Flea medicine preventative

We have 4 dogs and one never gets fleas, one occasionally has problems and the other two always have problems despite keeping everyone on meds. We have tried Frontline, Advantage and Advantix and they still have fleas. Poor things get a weekly Dawn bath.

I'm looking for suggestions. I'm wondering if the oral meds are any better. If they are better what's the cheapest place you can find them once I get a script from our vet?

Soresto flea collars. Best thing ever in my opinion. We tried everything and one to two weeks after applying frontline or advantage the fleas would be back. We invested in the soresto and haven't seen a flea in six months. Pricey but so worth it and works for up to 8 months.

MangieSun said:

Soresto flea collars. Best thing ever in my opinion. We tried everything and one to two weeks after applying frontline or advantage the fleas would be back. We invested in the soresto and haven't seen a flea in six months. Pricey but so worth it and works for up to 8 months.

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If it works it's worth any amount. The poor girls have really suffered this past year.

I feel ya. We had a heck of a time with fleas for three years before we found the collars. They have been a godsend. I should mention to that they are not like the old school flea collars that are filled with smelly chemicals. I'm not positive how they work but after being a registered veterinary technician for 8 years I was super suspicious because I've seen bad stuff happen with the traditional flea collars. And one of our dogs that I use it on is a chihuahua/cavalier spaniel cross who is extremely sensitive to just about anything and weighs maybe 5 pounds. He wears his collar with no issues whatsoever.

Our girls are Maltese and weigh about 7/8 lbs. Then we have the moose Boston, he's 25lbs and I've never ever seen a flea on him. Then the 40lb standard poodle. She gets them once in a while. I really appreciate the recommendation.

There is a pill called Capstar, I'm not sure if it is available where you are. It kills all fleas on the pets within 12-24 hours. However it only works for 24 hours. Pair the capstar with a preventative and it will help you get ahead.

I've used the Seresto collars on my outdoor cats last year and it worked great!

Also there is a new Chewable tablet out called Nexguard that is supposed to work on fleas and ticks.

Remember that to get ahead of fleas it is importnat to clean the environment your dogs live in. That means vacuuming daily, cleaning any linens you can. For every flea on your pet there are many many many more eggs and larvae in the environment.

MangieSun said:

I feel ya. We had a heck of a time with fleas for three years before we found the collars. They have been a godsend. I should mention to that they are not like the old school flea collars that are filled with smelly chemicals. I'm not positive how they work but after being a registered veterinary technician for 8 years I was super suspicious because I've seen bad stuff happen with the traditional flea collars. And one of our dogs that I use it on is a chihuahua/cavalier spaniel cross who is extremely sensitive to just about anything and weighs maybe 5 pounds. He wears his collar with no issues whatsoever.

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The Seresto collars work by friction. So you keep it snug on their necks and as they move and go about their daily business the friction caused by your pet moving around releases the active ingredient in the collar.

Seresto? | PetParents

We have tile in our house and their dog beds are washed weekly with bleach. We're not new to this rodeo.

I'm looking for suggestions from personal experience of what does work. I've ordered the sorresto collars and we'll see how they work.

Look into diatomaceous earth, I buy the human grade it is completely safe. I always look for natural cures first as I hate toxic chemicals.

labell said:

Look into diatomaceous earth, I buy the human grade it is completely safe. I always look for natural cures first as I hate toxic chemicals.

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Already done that along with spraying the yard with a diluted bleach solution. The problem is it doesn't prevent the fleas from the neighbors yard from coming over.

I'm not a fan of chemicals either, but sometimes there's no other choice. Fleas and bugs are extreme here in the South and natural methods aren't going to cut it. We've tried that. It's not worth letting our dogs suffer and possibly get an illness from the fleas just because I don't like using chemicals.

Have you tried other things- like use a dog bed with cedar shavings inside? Or get some eucalyptus leaves and put them under/inside the dog bed or around the house...both cedar and eucalyptus have natural flea-repelling properties. Also, you can plant some flea-repelling plants in your yard....lemongrass, sage, chamomile, lavender, rosemary, etc....

Or maybe find a dog shampoo that has peppermint in it- fleas hate peppermint as well.

getwozzy said:

Have you tried other things- like use a dog bed with cedar shavings inside? Or get some eucalyptus leaves and put them under/inside the dog bed or around the house...both cedar and eucalyptus have natural flea-repelling properties. Also, you can plant some flea-repelling plants in your yard....lemongrass, sage, chamomile, lavender, rosemary, etc....

Or maybe find a dog shampoo that has peppermint in it- fleas hate peppermint as well.

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All of those things (except the cedar bed) are good at helping with discouraging fleas, but none if them will keep them off the dogs. Back to it we have no control over neighboring yards.

Our yard is landscaped as Texas native. That's the only plants we will put in the yard and it's geared towards bird and butterfly plants.

I don't have a problem with finding a shampoo that will get rid of the fleas and Dawn does that just fine, but they come right back.

Cedar beds can't be used because our dogs tear them up. We can't use any dog bed with stuffing.

I'm as frustrated as you are with this flea thing. Once upon a time Advantage and Frontline worked like a charm. Unfortunately the fleas have evolved to a point where they are now immune to them.

If this collar works, then I'm going to be doing a happy dance. Two of my dogs have severe fleabite dermatitis, and end up losing large areas of hair, not to mention that they get the calloused skin and skin infections. We've done all the non toxic interventions without any luck with eradicating these stupid pointless insects.

I'm ordering 4 collars today! Thanks for the recommendation. Here's hoping they work!

Be sure to let us know how they work out for you. I should get mine on Friday. I plan on bathing the dogs, washing their beds and treating the yard all on the same day to see if that gets us anywhere.

Well, darn. One of my friends mentioned that her active German Shepherd developed seizures from these collars. She said that the more active your dog is, the more medication is released from the collar. She said that at first her dog became lethargic, and then ended up with seizures.

I have 4 German Shepherds. Now I'm hesitant to go this route. :-(

I would search online to see if there's any (medical) proof that ties the collar to seizures and if it's true that it has to do with activity level. Shepherds are definitely active.

Here are some links. I would NEVER use flea collars on my dogs due to the severe side effects associated with them.

My Toxic Dog: Personal Experiences with Flea Collars | Gina Solomon's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Flea Collar - Pet Poison Helpline

The Natural Approach to Flea Control

Safer Ways to Kill Ticks and Fleas on Dogs and Cats

I looked up Seresto because I was curious about the "active" ingredients.

10% Imidacloprid
Here is info about this from Cornell University:
Imidacloprid

4.5% Flumethrin
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profile...methylpara/flumethrin/flumethrin_reg_1012.pdf

Flumethrin - toxicity, ecological toxicity and regulatory information

As for the effectiveness of the product, yes, it absolutely has proven in field studies to do a GREAT job.
Evaluation of the long-term efficacy and safety of an imidacloprid 10%/flumethrin 4.5% polymer matrix collar (Seresto®) in dogs and cats naturally infested with fleas and/or ticks in multicentre clinical field studies in Europe

Thank you JerseyWendy for sharing your links. As for the Serestor Collars, I am a LVT and have sat through continuing education on Flea control as well as have heard the reps talk about Seresto and their field studies. The rep that visited my hospital said once that the product is safe enough that god forbid a small child were to get ahold of it and chew/ put it in their mouth it would not affect them. The collar doesnt have that annoying nasty powder that the older flea collars do.

Another product I can recommend is called trifexis. My practice used it a lot last year with severe flea infestations and it definitely helped owners get ahead of their flea infestation.It is a once a month tablet.

Any dog can have a reaction to any product. It varies on the dog. I've used Advantix on my German Shepherd for years and never had a problem. Although a client at my job cannot use it on her dog because he is allergic. One of my co-workers/ good friends used Seresto on her German Shepherd last year and her Dalmation and never had a problem with it and was very happy with the results. What I am trying to say that there is always a risk with anything you use. Just be mindful that there is a risk and keep an eye on your dogs. Also, consult with your veterinarian, they see first hand potential reaction and can help you know what to look out for for signs that your dog isnt tolerating the product you use. Most animals that do have a reaction to any product usually get better if you bathe the pet when a reaction happens. This helps get any product off the pet.

The one problem that I see with that study is that it was funded by Bayer, the makers of the collar. With that being said, I am reconsidering trying the collar since two of my dogs are extremely flea bite allergic. They have to go on and off antibiotics for skin flare ups multiple times every year.