Vectra 3D: Flea and Tick

I have my own list of good/bad --

But I have to say at first that here in Florida I have about run out of ANY options.  Frontline just plain isn't working here any more.  I used it for several years after others claimed it wasn't working but finally last summer I just plain HAD to stop using it.  Advantage didn't work for me years ago.  I won't use Advantage-Multi (it has the same drug in it that ProHeart 6 has), Pro-Meris (another nasty - has amitraz in it that then goes SYSTEMIC), and BioSpot and Revolution are both systemic and I can't use them.

I have a dog who had IMHA -- so chemicals of any sort are SCAREY (they can trigger IMHA) , but so can the stress of a severe flea infestation trigger IMHA.

so flatly I'm out of options.

 Vectra --

The bad

1. I *hate* the applicator *grin* -- because I don't have enough strength in my hands to depress the plunger.

2.  I have to take Tink's harness off or it absorbs into that rather than her hair follicles

3.  Heaven forbid if the dog rolls outside right after application.  Last month when I applied it on Billy somehow it didn't spread over his skin and instead it hardened into a big splat of hardened goo on his coat.  I had to scrub and snip it off.  It only happened ONCE so it could have been a faulty batch or it may be that Billy rolled in something dusty (heaven knows it was a dry spring and it was before we got the new sod) but it was a mess.

4.  I was HORRIFIED at Amanda's reaction using it on Brutus (that's what she put on him that caused such a bad reaction and caused him to seize).  That really scares the tar out of me.

The Good

1.  It works VERY well on Fleas.  Tink is probably the most flea-sensitive dog I've had in aeons.  Even one on her for 10 seconds drives her insane.  I literally have had to start keeping Capstar at home simply because when she gets a flea she goes wild and just putting the Vecta on her THEN gives her no respite for like 12 - 20 hours (until it spreads enough to kill that one flea). 

It seems to work the full month on her, and longer on Billy and Luna.  Like I said, she's a sensitive little puggy girl. *sigh*

I can't address ticks -- we don't have many (because I've got a 7 foot privacy fence so I don't get many animal visitors to spread them thank Heavens)

2. On Luna and Tink (and Billy with the exception of that ONE time) it seems to spread well if you get it down to the skin when you apply it.  In fact, it's less noticable the 2d day than Frontline has been (You could see the tracks from the Frontline for days and I don't see that with Vectra).

Bottomline

I'm using it -- but I'm hoping someone else will come out with something ELSE because it's certainly not perfect, but at least it DOES work on fleas. 

I truly think if I lived in a tick-endemic area and had dogs that liked to be in the woods, I think I'd just use the 2 X 4 on myself and have done with it.

But I am pretty danged terrified to put it on Billy again after what happened to Brutus.  Frontline has also been tied to triggering IMHA (not many times but in some dogs apparently that was the likely trigger) so I'm screwed either way. 

FOR THE RECORD

Me, the herbal queen -- I haven't found ANY natural product that is satisfactory.  Sentry's Natural Defense has  clove in it and it is SO incredibly strong that it shuts MY lungs down.  Perriwinkle is dangerous (and it's actually illegal in many states).  Avon Skin So Soft has to be applied very often.  (and again, for me the scent triggers lung problems)

Garlic and yeast really don't do much of any good at all.  I'm in a state where fleas are HUGE.  For folks who don't live down here (FL, TX, Alabama, LA, GA) it is really hard to even imagine the type of flea problem we face here.  I have had times where I have literally combed 300 - 500 fleas A DAY off a dog.  It really IS that bad if you don't use chemicals. *sigh*

I'll add my goods & bads as well.

The Good

• I love the applicator.  It's easy to open, & I don't feel like I may accidentally stab them with the applicator.
• It has worked very well for us.  Three of our dogs swim daily, and, for us, it was just as effective at day 30 as it was at day 1.

The Bad

• Brutus had a very serious reaction to the drug.  He vomitted, had diarrhea, & had a siezure shortly after application.
• Summit's Vet Services is absolutely useless.  They are not willing to provide any info, & they will tell you that their product can't cause any of the symptoms that Brutus had.  The EPA has been notified, & is investigating.  There are still unresolved issues, & there may be litigation involved, so I can't disclose much more on an open forum.  (If you have questions or want more info, PM me.  I don't mind sharing what has happened up to this point.)
• On the same day that Brutus reacted, Bevo & Brinxx, who had tubes of Vectra applied from the same package as Brutus, suddenly became flea infested.  You could see fleas crawling all over  them, & they were itching/scratching insanely.  It was as if the product was attracting the fleas.  This, according to Summit, was due to the fact that I have a severe flea problem, & because Vectra contains a neurotoxin that makes the fleas more active before they die.  Funny thing was that, *if* the flea infestation was so severe, why didn't my other dogs have the same issue?  I had put the same drug on them that day as well.....  I never got a response to that question.
• It is not quick drying, as claimed.  We regularly had greasy spots on our dogs for up to 72 hours after application. 

Bottom line:  You couldn't pay me to use this product ever again.  There's not enough money in the world. 

This was one of the challenges I faced with Frisby, too (she's also an IMHA dog). Her vet said we couldn't use any product she had not already been exposed to. So I use Frontline (though it scares me!). We don't have the fleas, but we have the ticks and have high, high rates of tick borne diseases (anaplasma, Lyme, etc. etc.). I haven't found any naturals that work well enough.  I'm guessing the Frontline will stop working on the ticks in the next few years...ugh! Amanda, I hope Brutus is doing better.

Of the insecticides, I think Frontline is less scary than some others, but my Dancer had a bad reaction even to that, so I've tried not to use insecticides on my dogs since then.  Some of my friends use a combination of diatomaceous earth (food grade, and they dust the dog's quarters, plus feed it internally), herbals, garlic tabs, guinea hens (they eat ticks!) and frequent bathing and combing.  In the south, the problem is very bad compared to here, so I can empathize with the dilemma of insecticide versus severe infestation.  I've been relatively lucky just using herbals and garlic.