Flea Medications

[evelyna]

I used to buy my previous dogs Advantage from a Vet. I recently bought Frontline from a Pet Store.
Someone told me the tubes of flea meds you buy on the web or at the pet stores are of a more diluted quality. They are less effective and a waste of money. I do not know why this would be true.
I live in PA and have also bought the preventatic collar. This works very well for the dog.
It also seems like the darker dogs are more of a bug magnet. Does anyone else find this true?
I wonder about all of the chemicals on my dog too.

[pbrdog]

The Advantage or Frontline should be just fine for your dog. There's no variation in strength unless you are ordering from some strange place like "Elmo's Garage Bargain Basement". I have heard the Australian version of the bios is a little different though. Probably a different type of tic or flea they have.

[crestie_rsq]

The Advantage or Frontline should be just fine for your dog. There's no variation in strength unless you are ordering from some strange place like "Elmo's Garage Bargain Basement". I have heard the Australian version of the bios is a little different though. Probably a different type of tic or flea they have.

The difference is in the quality control & dosages. You want to be sure that any Frontline product you use comes from the US, not overseas. The packaging should look like this: http://www.frontline.com/epa/

Please, stay away from the flea collars, any Hartz flea products or, for that matter, any flea meds you can buy at discount drug store like Walmart. They contain deadly chemicals. Follow this rule of thumb....if the product says humans should wear gloves to handle, the product should not be used on your dog. Many of the cheap flea products are also deadly to any cats you may have.

I, too, use Frontline Plus, but I have epileptic dog that cannot tolerate the chemicals so for him I use all natural products. Look for something neem oil based. Here's a link for you: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petallergies.htm#toxic (scroll down about 1/4 of the page) and another: http://www.petsafe-warehouse.com/flea_tick/natural_flea_control.htm

[evelyna]

I live in an area that is a high risk lyme disease area.
I was still getting ticks on my dog. Usually about 1-2 a month. The Preventatic collar will make the ticks just stick on the end of the dog's fur.
My dog was vaccinated against lyme, but I am concerned the dog may sit on someone's lap and transmit the ticks.
This is the only thing I know that is effective for tick control. Ticks are a big problem in Pennsylvannia.
Do you think people should be concerned about keeping bird feeders and bird baths in their yards?
I would not want my dog to catch the bird flu.

[Rio&Nickysmommy]

I use frontline and also spray my yard with a mixture of Garlic and water I had heard that it keeps bugs and fleas and all kinds of things away (they neighbors too) I mix several cloves of galic in water and let it furment for a week or two then get a sprayer and spray the whole yard trees and all. I do this once the weather gets warmer. So far has worked really good. I dont use the collars since pets can have reactions to them. My nieces dog had a severe reaction to a hartz collar. I only buy frontline from my vet. To me its not worth saving the pennies. Also any ticks found on humans especilly should be tested. Yeh I do not have any bird feeders or bird baths in my yard to cut down on bugs and keep the birds away from the dogs.
Rio&Nickysmommy

[vonissk]

Rio and Nicky's mom the garlic is a great idea. I use Advantage and yes I get mine from the vet too because I would rather be safe than sorry. Also I like your website and the neat stuff on it. I am going to try the garlic. If nothing else maybe it will keep the stray dogs out of my front yard. Thanks..........

[Lyndsay]

You could try ordering from a Canadian pet pharmacy. Their rules on medications are just as strict, if not stricter, than the US. Plus they're a lot cheapter too. Try http://www.universalpetmeds.com.

I don't blame you for being concerned about the chemicals... sometimes it makes you wonder, you know? Does it really help him? I would think that in the end, yes, these meds must be better than no help at all! Have you ever asked your vet about it?

[evelyna]

He said fleas and ticks carry diseases and it is better to keep them off of the dog.
Dogs get cancer too. They obviously do not eat the same foods we do. But they drink the same water.

[causting]

I read all of the threads I did not see anyone mention they give their pets garlic, I feed my dogs a dog food with garlic in it and none of them have fleas! My older dog has to have a prescription dog food with no garlic in it so we add over the counter garlic tablets to broth that we then pour over his food. It is so much cheaper then those chemicals and who knows what damage they can do the us and our animals. All my friends and family who have pets give their dogs garlic tablets or feed them a dog food with garlic in it, and no they do not stink! Keep in mind if your dog is infested you may have to have your house treated and get your animal flea dipped.

[crestie_rsq]

Garlic and brewers yeast are good deterrents, but if you have a dog with a flea bite allergy, I would not rely on those alone. I do treat all of mine except one with Frontline Plus, the only reason the one doesn't get it is he is an epileptic dog and I use no chemicals on him whatsoever (with the exception of Interceptor for HW protection). I use a neem oil shampoo/spray for him. It works really well, but he does not spend a lot of time outdoors either. I have to be very careful with the "natural" products too because many contain rosemary, sage, eucalyptus, camphor, etc., all of which are known seizure triggers.

[Nancy]

Hi - my 2 yr old male schnauzer had a reaction to K9 Advantix. He scratched until he got an abrasion near the application site. Bathed & was better. No other symptoms or problems with it that I noticed. There is still a small amount in his collar so he hasn't had any flea problems. No further itching.

When I got him in January, he had a dermatitis the vet said was probably from flea allergy. Since treating & taking wheat out of his diet, his skin has improved tremendously.

Do you think I can reuse the K9 Advantix on him at a smaller than the recommended dose or should I try frontline plus? My other dogs all did well on frontline plus, I switched last year due to mosquitos.

Any natural remedies anyone would recommend?

[scarfy]

Any natural remedies anyone would recommend?

I've heard lavender. Dillute it with a little water and sprayed on your dog can help. Magnolias planted will deturr fleas. Fresh, green walnut branches (I'm sure walnuts in their casing would also work, it's that smell). Citronila candles/torches.

Also I live in an area that's full of ticks but my Foofie has yet to get fleas and since I've been using a preventative she's gotten less and less ticks.

[Stark]

Well, I don't know about these chemicals because I don't use them and haven't for 15 years. IF you have a serious problem treat your lawn, your dog, your house, your vehicle and anywhere else your dog goes and do it again in about 8-10 days and keep your dog in its own yard. I've followed this and my dogs never have a problem with fleas and I seldom find ticks on my dogs (2 of which are kenneled outside).

[chihuahua_chica]

i personally do not like flea collars and i treat my dog w/ advantage most of the time but my vet moved so now i use over the counter frontline until i find another vet

[blue lacy lover]

do any of you guys know if "Natural Defense flea & tick sweeze on" med is any good? it has pepperment oil, cinnamon iol, lemon grass, clove iol,and thyme iol in it.

it smells REALLY REALLY BAD! :D

[PatchworkPits]

I personally use BioSpot....I also use Seven Dust on our yard and trees...so far so good!