas guessing---I'm paranoid enough to think the fleas will develop resistance or something. It's worked about as well as Advantage so far, but I know summer will be the real test.

[citygirl]

I thought I heard of a new heartguard medicine having something in it to help repel fleas and ticks. Anybody else???

[fuzzis]

be careful about bathing her too often. Her skin will get irritated from that.

[citygirl]

be careful about bathing her too often. Her skin will get irritated from that.

Well, Sunday is her normal bath day. I bathed her last night, because the instructions on the box said if sensitivity occurs, bathe with mild soap and rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse. Then when the SS (spud stud) talked with the vet buddy today - he said we did the right thing and to be safe wash her again.

Should I just maybe rinse her again real good. Or get some type of soothing oatmeal shampoo from PetSmart.

[Southern_Belle]

Veterinary Associates gives us two things when we have a flea/tick attack. One is a pill that gets rid of them immediately called Capstar. They literally start jumping off or falling off within an hour of taking it. Second is Advantage. You apply it by dropping a drop on the neck on their back. Keeps them away for one month.

it's actually revolution, not advantage baby. but close :-) and with revolution you can cut the heartworm treatment b/c revolution is both flea preventative and heartworm preventative. it comes in one dose.

the capstar is wonderful and about $3.30/pill.

[Petal4Life]

We used Frontline for years in Jackson with no problems at all, but I couldn't get it to last through the first summer when we moved back here. On the vet's advice, we switched to a Capstar pill followed by a bath and Advantage and it worked very well. We switched to ProMeris a few months ago just to keep the fleas guessing---I'm paranoid enough to think the fleas will develop resistance or something. It's worked about as well as Advantage so far, but I know summer will be the real test.


That is the name of what we use ProMeris. It works great and I do not have to reapply it for 6wks.

[Maggie-Doodle]

NEVER use Hartz pet products! Especially flea stuff! I have know several people who have and their pets are now Angels in heaven! I use Advantix on BooBoo. Once when she got infested I got one of the Capstar pills from VET Assoc. and it killed them immediately and I followed up with the Advantix..

IF you get the meds from the local clinics, you will pay alot more. If I were you I would get one tube to use now and order a large supply from one of the online places. I can get you a name if you want...just p.m. me. I save about $25-30 even with the shipping cost. The product is to you within 7 days. I have been very pleased with my source..They have a print catalog you can get and you can also check out online.

[Maggie-Doodle]

city girl, the name of the company is Dr. Smith and Foster or Dr. Foster and Smith...they have all kind of pet products and they have good prices even with shipping I save a bunch.

[citygirl]

thanks MD. I'm gonna check it out.