At my wits end with fleas...

I'm in Florida too and it's shaping up to be a bad year.

 I'm using Advantage (it's working better than Frontline).  Are you in an apartment or your own home?  If the dog is getting back into fleas in some particular area the Advantage may not be able to keep up with killing them.

I also use diatamaceous earth outside (get the human grade stuff -- most decent groomers or dog stores carry it) -- it's essentially a dessicant and dries out the flea to the point it kills them.

I know some folks on here use Comfortis -- I'm not at all comfortable with that because it's systemic (and is *not* good for dogs with any sort of seizure concerns).

Fleas outside will come inside in a heartbeat -- they will actually walk straight thru concrete foundations b/c they are so small they can.  You do have to put DE down after every major rainfall tho but it's not toxic. 

If you bomb you have to do it twice -- once today and then 7-9 days later (because of the life cycle of the flea and egg inhibitors don't always work).

Thank you! Yes we are in a home (renting).  Is diatamaceous earth available at a store like home depot?  Yes I've heard mixed things about Comfortis. My husband called our vet today to get his opinion.  I was just celebrating the fact that warm weather is back but now I wish it would get cold again!

I read online somewhere that a homeopathic treatment would be to give a bath with salt? Does that mean swimming in the ocean would kill the fleas on the dog?

Elle1777

  Is diatamaceous earth available at a store like home depot? 

No because you **must** have food grade DE.  You might (not sure) find it at PetSmart -- but most holistic vets carry it, and many bigger groomers and dog stores.  If you are in central FL I can tell you where to get it.  You *can* dust their coats with DE as well and that might be the best thing you could do, but it's not *fast* ---

Saltwater?  Probably not.  It wouldn't hurt but you'd also be battling sand fleas then as well.

You can do Advantage twice a month if you must.  You can also make a spray of Avon's Skin So Soft bathoil - about 1 teas to 4 oz water and 4 oz alcohol and spray that on before you go for walks.

Trust me, I understand your pain.  I live here!

try Frontline instead, and alternate. Sometimes local pop's of fleas can get immune to the same med...find a topical with something different and use that. Frontline also makes a spray which I hear is super effective as well. I suppose as a last resort you can try a company like Flea Busters who have a guarantee.

I have to suggest feeding a high quality garlic supplement. I used to have horrible fleas problems with my two dogs. I live in the woods of NJ and I would find fleas from april through november! I found a company that sells horse, dog, and human supplements. It is called SPRINGTIME. The reviews were really great and it is fairly cheap. I used the garlic last year and had NO fleas. I din't have to use frontline once! It works ok with ticks, but since my dogs are light and have short hair I just check them over daily for ticks.

I have had such a good experience with the garlic, I suggest to anyone who has flea problems. The only thing is that it takes a little while to build up in the dogs' system so you won't see immediate effects but I have saved a ton of money not needing frontline and I never like putting chemicals on the dogs anyway. Give it a try - I hope it works as well for you as it does for me!

I hate fleas..ugh.. That's why my next place will only have hardwood floors! Here's a site with a few other natural suggestions for flea control

http://www.findavet.us/2010/05/how-to-prevent-flea-and-tick-bites-naturally/