Dogs and Fleas

[drmatthewtaylor]

We've only had fleas on our dogs a handful of times since we moved to our place in 1998. Right or wrong, I don't like to use pesticide (poison...) on our dogs unless they've got fleas. But when they do, I know the cheap stuff is worthless (and can even be dangerous). Yes to year round heartworm preventative, but if you do not have such an infrequent issue with fleas, I don't think it's actually the healthiest choice to keep a year round chemicals for fleas in or on your dogs. Just my two cents as an owner, not a vet.

Not an unreasonable position, but consider;

1) Frontline never enters the body and is so non-toxic that it can be sold OTC.

2) Revolution is selamectin which is an ivermectin derivative so its like giving heartgard year around already.

Dr Taylor

 

[Jill]

Thank you, Dr. Taylor... but in the face of 3 flea "events" in 12 years, I think I'm going to continue to use those chemicals only when we actually need to

Plus, I don't know that the spot ons never enter the body under our "real life" situation of our little dogs wrestling and biting each other's necks when they rough house (?). If we did have an ongoing problem, though, I would feel much better about using it reading your post above. Thanks!

 

[mydaddysjag]

My mom bred and showed dogs for years, and now that she is older and no longer breeding/showing, she still has 6 retired dogs. We used frontline for YEARS and always loved it, but in 2008 we got a very, very bad flea infestation. Im talking so bad they got into our house, and I ended up in the hospital in under 3 days because im allergic to flea bites and got red streaks going up my legs, NO FUN. A bit upset, because as you can imagine, frontline wasn't cheap for 6 dogs and 4 cats, all of which were house pets. Im not sure how the flea issue went from non existent to completely out of hand in a matter of friday - monday, but it did.

We bathed all animals in blue dawn dish soap and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes wet, put advantage on two days later (when the vet was open to pick it up), flea bombed our house, washed ALL of our clothes, bedding, curtains, etc. Got a spray from our vet that was sprayed on our upholstered things such as mattresses, couches, chairs, etc. We went around the exterior of our fence about 8" out from the fence with moth balls all around the area where our dogs go out to potty. Knock on wood, we haven't had a flea issue since. I think the fleas got resistant to the frontline from us using it for so long, and thats why switching to advantage worked.

My mom does only use flea preventative after the first thaw, and until about late October now. They live on a few acres, keep their yard meticulously cut, and have no other dogs in the area.

I moved out in 2009 but still live about 1/4 mile from my parents. I have neighbors who dont take basic care of their pets, so im sure they arent spending money on flea preventative, so I do keep my dog on preventative year round (theres just a bigger risk here)

 

[Riverrose28]

I worked for a small animal vet for over 20 years as a dog groomer, starting before topicals became popular, back in the day when we had to bath and dip. Hated it, was so gratful when frontline came along. That being said, fleas don't actually live on the pet, they live in the environment, for every flea you see on your pet there are a hundred in your house and yard. I have used frontline forever, until last year, I don't know if the fleas became immune or they diluted the product, but after spending a small fortune for it, I found it was not working and had to switch to Advantic, my cats and dogs didn't know what a flea was until last year. Had to treat the house, yard, and pets, and am still fighting a battle in the yard with squirrels bringing them in, as they bite me, but not the pets. Expensive products work, hartz doesn't. Don't waste your money on cheap products, thats not saying don't bath your pet, cause it will make them feel better but use a good reputable product.