flea and tick prevention

Xebby is right -- this is a subject that tends to raise hackles sometimes.

For ME & mine -- I won't use anything systemic.  Meaning, I won't use anything that seeps into the skin and goes into the bloodstream to 'linger' there.   So I will *not* use Revolution, ProMeris, BioSpot, Hartz, and even Advantix

I do use Frontline spot on, Frontline Spray and given the horrific flea season already underway in Florida I'm going to alternate with Advantage this year (mine get bathed pretty often which makes Advantage expensive)

 It's not a matter of prescription or not -- it's a matter of how it works and how deep into the bloodstream the toxins go as far as I'm concerned.  Frontline products stay in skin pores and hair follicles.  Advantage crystalizes on the skin.  The others sink into the skin and stay in the blood stream.  I don't want pesticides in my dog's body lingering there.

For Heartworm Prev. I use Interceptor -- it works on not only heartworm microfilaria but also hooks and whips but it still only stays in the body 24 hours but doesn't have a bad failure rate (HeartGuard is getting a bad reputation for failing, and so does Revolution to be honest, despite its systemic nature).

" Frontline products stay in skin pores and hair follicles."

 I thought that it was also absorbed. How would it travel to all of the skin pores in the dog if you only put it on the top of the neck?  We have been using frontline and we havent' had any fleas or ticks.

 Setting up an appointment for the blood test and heartworm check,lyme and something else in that check...So Heartguard is not all that?  We used that and then last year we got a different script for Iverhart Plus. Anything on that?

Thanks for responding!

: )

http://frontline.us.merial.com/products/products_faqs.asp#q10

see #2

Frontline and Advantage are both carried in the oil of the skin over the rest of the body. The OTC top spots do this as well. The problem with them, is that the chemical family that they are in, is highly toxic to vertebrates and invertebrates alike, without distinction. So the concentrations of the chemical required to cover the whole body, applied in one spot, can be very irritating or even toxic. Frontline and Advantage target only invertebrates. Advantage doesn't even cover ticks or mites.

I use Program to break the flea's life cycle, and Sevin dust and carbaryl collars to take care of hitchikers. My dogs that spend a lot of time in the woods wear Amitraz collars for the ticks. I have to dust about every ten days. It seems to work very well. I have one dog that is violently allergic to fleas so I can't mess around with natural stuff. Fleas. Must. Die. Frontline and Advantage have completely lost their effectiveness here. Maggie, my oldest dog, is extremely sensitive to pyrethroids, which most OTC flea and tick prevention is based upon. 

Before I lost the ability to use Frontline, I bought the largest size and split the doses. Each of the largest size will treat three smaller BC sized dogs. I would never have stopped using Frontline if it hadn't stopped working - it was well worth the expense, even before I figured out how to split the doses.

 I have been using Advantix on mine since I had trouble with Frontline many years ago.  In thinking back I dont think it was the frontline I think I was given the wrong dosage from a Vet tech.  This was not the first but it was the last problem we had with that clinic we changed Vets shortly after that.  I have learned so much from all of you here since then.  I have 2 months of Advantix so I will go ahead and use it but may have to rethink my Flea and Tic control.  I dont use anything from Nov thru Mar.  I only use during the flea and tic season here in Arkansas.  I have used Sevin dust before and I also supplement with Avon SSS which I think helps but it also makes them smell better. 

Gah, fleas.

I don't know what is going on here, but Penny seems to be breeding her own species of Superflea that cannot be destroyed. She has been aided greatly by moving into a house with shag pile carpet. In recent times NOTHING has worked here. Capstar tablets kill the fleas that are on the dogs that day, but there's no point if I can't break the life cycle, and I've tried everything to do that. Our flea infestation was down to a minor level for the past 3 weeks following flea bombing the house and hitting Penny with every chemical and natural flea deterrant I had on hand. At her age, I am frankly more concerned about getting the blood suckers off her than the long term effects. The fleas are back in force this week, though. As soon as we have the time we are ripping up the shag pile. I think that's the last thing we have up our sleeve, really. At the moment it's bathing Penny in flea bath, giving her a Capstar and then whatever brand of spot on treatment I've got. Advantix seems to be working best at the moment, but the vets have told me nothing works very well anymore.

Lemon-scented teatree oil does deter the fleas quite a bit, but unfortunately Penny hates the smell of it as well. I put a few drops on a cloth and wrap it around her collar. I was going to try making some smelly little cuffs for her ankles. The fleas just love my dogs' feet.

I use Frontline for our 11 year old cairn.  He is allergic to flea bites so using it is a must.  It works well against ticks also.

When we first brought home our lab/collie mix, we chose to put frontline on her. After ONLY about 8 months of usage here in northeast Florida, spring hit and so did the fleas. I dunno what happened but all of the sudden she had fleas. ALOT of fleas.We tried flea bath, the capstar worked for a day like it should but I can't afford to keep buying them. We tried garlic brwers yeast, flea collar, another dose of frontline thinking maybe we got a bad batch, we sprayed the yard. Nothing seemed to work. Finally I gave up and submitted to Advantix. So after a bath, treating the carpets in the entire house and putting Advantix on her, so far I have only found one flea on her and it was hanging on the top of her coat seeming to be dying or something. So as of now (keeping my fingers crossed) I'm hoping we have gotten rid of the fleas for atleast this year. Poor baby was miserable with them on her. Now this is only the 2nd day of her having the Advantix on her. If this does't work I'll have to figure something else out. I could just move to Alaska...Lol.

It is just a heinously bad year for fleas in Flooor-daaa already.  Advantix seems to work but again, it's systemic and someone was on here asking the other day about vomiting, etc. being a potential side effect of Advantis (which it is). 

It's frustrating as heck to see them scratching all the time when you know you've just put something on.  Even the ones that don't go systemic can cause side effects.  It can be a tough decision.

Callie is right, fleas and ticks are already out in greater than full force this year. In the last week I've spoken with more than one person who said they don't use anything other than flea shampoo and have no problems with fleas. Even in areas less wooded than where I am, I find it hard to believe. Are some dogs more succepable (sp) to fleas than others??????

My vote would be for Frontline Plus.  Willow's vet seems to prefer that over others due to it being something that wasn't absorbed into the system per se.  I've had good luck with it recently.  But, ticks are more her issue than fleas. 

 I use frontline plus.  I never had to get a prescription for it, I just pick it up from the pet store in town.  I have used it for many years and trust it as much as I can trust any type of medication that is.  It works very well on fleas, and somewhat OK on ticks.  Our tick population here it out of control.  I just got back from a walk and picked off 5 of the suckers off me and 2 that I could find crawling on Ari.  Ari's fur makes tick hunting difficult.  So far we haven't had the infestation of ticks we did last year!  We had them crawling up our walls and doors, on our carpets, in our clothing (in the drawers!), in our bed (nothing is more pleasant than waking to see two ticks on your arm, one on your pillow, and upon further investigation you find 3 more on your person and one additional one on the bed)...

Sunshinegirl

Are some dogs more succepable (sp) to fleas than others??????

Yes -- definitely.  Some dogs have far less predisposition to having problems with fleas.  And some years are worse than others.