FLEAS!!

[Lindzey]

We haven't had a flea problem in the past, but it seems they have found a new place to hang out.

 

We've done baths every week of Sergeants Flea & Tick shampoo, and are in the process of spraying the house with Suspend SC Insecticide. I can't think of the current guard we have. It is either K9 Advantix or some lower brand.

 

I was wondering A)What everyone else happens to use for shampoos B)What type of guards they use (Advantix, Frontline, etc.) and C)What is the recommended house insecticide.

 

Thanks.

~Lindzey

[mado]

Frontline once a month and presto !!!

[prosperia]

I had some problems with frontline, but its still your best bet. Shampoos dont work. Its really difficult to get rid of fleas once they have invaded your house, but it can be done. Frontline the dogs, then bomb,then bomb again, then get some spray, lots and lots of spray. Then cover every inch of your floor, the couch cushions, the underside of your furniture, etc. (repeat about once a week for a month, maybe more) At least until you stop feelling the need to check your pants legs for evil littl critters. Oh yea, and dont forget to haul each and every piece of clothing, and bed sheets outside of the house and clean, clean, clean. Good luck!

[mado]

Maria ; what problems please ? I suppose we're talking of the same stuff you put once a month on the neck of dogs and cats ? If there is something wrong with it I'd like to know ...

Thanks

[prosperia]

I must have gotten a bad batch once. I frontlined the dogs, but it just didnt work. Or it wouldnt protect them for longer than a couple of weeks. It says that its supposed to protect them for, I think its 3 months, but your supposed to use it every month during the peak season (which is upon us once again. . .yay)

[mado]

Ah ok nothing bad about it , thanks . It happened to me also with the cats , just like I did nothing , but then I thought maybe I didn't do it properly , because one of my cats really puts up a mean fight :mad: he looks just like this graemlin and then sulks for a day or two ...

[Barb Scott]

Frontline won't work on just shampooed dogs. We always wait at least 3 days after our dogs have been swimming and then don't let them in the water for three days after applying frontline.

Barb S

[prosperia]

Maybe that was the problem. Allie practically lived in the river.

[AK dog doc]

On treating the house... You might check the Yellow Pages to see if you have a Fleabusters service in your area. If not, see if your vet will order the powder for you. It's a boron salt (if I recall correctly) that you brush into the carpets - which is a big pain in the hiney if you do it yourself, but it works. As I recall, if Fleabusters does your house, they guarantee it for a year so long as you don't steam clean your carpets. The salt dessicates the nymphs and eggs. It won't dessicate the adults, however. The toxicity is about the same as table salt. You do have to cover your birds, fish tanks and electronics while they (or you) do this, and get the pets out of the area being treated (because of the dust inhalation). I shut the cats in the bathroom and sat in my kitchen reading the paper when they did my house.

 

One caveat: This works well if your house has carpet over 50% or more of the flooring, not as well otherwise.

 

When I first moved here my landlord had a flea problem (yes, HERE, in AK!) It was just a bad year for fleas all around. My bosses kept dragging me into exam rooms and going, "This is our flea expert, she just moved up from California and knows more about it than we ever will!" Which was a nice vote of confidence, but rather odd considering the geography. At any rate, my landlord bombed his house twice without eradicating the fleas, but the Fleabuster powder did it in one try. He's never had fleas since (which has been more than a decade). That's probably partly the environment, but he still has cats, so there's at least the possibility. I had one tech in CA who'd had Fleausters do her house and said it was still working 5 years later.

 

Anyway, at least initially you have to treat the pet AND the house, but I like Fleabusters because it's so long-lasting and it doesn't smell like pesticides and has such a minimal toxicity (the company says they're not allowed to say it's NONtoxic.) Keeping fleas from establishing a population in your house is critical to flea control, IMO. If you treat only the pets, there are some fles which will be biting YOU and setting up their own little colonies, so treat the house as well.

 

Good luck with this - I'm allergic to fleas and get gigantic hard painful itchy burning red welts from the bites, so I have MAJOR sympathy.

[Lindzey]

Thank you for all your help. Looks like I'll have to talk to my vet about it. AK Dog Doc, I'd love to try out Fleabusters, but there isn't a single part of my house that is carpeted. Its all wood flooring or tiles.

 

Thanks,

Lindzey

[concrete]

I have used 20 Mule Team Borax in my carpet and had great success with it when I had a very bad flea out break some years ago. Bombing and spraying insecticides did not work . Since then I frontline once a year in the spring and have had no more problems.

 

 

Kevin

[Lunar]

We've used both Advantage and Frontline on Oreo, both seem to do the job well in preventing flea outbreaks. She always managed to get them when we forgot or early in the season or whatnot. (And with Oreo, even a couple fleas were a bad deal... bleh.)

 

With Zeeke we used K9 Advantix on him because of a tick problem in our yard, and we've never seen one flea.

[smileyzookie]

When we got our cat from the pound, we had the most horrid outbreak. Im not kidding, like the kind you go through the room and like literally have the fleas all up your legs. NOTHING was working. Finally we got Advantage for him which worked miracles, and we found some sort of spray from the vets office that is pet friendly, and I've NEVER seen anything work like that did. It was over with quickly!! I can find the name of it out if you're still looking for something.

 

Edited to add -----

This is why Im glad I moved to Idaho, no more flea outbreaks!!!

[prosperia]

Lindsey,

I have all wood floors too, even in the kitchen and bathrooms. And they arent really sealed that well either, so there were lots of cracks for them to hide in. The spray worked the best, you just have to use it periodically for a time to make sure you get em all. I cant remember what it was called, but it was in a blue squirt bottle (like a cleaner) and I got it from Walmart.

[Lindzey]

Thank you ALL for your input. Looks like we're moving to and keeping with Advantage. It seems like it has the highest rating. If Advantage doesn't work, then Frontline is the next runner up.

 

And to Prosperia, I'll be sure to go to Wal*Mart next time I have some cash. (Flat out broke, had to pay parents some money back that they had lent me. And -gasp- The money they lent me was for my dogs. Imagine that! ) If you happen to know the name (or can think of anything that comes close to the name) let me know. I'll check it out, definatly.

 

I know I keep saying it, but seriously, thank you. Its helped MILLIONS! <3

 

~Lindzey

[Shawna]

The last time we had a flea problem (several years ago now) we put Advantage on the dogs and then gave them Program. The fleas were gone in no time.

 

My dogs are on Program every summer now and we never see fleas.

 

I did notice that no one else mentioned it. Have there been new findings about it's safety? I've always prefered it to the topicals because it was purported to have a higher safety level according to things I'd read.