It is my understanding (could be wrong here, so double check me) but I think Sentinel and the other pill form medications that control fleas, work by killing the flea after it BITES your dog, which also means it only controls the adult stage fleas. Products like Frontline and Advantage (drops or sprays) kill all the life cycles of the flea and they work on contact rather than the poor baby having to be bitten first. I use Frontline spray because it costs me $28 for a bottle of it at a store here in town (I've seen it online for $35), and it will last well over a year, probably closer to two years, applying it once a month. The recommended dosing is # of sprays per # of lbs. body weight, but the vet told me just to spray Bella untill her body and legs were good and damp (I usually do 5-6 sprays--she's 3 lbs.) It seems to be working pretty well, and it's much more cost-effective than the Frontline or Advantage drops. It also works on ticks--we visited my dad on his farm a couple of weeks ago and were sitting in the living room with Bella on my lap. I picked her up and there was a tick squirming (it didn't look so good) on my leg right under where she'd been laying. I guess it got on her, but it obviously didn't stay!! I used a flea comb just to be sure she didn't have any other "friends", but she was flea and tick free! Anyway, just a thought. Might be a way to save some money, and then if you don't want to treat her monthly you could just keep the bottle handy for when you do. Just remember not to bathe her 2 days before or 2 days after you treat her with the spray OR drops either one or they won't work (or at least won't work as well!) Hope that helps!! |