Flea control for dogs

nachoqtpie

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So, we've had dogs for 6 years, since we bought our house, and have NEVER had an issue with fleas.

A few months back we watched a friends 2 dogs for them for a couple days, and noticed that they were itching, but didn't think anything about it because we thought that they were on flea meds/collars. Needless to say, they were not! When they came home to pick up the dogs, they said that when they got home they had fleas in their house!

Fast forward to now... they've moved away and we're stuck with the fleas!!

We cannot afford to take all of our dogs to the vet and get the meds right now ($45 for each dog (4) for an office visit and then the cost of the medication as well.)

I bought some Permethrin at TSC, and that does seem to help some, but it doesn't seem to last very long? I've bathed them with dawn and neem oil, washed bedding, vacuumed, used borax and DE on the carpet overnight... I'm at my whits end!!!

Is there something that I'm missing? Should I try to put the permethrin right on them undiluted? Try something else? Help!!
 

tortoise

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Permethrin does not last long, it breaks down with light. It's also very toxic for cats, so if you have any pet cats that cuddle up with your dogs, they could be in danger.

You need to treat your yard, especially around and under decks and porches. You can buy insecticide granules for lawns at a hardware store or garden center. This prevents your dogs from bringing new fleas into your home every day.

Washing bedding doesn't kill fleas, but a clothes dryer gets hot enough to kill fleas and flea eggs. Put everything that's not nailed down into the dryer as often as possible, daily is best.

DE on the carpet is a good plan!

The life cycle of a flea is temperature dependent. At normal room temperature, the life cycle is approximately 3 weeks. Expect to be fighting fleas for 4 generations (12 weeks). Whatever you do to fight fleas, do it consistently for 12 weeks. If you do it for only 2 weeks, for example, you might kill off one generation - but you'll have another generation hatching in a week and your infestation continues and grows!

In my experience, Frontline+ is more ECONOMICAL and more SAFE!! than DIY flea control. If you buy it from your veterinarian and use it as directed on all dogs (and cats) for 3 months, it have a guarantee. If it doesn't work, get your money back or they'll send an exterminator to your house!

Maybe try a different veterinarian? Frontline+ is not prescription, so your dogs don't need to each be seen in order to buy it. You can buy it at other stores or online, but you will NOT get the manufacturer's guarantee.

Frontline+ works by interrupting reproduction of fleas, and takes 3 months to get rid of an infestation. It does not work as well in situations where the dogs are bringing in new fleas from outside, so make sure you treat the yard too.
 

nachoqtpie

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Okay. Thank you! Will these granules be safe with chickens?? We have chickens that also use our backyard during the day, and the dogs use it in the morning and evening.

If I buy Frontline+ from say... Petsmart... would it have the guarantee as well? Or ONLY from the vet?
 

tortoise

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Oh, I have no idea about the chickens. I'd call a farm vet and ask or keep the chickens fenced. Or possibly the chickens are eating fleas in the grass??? I have no idea.

No guarantee unless it's from the vet. The manufacturer considers Frontline+ at retailers or online to be "bootlegged product". It is supposed to be only sold to veterinarians. Apparently there are veterinarians buying it for the retailers. Call around, you should be able to get it for your dogs from a vet WITHOUT the health exam / office call fee. You can check prices too. There is barely any markup for Frontline+, many vets are selling it just barely over cost (as are the retailers). You're not going to get price gouged on this product.

I don't even use Frontline+, LOL! I just know some of how it works and it's crazy-advanced. No comparison to other OTC "spot-on" treatments on the market. Not even those with the same active ingredient. The cool stuff about Frontline+ isn't the active ingredient - it's how the inactive "carrier" ingredients work to make the active ingredient so effective.)

The complaints I've heard about Frontline+ are when consumers don't understand how it works and what to expect. You WILL see fleas on the dog after application. You WILL see an increase in fleas in the second month of application - because a new, larger generation in your home has hatched - from eggs laid before you started the Frontline+. Many people freak over those things because they don't know to expect it, or their expectations are for instant kill and never seeing a flea again. Correct application is very important for Frontline+, since the effectiveness is all in the carrier. Read the instructions. Don't apply within 24 hours before or after bath/swim/exposure to water. Remove fabric/nylon/leather collars and harnesses for 24 hours after application. Keep your dog on non-porous surfaces for 24 hours after application (no couch, no bed, no carpet, etc). These things help maximize the effectiveness of the product.
 

nachoqtpie

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Oh gosh... our entire house is carpeted, so keeping them off of carpets would be a problem! LOL
 

Mini Horses

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yObviously I just read this & I sure HOPE the fleas are gone by now BUT, I have a product to spray the house that is expensive and WORKS. I buy a can at the vets, 16oz aerosol and a light spray will kill adult & immature fleas, eggs as hatch, etc. I have never had to spray 2X. No odor, mess, etc. Water based, covers about 2000 sqft, dries quickly.
Siphotrol plus II, by Vet-Kem, about $28.

Do use Frontline for cats/dogs but had a "not mine" dog come in and brought fleas. This stuff zapped them right now!! Have had my DIL use it when her own cats brought them in -- zapped them.

Never have seen it in any online vet supply but, may be out there. Oh, says it prevents reinfestation for 30 wks.

I
 

Denim Deb

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Hubby insisted that he saw a flea a couple of weeks ago. I told him it must have come in on him since we have no animals in the house. Maybe I should get him a flea collar.
 

Hilary Jones

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Our dog got fleas and brought them into the house. I thought I was going to go nuts!. They were biting us. Luckily we got them under control before they traveled through the house.

First we gave her Vetguard Plus for Dogs. Made her stay outside (she usually just comes in for a few hours in the evenings anyways). We cleaned the dog after the stuff had 48 hours to soak in and cleaned her house. sprayed a mix of Eucalyptus oil and water in the house to deter fleas further. Washed her bedding with the oil mixed in with the soap.

Second, we cleaned all blankets and vacuumed the rugs. I sprinkled Diatomateous Earth all over (it feels kind of like cornstarch but the tiny particles cut the exoskeletons of the bugs) Let that sit for 24 hours. Vacuumed all again.... Did this for days....

Third, My husband had enough of "natural remedies" after they invaded his chair and bit him. So we got a flea fogger and chemical bombed the house making sure cushions on the couch were up and the recliner was opened up.While that did its thing I took all bedding and blankets to a laundry mat. Then came home and vacuumed everything again...

They were gone after that. Needless to say the dog will be kept up to date on her treatments. Her indoor bed is washed with Eucalyptus mix weekly. I never want to have to do that again. It was WAY to much work and frustration. Plus the cost and time was much more getting rid of them then now preventing them....

Hope you get rid of those beastly vampire bugs soon. It took my me two weeks to stop imagining I was getting bit by them after they were gone...
 

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For other's future reference, in a flea infestation, removing pets from the home after treating them with something effective (Frontline+, or Vetguard/Nexguard) is a mistake. The fleas will start biting people instead when the pet is gone. Better to have them dying on the dog than biting people. Remember the pet is no longer the source of the problem after the first generation. Flea eggs aren't affixed to the hair like lice nits. They fall off, hatch in the carpet, and look for a host.... any host. In absence of a dog, a human will do just fine. Treating the dog and then removing the dog from the home slows down eradicating fleas and makes the people bitten up and miserably itchy.

They ARE beastly! I dealt with fleas in my home once, a decade ago, before I learned all this neato stuff about fleas and flea products. It was miserable. I am excessively cautious now. Even our barn cat gets Frontline+!
 
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