Erg! Fleas! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 09:00 AM

Hi everyone! I feel like I haven't posted in forever but I am having a huge flea issue right now and I knew this was the place for some help.

We have been very lucky (especially for Florida) and rarely have had to deal with fleas. In the handful of times we have, one dose of Frontline did the trick. Since Sugar and Spike are 3 and 4 pounds (give or take a few ounces) I've always split one between them and Gracie (7 1/2 pounds) got a full.

Soooo, now the problem. Last week I noticed Spike scratching and sure enough, found fleas. Checked the other two- fleas. Went straight to the vet which is now recommending Vectra 3D. I bought 3 vials and 3 Capstars to tide them over while the Vectra did it's thing. I split 1 vial between Sugar and Spike and gave a full to Gracie. My husband treated our yard. A few days later- FLEAS! I split the third vial between Sugar and Spike bringing them each to a full dose. Still- fleas! All three. No bathing has been done so I know that isn't the problem.

At this point I have no idea what to do. Vectra seems to get good reviews but it just isn't working and I don't want to add Frontline on top of it- seems too much. As it is, both Gracie and Spike act really crazy after flea treatment (same with Frontline or Vectra) and I'm worried about overloading their little systems.

I'm going to be away from the computer for a while but will check in later- any idea would be really appreciated. I am so stumped.

MY OSCAR · 03-10-2012, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikki+2

hi everyone! I feel like i haven't posted in forever but i am having a huge flea issue right now and i knew this was the place for some help.

we have been very lucky (especially for florida) and rarely have had to deal with fleas. In the handful of times we have, one dose of frontline did the trick. Since sugar and spike are 3 and 4 pounds (give or take a few ounces) i've always split one between them and gracie (7 1/2 pounds) got a full.

Soooo, now the problem. Last week i noticed spike scratching and sure enough, found fleas. Checked the other two- fleas. Went straight to the vet which is now recommending vectra 3d. I bought 3 vials and 3 capstars to tide them over while the vectra did it's thing. I split 1 vial between sugar and spike and gave a full to gracie. My husband treated our yard. A few days later- fleas! I split the third vial between sugar and spike bringing them each to a full dose. Still- fleas! All three. No bathing has been done so i know that isn't the problem.

At this point i have no idea what to do. Vectra seems to get good reviews but it just isn't working and i don't want to add frontline on top of it- seems too much. As it is, both gracie and spike act really crazy after flea treatment (same with frontline or vectra) and i'm worried about overloading their little systems.

I'm going to be away from the computer for a while but will check in later- any idea would be really appreciated. I am so stumped.

hi , well i use revolution for oscar.
You can buy a dose that is for a 0-5 lb dog.
I like that because i don't feel as though i am overdosing him
and it does work well .

http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/P...ittens-0-5-lbs

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MY OSCAR

hi , well i use revolution for oscar.
You can buy a dose that is for a 0-5 lb dog.
I like that because i don't feel as though i am overdosing him
and it does work well .

Revolution for Puppies and Kittens 0-5 lbs | NationalPetPharmacy

Thanks! I will definitely look into that if we are still fighting fleas in a month. I really like the low weight dosage as well. I was kind of surprised at the large weight variance on the Vectra.

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 01:48 PM

Well, I just found this- Vectra 3D: Flea and Tick Prevention Arlington Animal Clinic which indicates we might just be riding out the egg cycle. I did wash their bedding when I treated them but I suppose there could have been eggs in their fur that transferred back to the beds. I also didn't vacuum since the cleaning lady comes Thursday and honestly- it's not like we were infested. We haven't seen any fleas that weren't on the dogs and I treated them at the very first sign. I'll call the vet on Monday but based on the link I posted, it looks like we might have to ride it out a little. I hate this- I feel so bad for them. Giving them all a bath and hoping that will speed it along.

MY OSCAR · 03-10-2012, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikki+2

Well, I just found this- Vectra 3D: Flea and Tick Prevention Arlington Animal Clinic which indicates we might just be riding out the egg cycle. I did wash their bedding when I treated them but I suppose there could have been eggs in their fur that transferred back to the beds. I also didn't vacuum since the cleaning lady comes Thursday and honestly- it's not like we were infested. We haven't seen any fleas that weren't on the dogs and I treated them at the very first sign. I'll call the vet on Monday but based on the link I posted, it looks like we might have to ride it out a little. I hate this- I feel so bad for them. Giving them all a bath and hoping that will speed it along.

that is good. it is better if you don't have to change them over again especially if they are doing ok on this.
hopefully you can make them comfortable till you speak to your vet.
good luck

roseslevi · 03-10-2012, 03:16 PM

I like Advantage/Advantix the best. I live on the Cape(lots of sand) and this works best for us. I really haven't seen a flea in years and I leave it on them year round. I use the Advantix on mine because we have nasty ticks as well. It also does mosquitoes and they can be bathed afterwards and can go swimming it won't wash off.

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 03:25 PM

Years ago I used Advantage on our now deceased Basil. He was more prone to fleas and we treated him monthly with Frontline- then our fleas got resistant to Frontline and Advantage worked really well. I don't know how I've been on such a lucky streak with fleas with our current three but I guess that streak is over.

Oh well, three freshly bathed doggies, bedding in the washer- fingers crossed.

I only found one dead flea on Spike when I bathed him but the poor thing is scratching like mad- I guess from bites. This is awful.

enchilila · 03-10-2012, 03:48 PM

We are just now seeing fleas at our house, but not many. I'm trying Advantage. Our vet doesn't recommend Frontline for the dogs in this area anymore. I see flea bites on Betty Boop and she scratches like crazy, too. I use Children's Benadryl at night when she gets that bad. It seems to be what she needs to get a good night's sleep and a break from the scratching. Good luck with your flea problem.

Wylie's Mom · 03-10-2012, 03:49 PM

OMGOMGOMGOMG - NIKKI!!! I MISS you SO much! It made my day to 'see' you here today. Woman, I still think of you all the time

. I lovez ya!

(ps, I have no flea advice though...I hope you get some ideas to help)

Ellie May · 03-10-2012, 03:57 PM

Sentinel works well for Zoe pups. It can be paired with capstar or a topical esp when you see fleas. It does a good job of quickly stopping the lifestyle.

I'd think two or three days after going it would be long enough to see if it will work. They may be all over the house by now. So whatever you use, I would do it for at least three months straight and vacuum like mad.

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 04:19 PM

Enchilila, I so wish we could use Benadryl! Spike is a tricky one and reacts to it like it's speed. He has thunderstorm phobias and we first tried Benadryl- instant hyper crazy dog. The vet then prescribed Valium- extra hyper crazy dog. Had to lock him in his stroller to keep him from hurting himself. I just feel awful for him. Gracie and Sugar don't seem as affected by the bites.

Ellie May, I know- I really feel like they should be eliminated 100% by now and it's so worrisome and confusing that they aren't. When I've use Frontline combined with Capstar I never saw another flea. None of us has found a flea that wasn't on a dog though- and we have to look hard for those so I'm just doubting it's a crazy infestation. During bathing I found the one dead flea on Spike. One live and 3 seemingly dead ones on Gracie and none on Sugar. And I was looking hard and it's so much easier to spot them when they're wet. I just don't understand why there are still ANY.

I don't want to retreat with anything this close to the Vectra so I guess I'm stuck in a wait and see. Can't get anything until Monday anyway. Very frustrating- it feels like I'm letting them down.

Ann I've missed you too!!!! We need to do some serious catching up! LOL, you see right where I come running back to when I need help.

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

OMGOMGOMGOMG - NIKKI!!! I MISS you SO much! It made my day to 'see' you here today. Woman, I still think of you all the time

. I lovez ya!

(ps, I have no flea advice though...I hope you get some ideas to help)

And OMG!!! I just saw a new doggie name in your siggy!! I've been missing all the fun! After dinner I'm going to have to do some snooping to find out about the new baby!

RammaJ · 03-10-2012, 05:12 PM

I also live in Florida.....My Pierre is 4lbs 16 oz now...but Vectra did nothing for him....I give him half a "Comfortis" now and that works excellent.

Nikki+2 · 03-10-2012, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RammaJ

I also live in Florida.....My Pierre is 4lbs 16 oz now...but Vectra did nothing for him....I give him half a "Comfortis" now and that works excellent.

Oh thank you! That makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone. I think it has helped but just isn't getting the job done. I've never heard of Comfortis, I'll look into it.

chestermama · 03-11-2012, 07:46 PM

look up flea busters flea powder it works great and will work for a year, put it in your carpet, around base boards, beds. I had flea probleams after I moved to a condo and was putting flea meds on him every month, then flea busters came out and I rarely find a flea, it is awsome and safer than ditotamaeous earth to use. I rarely use anything on him and comfortis, make sure you give it after they have eaten

03-10-2012, 09:00 AM	#1
Nikki+2 I heart Sugar Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 7,373	Erg! Fleas! Hi everyone! I feel like I haven't posted in forever but I am having a huge flea issue right now and I knew this was the place for some help. We have been very lucky (especially for Florida) and rarely have had to deal with fleas. In the handful of times we have, one dose of Frontline did the trick. Since Sugar and Spike are 3 and 4 pounds (give or take a few ounces) I've always split one between them and Gracie (7 1/2 pounds) got a full. Soooo, now the problem. Last week I noticed Spike scratching and sure enough, found fleas. Checked the other two- fleas. Went straight to the vet which is now recommending Vectra 3D. I bought 3 vials and 3 Capstars to tide them over while the Vectra did it's thing. I split 1 vial between Sugar and Spike and gave a full to Gracie. My husband treated our yard. A few days later- FLEAS! I split the third vial between Sugar and Spike bringing them each to a full dose. Still- fleas! All three. No bathing has been done so I know that isn't the problem. At this point I have no idea what to do. Vectra seems to get good reviews but it just isn't working and I don't want to add Frontline on top of it- seems too much. As it is, both Gracie and Spike act really crazy after flea treatment (same with Frontline or Vectra) and I'm worried about overloading their little systems. I'm going to be away from the computer for a while but will check in later- any idea would be really appreciated. I am so stumped. __________________ "If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." — St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

03-10-2012, 01:48 PM	#4
Nikki+2 I heart Sugar Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 7,373	Well, I just found this- Vectra 3D: Flea and Tick Prevention Arlington Animal Clinic which indicates we might just be riding out the egg cycle. I did wash their bedding when I treated them but I suppose there could have been eggs in their fur that transferred back to the beds. I also didn't vacuum since the cleaning lady comes Thursday and honestly- it's not like we were infested. We haven't seen any fleas that weren't on the dogs and I treated them at the very first sign. I'll call the vet on Monday but based on the link I posted, it looks like we might have to ride it out a little. I hate this- I feel so bad for them. Giving them all a bath and hoping that will speed it along. __________________ "If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." — St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

03-10-2012, 03:16 PM	#6
roseslevi Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: E. Falmouth, Mass Posts: 2,102	I like Advantage/Advantix the best. I live on the Cape(lots of sand) and this works best for us. I really haven't seen a flea in years and I leave it on them year round. I use the Advantix on mine because we have nasty ticks as well. It also does mosquitoes and they can be bathed afterwards and can go swimming it won't wash off. __________________ Rosemarie, Levi and Lily "The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals" ~ Anonymous

03-10-2012, 03:25 PM	#7
Nikki+2 I heart Sugar Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 7,373	Years ago I used Advantage on our now deceased Basil. He was more prone to fleas and we treated him monthly with Frontline- then our fleas got resistant to Frontline and Advantage worked really well. I don't know how I've been on such a lucky streak with fleas with our current three but I guess that streak is over. Oh well, three freshly bathed doggies, bedding in the washer- fingers crossed. I only found one dead flea on Spike when I bathed him but the poor thing is scratching like mad- I guess from bites. This is awful. __________________ "If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." — St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

03-10-2012, 03:48 PM	#8
enchilila Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 9,688	We are just now seeing fleas at our house, but not many. I'm trying Advantage. Our vet doesn't recommend Frontline for the dogs in this area anymore. I see flea bites on Betty Boop and she scratches like crazy, too. I use Children's Benadryl at night when she gets that bad. It seems to be what she needs to get a good night's sleep and a break from the scratching. Good luck with your flea problem. __________________ "Betty Boop" The light of my life & the joy of my living!

03-10-2012, 03:49 PM	#9
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	OMGOMGOMGOMG - NIKKI!!! I MISS you SO much! It made my day to 'see' you here today. Woman, I still think of you all the time . I lovez ya! (ps, I have no flea advice though...I hope you get some ideas to help) __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

03-10-2012, 03:57 PM	#10
Ellie May And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI Posts: 17,928	Sentinel works well for Zoe pups. It can be paired with capstar or a topical esp when you see fleas. It does a good job of quickly stopping the lifestyle. I'd think two or three days after going it would be long enough to see if it will work. They may be all over the house by now. So whatever you use, I would do it for at least three months straight and vacuum like mad. __________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶

03-10-2012, 04:19 PM	#11
Nikki+2 I heart Sugar Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 7,373	Enchilila, I so wish we could use Benadryl! Spike is a tricky one and reacts to it like it's speed. He has thunderstorm phobias and we first tried Benadryl- instant hyper crazy dog. The vet then prescribed Valium- extra hyper crazy dog. Had to lock him in his stroller to keep him from hurting himself. I just feel awful for him. Gracie and Sugar don't seem as affected by the bites. Ellie May, I know- I really feel like they should be eliminated 100% by now and it's so worrisome and confusing that they aren't. When I've use Frontline combined with Capstar I never saw another flea. None of us has found a flea that wasn't on a dog though- and we have to look hard for those so I'm just doubting it's a crazy infestation. During bathing I found the one dead flea on Spike. One live and 3 seemingly dead ones on Gracie and none on Sugar. And I was looking hard and it's so much easier to spot them when they're wet. I just don't understand why there are still ANY. I don't want to retreat with anything this close to the Vectra so I guess I'm stuck in a wait and see. Can't get anything until Monday anyway. Very frustrating- it feels like I'm letting them down. Ann I've missed you too!!!! We need to do some serious catching up! LOL, you see right where I come running back to when I need help. __________________ "If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." — St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

03-10-2012, 05:12 PM	#13
RammaJ Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Silver Springs Florida Posts: 44	I also live in Florida.....My Pierre is 4lbs 16 oz now...but Vectra did nothing for him....I give him half a "Comfortis" now and that works excellent. __________________

03-11-2012, 07:46 PM	#15
chestermama YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: washington Posts: 3,383 Blog Entries: 1	look up flea busters flea powder it works great and will work for a year, put it in your carpet, around base boards, beds. I had flea probleams after I moved to a condo and was putting flea meds on him every month, then flea busters came out and I rarely find a flea, it is awsome and safer than ditotamaeous earth to use. I rarely use anything on him and comfortis, make sure you give it after they have eaten