calliecritturs
Posted : 8/19/2006 11:02:12 AM
Revolution doesn't work very well for flea control because the fleas have to BITE the dog to die. It's a pesticide that lives in the body all the time -- when you put the spot 'on' it sinks thru the skin and goes to the bloodstream and fleas/ticks have to bite the dog to be killed. Personally, I don't like Revolution because it's 'systemic' -- it stays in the bloodstream all month and you simply 'hope' it's dissipated from the body before you put on another dose.
If I were to put it in other words I'd say exactly the same thing Glenda just said. I hate the fact that Revolution is systemic. HeartGuard is a fine thing to use for heartworm prevention altho I prefer the Interceptor because it does more, but is safer for more breeds. Where I am there is a LOT of trouble with parasites generally (like hooks, whips, etc.) and so the Interceptor is better for us because it deals with a wider spectrum of parasites but does it without increasing risk to my dogs.
I use Frontline because it stays in the hair follicles and skin pores and doesn't go into the body system. Advantage crystalizes on the surface and that doesn't go into the body either -- both of those kill "on contact" meaning the flea doesn't have to bite the dog to die. That's a good thing in my book.
That does mean you need to do heartworm protection separately and I use Interceptor for that. But again, it only stays in the body ONE day and then the chemical is gone, rather than Revolution's constant presence in the body (and they're finding it's not all that satisfactory for heartworm prevention either).
For me, even in Florida -- flea-capital of the known universe (except for Texas maybe) the Frontline and Interceptor work very well. When the fleas are super bad, I might use Frontline spray so I can control the dose a bit better.
You can try flea-combing daily -- but it's very difficult and YOU have to kill those fleas (usually drop them into a dish of a strong solution of dishsoap & water). That can be difficult.
There are herbal sprays available, as well as simple solutions of home remedies (I've used a spoonful of Skin So Soft bath oil in a cup of water and a cup of alcohol in a spray bottle and there are lots of other ones) that you can spray on the dog's legs/belly before you take them out to make them less attractive to fleas. There are some essential oils that fleas just don't like. You might use the search engine listed above to search the forum and see what others have done for fleas.
The occasional flea happens and you just have to be vigilant. And it can be a tough decision as to what chemicals you do want the dog exposed to. You'll find lively discussions on here all the time about what everyone uses.
I allow my dogs on the furniture **by invitation only** -- in other words they don't have the 'right' to just get on any old time, but I allow it and enjoy the company. Fleas can lay eggs in your carpet tho -- which is why it's important to use something like Frontline for control.
As far as the bathing goes -- like Glenda says any shampoo is fine. Even so-called "flea shampoos" really only STUN the fleas -- they don't kill. What she said about having to actually 'pop' a flea to kill it is true. If I'm brushing I usually just drop them into very soapy water (literally thick with soap) to keep them stunned until I can flush it down the toilet. Additionally after a bath I usually use a 'rinse' of water and tea tree oil (literally 2 gallons of plain water that I add about 25 drops of tea tree oil to and then pour over the dog by the cupfulls until it goes down the drain). It's a good coat conditioner that doesn't build up and fleas seem to hate tea tree oil.