theshine Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I keep my dogs on Frontline Plus all the time, never missed a dose (except in the dead of winter), and it has always worked for us, but a couple of months ago I noticed them scratching alot. I checked my calendar and it was almost time for the frontline, so I dosed them and forgot about it. A couple of weeks ago they started scratching again, so bad that clumps of hair are flying all around the house, and a few days ago I saw a flea on Shiner. Checked the calendar again and it was almost time for frontline, so I dosed them again...fast forward until today...they definitely have fleas and now that I'm thinking about it, the last two or three frontline apps haven't left them greasy like it usually does. This all coincides with when I started buying frontline online instead of at my vet. Do you guys think it's possible I got a bad batch, some fake frontline or something, or that they have developed some immunity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I know fake is possible but I don't think that would be the case if you bought from a legitimate internet retailer. We used Frontline Plus for some years with absolutely no problem. Then, wham, last year it did nothing for the fleas that we suddenly had in abundance. Of course, last year, we also have neighbor dogs on both sides of the farm - a total of six of them. We switched to Advantix and, bingo, it killed the fleas quickly and efficiently the rest of the summer and early fall. This year, we found a flea and used Advantix again. And the fleas kept coming. I had to go to Comfortis to kill them. And to Revolution for the cats. The longer you use a product, the more likely the fleas are to become resistant. So, a real possibility other than fake or defective product, is flea resistance, which will require you to use a differently-based preventative. Fleas can make a dog miserable and are vectors for tapeworm - best wishes in dealing with this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted October 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Fortunately it'll be getting cold here soon...I just got some Advantix to finish out the season and I'm looking into revolution for next year. This really sucks, I'd been having such good results with the frontline, especially with the tick problem we had previous years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Fleas and tick. I don't envy any of you with your problems. The last time I had fleas on a dog was when I was living at the beach before returning to the desert. That was in the mid 80s. Best of luck in your constant battle against the bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Well, right on cue, someone vomited up what looks like a whole tapeworm. No clue who, I just found it. After screaming and wretching I bagged it and showed up at the vets office. I left significantly poorer and with pills for 4 dogs and 2 cats. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Ooooooo. That sucks. Medicine is so expensive. But worms are so gross. Good Luck - I hope it all gets better now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 A good tip that an animal has tapeworm is seeing small segments around the anal area, often stuck to the hair (or in the bedding of that animal). The segments look about the size of a grain of rice, tend to be flat (when dried), and could easily be mistaken for a little bit of coconut shreds. When I see these on a cat or where it sleeps, it's time to treat all the animals, just in case. If you want to get grossed out, watch an animal (or person) when the killed tapeworm(s) are being expelled, especially in a severe infestation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 This year we had a flea problem for the first time ever -- and the Frontline Plus wasn't working. Maybe fleas are becoming resistant to it? Anyhow, we gave the cats Capstar, which is pretty safe to the point you can give it every day if you have to, and we gave the dogs Comfortis. Washed all the bedding, shampooed all the beasts, and the problem went away. Thank goodness!!! Tapeworms are so disgusting, but they are transmitted by fleas, so it's good to get rid of the d*mn fleas. Gaah. My sympathies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 The fleas in Oklahoma seem to have become resistant to frontline, at least in my experience. It's been a few years since frontline has worked on my dogs. Beau in particular becomes a little fleabag as he likes to go roaming through the underbrush daily. We switched to advantix and it worked okay. Comfortis worked amazingly at killing the fleas but caused Beau and Summer to vomit multiple times. The other dogs were fine with it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizmo Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Our dogs have had the same problem that Laurelin mentions. Frontline Plus hasn't worked in this area for a year or so now; I've heard this from other dog/cat owners, too. We switched to K9 Advantix and haven't had any flea problems in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted November 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 Well we are still dealing with this, the advantix did not work...I'm picking up some Comfortis from the vet this afternoon. I really hope it works. I have some powder for the carpet and spray for furniture and beds that can't be washed too. It's still in the 70's here too, so I'm not getting any help from the cold weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 Frontline stopped working for us this summer. Comfortis worked very well for the dogs, and I gave the cat Capstar, which worked well for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 Well we are still dealing with this, the advantix did not work...I'm picking up some Comfortis from the vet this afternoon. I really hope it works. I have some powder for the carpet and spray for furniture and beds that can't be washed too. It's still in the 70's here too, so I'm not getting any help from the cold weather. Make sure when you vaccuum you empty the canister in a bag and seal it good...or change the vaccuum bag daily when using it, and put it outside. But if you put the vaccuum back in a closet or room , those darn buggers will crawl right back out and deposit themselves back where you found them....I know vaccuum bags can be costly , but getting rid of those horrible creatures is more important ..and having had that problem once , I vaccuumed liked crazy ! I think I killed my last vaccuum because of it . I now have a Dyson and love it !! They really s*** !! LOL.... Good luck.. PS Be careful with those pesticides on the rugs and furniture..once the creatures are gone , wash well before letting the dogs use anything !! Maybe you can send the dogs to a really nice friend's house while you go to war..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 I've heard that it's a good idea to cut up a flea collar and put pieces in the vacuum cleaner bag. The idea is that it'll kill fleas so that you don't need to pitch the bag each and every time you vacuum. Haven't tried it myself, so can't vouch for it, but I placed a mental "bookmark" as it seemed worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 I've heard that it's a good idea to cut up a flea collar and put pieces in the vacuum cleaner bag. The idea is that it'll kill fleas so that you don't need to pitch the bag each and every time you vacuum. Haven't tried it myself, so can't vouch for it, but I placed a mental "bookmark" as it seemed worth a try. That's a great idea !! Hopefully it works better in the bag , LOL.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 If you want to get grossed out, watch an animal (or person) when the killed tapeworm(s) are being expelled, especially in a severe infestation. How do they treat a human for tapeworms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariji Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 I work with dogs flead for overseas and interstate travel and frontline is used but hardly ever works. Immunity seems to happen pretty quickly. We recently moved house and were horrified to see that the new house has an already existing flea infestation. A couple of packets of Sentinel and Capstar and haven't seen a flea since!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted November 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 I gave it to them with dinner tonight, and no one threw up, so we'll see. I didn't realize until I got to the vet that they don't make it for cats. The receptionist said all they carry for cats is frontline. I'm going to call back tomorrow and ask for capstar or call my friend who is a tech at a different vet clinic and see what she says...thinking of switching vets anyway... The carpet stuff I got is supposed to be "natural" and safe for pets, but it reeks and my vacuum hates it. Clouds of stuff puffed everywhere and the dogs were agitated, rolling around and sneezing. No bueno. It seems ok now, not using it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 We're getting reports of Frontline no longer working in parts of this country but so far it's fine with mine and one of the has been treated with it for over 10 years without building up a resistence to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 I have had dogs for the last 14 years and this is my first battle with fleas. Brody is on frontline and it will be another week before I can use another topical medicine. I realized 3 weeks ago we had a problem. I have sprayed the carpets, curtains etc. Washed his and our bedding. Washed him with flea shampoo every week and they keep coming back. Any comments on how long this will last. They could have come from anywhere, he is always in the undergrowth, he hangs out with strange dogs when he is at work with my husband and we train for agility in a horse barn! So my best chance for control is with the dog. My vet has always carried Frontline, I am going to switch as we have been having tick problems as well what would be everyones recomendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 I have had dogs for the last 14 years and this is my first battle with fleas. Brody is on frontline and it will be another week before I can use another topical medicine. I realized 3 weeks ago we had a problem. I have sprayed the carpets, curtains etc. Washed his and our bedding. Washed him with flea shampoo every week and they keep coming back. Any comments on how long this will last. They could have come from anywhere, he is always in the undergrowth, he hangs out with strange dogs when he is at work with my husband and we train for agility in a horse barn! So my best chance for control is with the dog. My vet has always carried Frontline, I am going to switch as we have been having tick problems as well what would be everyones recomendations. I have used Advantix for years and never had a problem . But sometimes one product works well say in New York but doesnt work too well in Idaho. Seems to me you may have a carrier , like a stray cat in the yard ,or other animal that your dog gets close to. If you have other animals in the house , like a cat , or other dogs , you MUST treat everybody. If you dont you are basically cutting your head off to spite your face , so to speak. Make sure you are throwing the vacuum bag OUTSIDE , in a sealed garbage bag . DONT put the vacuum away without doing this , or the little buggers will just crawl right back out and deposit themselves back in the environment. I know those bags can be expensive , but there is no other way , unless you have a canister, which is easier , but still needs to be dumped after every use. Dog beds that arent washable , get rid of. Be careful with the household pesticides , they can be extremely toxic to animals , and the side affects can be worse then the flea problem. Get the animals out of the house or in another room that has ventilation . And air out the entire house well so you and the pets arent affected. The sprays stay in hte air for a while , at the pets level , so keep that mind. Their eyes can burn and cause skin irritations . I have seen pets come in with very bad reactions to household products , so Im very careful and preach about it, sorry. BTW , if you can get a flea product like capstar , that kills fleas within half hour , that would help . Than apply your product of choice like Advantix or Frontline , etc.... Remember to treat all pets in household. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Well we are still dealing with this, the advantix did not work...I'm picking up some Comfortis from the vet this afternoon. Down in AR frontline didn't do squat. But it took a couple years to get that way. I switched to something else (can't remember) and that didn't work either so within a month I used comfortis which cleared everyone up pronto. Then with in a week of the last treatmeant Raven started having seizures. Only when I would try to give her a bath. like I was reactivating the topical application which didin't make much sence but still that's what happend. I think I had over dosed her on different flea products cause since moving to CO where fleas aren't an issue so no treating she hasn't had another one. But, I haven't given her a bath since the seizures....to scarred to see what might happen. Please be careful to not use your products to quickly, bad things can happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 I've heard that it's a good idea to cut up a flea collar and put pieces in the vacuum cleaner bag. The idea is that it'll kill fleas so that you don't need to pitch the bag each and every time you vacuum. Haven't tried it myself, so can't vouch for it, but I placed a mental "bookmark" as it seemed worth a try. One other idea is to place "moth balls" in the bag! Stinks, but from when we have had to use it has appeared to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 It seems like we have it under control now with the comfortis, and there were no bad reactions to it either. Haven't seen any fleas for a while....just thought I'd update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I'd like to try Comfortis, but I'd have to rob a bank to treat all the critters! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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