Best Flea Preventative?
 

Hello all! :wavey:

After our vet visit yesterday I've been trying to decide what to do for Zoe as far as a flea preventative goes. I've got her on Interceptor for heart worm. The vet wanted her on Sentinel, but I went with my gut and went with Interceptor. I didn't want the always added flea control. It's the heat of the summer and as of yet she hasn't had an issue (*knock on wood*), I figure I'd give her a separate flea preventative when needed/summer time. At the worst I thought that I could switch to Sentinel if she ever had a huge flea issue.

That said, I do want her on a flea preventative, just in case! Especially since this is Florida, I don't know who may walk their dog on my front yard, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. The vet recommended Advantage, but I don't know what other options are out there, let alone what's the best.

So, knowledgeable ones of YT, what are your opinions of flea preventatives?

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!!

Thanks bellasmomok for your suggestion! I may just go with that, as it does seem cost effective. I may ask the vet, but seeing as she recommended Advantage (the liquid form) I'd assume she'd recommend the spray form too. I'll look around town but I never seem to find the things I need here. Would you by any chance know of the best places it's online?

I'm eager to start Zoe on something. I want to take her to the dog park but my boyfriend said "she'll get fleas if she goes" and I'm petrified of that happening so I'm ready to find the right option for Zoe and get her started on it! (So if anyone had any other suggestions I'm all open to them!)

Seems to work ok....no fleas
 

Widget is bathed with Mane n Tail with several drops of 100% eucalyptus oil, besides smelling great she hasn't had a flea in 2 years....and we are snowbirds so travel alot. I went to the local health food store and for about $5 the bottle has lasted over 2 years now....hope this helps, its worth trying at least, no chemicals on your furbaby this way either.:D

Seems I'm always posting this site........but here goes again. ;)

Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia - Ticks, fleas, bees, flies, snakes and other gremlins! And how to deal with them!

I was getting on here to reply about where to find the Frontline spray and am reading about the herbal treatments.....I was thinking "what a great idea!", but from what I'm reading it seems they're all once a day or twice a week type of things :(.

*WundrWmn*, exactly how do you apply the eucalyptus oil?? Do you think you'd have to use Mane 'N Tail shampoo, or could I use something else? I'd be interested in trying this out even though I've already purchased the Frontline spray bottle, especially if it isn't a daily or biweekly thing. Sometimes Bella doesn't get a bath for 2 weeks or so, though, so maybe this wouldn't be for us?? Still, might be worth a try.

I would say your bf is right, though, about not taking her to the dog park until she's treated with something. Fleas are no fun, for her or you, but they can lead to tapeworms too....yuck-o! If you're still thinking about doing the Frontline, this online store has it pretty inexpensive: Frontline flea Spray Kills Fleas & Ticks . You still have to pay shipping, but that's a couple dollars cheaper than I paid, and I had to pay tax, so it probably evens out. I don't think Advantage makes a spray product, and it's possible if your vet likes Advantage he may not know about the Frontline spray...I'd never heard of it until my vet suggested it since Bella is so small and will stay that way. Interesting fact: he said that it was originally marketed to use on children with head lice, so it's pretty safe! In fact, he sprayed his finger and then licked it to show us how safe it is!!....weirdo! :rolleyes:

You can add 20 drops of either eucalyptus, lavender, or rosemary (and there are other fragrances that keep insects off) to 16 oz. of shampoo and even in the conditioner.
Anyway, I don't see any problem with misting a dog even if it's every day, especially since we have to brush them every day anyway. ;)

Well we went to the vet's today to get weighed. Zoe gained weight!!! Anyway, when I asked about the flea preventatives they offer I found out that they're now doing Comfortis. But Comfortis and their recommended Advantage only cover fleas. I got the notion (don't know where) that ticks may also be an issue (especially if I ever want to take her to a dog park)! What's a flea preventative good for if I need tick coverage too? Frontline covers both, so I'm leaning towards that. Does anyone have any resources that'd let me know if ticks are enough of an issue in my area?

I found this map of established and reported incidences of Lyme disease in the U.S.--it's by the CDC. DVBID: Tick Map | CDC Lyme Disease
It looks like Florida is covered up. I think I'd want something that keeps ticks from even biting after seeing that!! Also, I looked up Comfortis, and personally I think it would be a waste of money if you're already doing Frontline or something like that. It's a chewable tablet (similar to Interceptor's flavor tab that I think you said you were going to do for heartworms?) that kills Adult fleas only, and only after it's bitten your dog. They say "kills fleas before they can lay eggs". How products like this work is that once they bite the dog, the medicine that is secreted in the dog's natural oils sterilizes the flea. Eventually that particular flea will die without having reproduced, but any other fleas out there (not in the adult stage yet) will be fine until they mature into an adult and bite your dog. I think if you're using a product consistently that kills fleas (without them having to bite your dog first!) then there is no reason to spend money on what I consider to be an inferior product. If all the fleas are dead in my house, and all the fleas that get on my dog die, why would I need to be double protected with another medication that only does half of what the first one did? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just my thoughts. I know your vet is making that recommendation to you, but I'd pass if I were you. I know a lot of people use a product similar to Comfortis, but to me it doesn't replace the need for the spray/drops since I don't want all of those fleas biting my dog in order for them to die, and like you mentioned, it doesn't do anything for ticks anyway. If anyone else has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them....maybe I'm missing something??

I love Frontline spray. I've used it for years on Lady and my cats. I like the fact that I can customize the dose. Less is more when it comes to chemicals IMO. I only use half and it works great on both fleas and ticks.

I get it from Entirely Pets.

Frontline flea Spray Kills Fleas & Ticks

I just looked at Advantage to see if it was for fleas only because for some reason I thought it was for ticks too, but it's not. And, Advantage says that it kills adult and larvae stages, whereas Frontline kills adult, larvae, and eggs as well as ticks. I just looked them both up to be sure...you were so right! I did not know that!! I always thought Frontline was better than Advantage and had a bad experience with Advantage (fleas came INSIDE because we'd had so much rain and I didn't have access to Frontline right away, so I tried Advantage on my cats, but I still had a serious flea problem....used Frontline and all was well again), but I really thought they were more similar than that. Good to know...

Yeah, I originally didn't notice such a difference between them, I thought it was just preference. Clearly, that's not the case. :laugh: So now I'm waiting on our vet appointment next week to ask if ticks are a concern here. It's all a bit much! :confused: :laugh:

Okay, I only know what I've been told and it came from two separate vets.

My first experience: I used ADVANTIX - it is the flea and tick treatment from Bayer (maker of Advantage too). I have a dog that just happened to be allergic to the tick prevention chemical in it. :(

I was told to switch to Advantage because it didn't have the tick preventor in it, it's just for fleas. I chose this product because my girl didn't really go outside so I wasn't as concerned about ticks then. :thumbup:

It was explained to me that the fleas/ticks only have to come in contact with the dog treated by Advantage or Advantix, they don't have to be bitten. Unlike Frontline, where they have to be actually bitten to die . :eek:

It was my belief that if a tick was found on my dog and was biting, I would be encouraged to treat for lyme anyway, or at least I think I would want to. :confused:

So what good would it be to use Frontline? :questione

I felt it was better to kill fleas before they came inside since if they jumped on Dezi, they would be affected immediately. :scratchhe

Now, to make things more complicated, I have another puppy that is very active and I think I'd better reconsider the tick subject since it has gotten worse in the last 6 years. And I have a new vet as well. They don't even carry Advantage, since it doesn't have tick prevention. :confuse2:

They are recommending Frontline since it controls both fleas and ticks. Although it has a different chemical that doesn't have the incidence of allergic reactions. Since I don't know anyone who used it, I am in the same predicament since I don't know what to do now. :thinking:

Fall temperatures are upon us in the northeast which is when the fleas start to be uncontrollable. :tongue4: So I need to decide!

I chose to not use Frontline so now I feel like I would be making a choice base on the fact that nothing else has been recommended. :hmmm33:

I personally do not like putting chemicals on my dogs cause they go into the bloodstream and can cause very serious problems.

I use FleaTreats for flea and tick preventative. It's a natural tablet, given once a day, just like a treat or training aide. No harmful chemicals and we have not had a flea and only one tick since April. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

The site is flea treats, natural flea control for dogs and cats.
Another site is Deer Repellent and other Natural Animal Repellents from Liquid Fence - they sell natural insect repellants for humans and animals and products for the yard that won't hurt the animals.:)

I think you may be mistaken. Frontline also kills fleas and ticks on contact. I have been told this by multiple vets, but when I tried to find those exact words on their website I couldn't....however, given that it kills not only the adult flea but also the flea larvae and eggs as well, I can conclude that the flea doesn't have to bite to die (because larvae and eggs don't bite). As for ticks, I'm pretty certain it works in the same way, but since they don't say it in those exact words on their website, I can't support that statement. Advantage also kills on contact, just as you said, and just as any other drop type treatment does. I did not realize that Advantix was made by Advantage and that it controlled ticks as well--that's great! I still think Frontline has a better track record, but it's good to know that there is more than one choice out there!! Yay!! (Advantage kills flea adults and larvae but it doesn't kill flea eggs, however, like Frontline does, so I'm assuming that Advantix doesn't as well?? I'd have to check that out...still a pretty good alternative though.)


I understand why you wouldn't want to use chemicals on your pet. Something that might be worth knowing is that the Frontline Spray was originally marketed to treat head lice on children. Reassuring to me, at least, to know that the product was safe on humans before it was ever used on pets. I wonder how the natural tablet you use works?? Maybe it works as a sort of repellant....like I know that garlic repels a lot of things. The pill form flea medications (like Sentinel, which is for heartworms too) work by sterilizing adult fleas that bite the dog--those adults eventually die having not reproduced, but an adult flea can live as long as a year!! I'm assuming, though, that the tablet you're using is more of a repellant than a "insecticide" since it's natural. I wish I had the guts to do that....I had fleas in my house a couple of times (before I had a dog, just inside only cats, but it had rained so much it was pretty much flooded and they were driven indoors according to my vet), and I absolutely HATE them!! It was so aweful, I'm scared to do something I'm not sure will work because I do NOT want a repeat. Plus, Murphy's Law definitely applies to me....I swear, if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!! :rolleyes:

Just an FYI...

I told my vet on Saturday that I was treating Bella with diluted Tea Tree Oil (as listed on that site) and she told me to STOP immediately. She said she had first hand knowledge of Tea Tree Oil being toxic to small dogs. She had a client who was putting it on her yorkie's brittle nails after the groomer had recommended it. The vet couldn't do anything except monitor/comfort the poor furbaby on the way out of her life. :angelyork The vet said she would NOT recommend any dose of Tea Tree Oil on any dog.

I'm a new yorkie owner, but at our vet visit they used Revolution.

What It Is

Q: What is Revolution® (selamectin)?
A: Revolution is the first-ever FDA-approved, topically applied medication for dogs that:

Prevents heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) disease


Kills adult fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) and prevents their eggs from hatching


Treats and controls ear mites (Otodectes cynotis)


Treats and controls sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei)


Controls American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) infestations

It is more toxic to cats than dogs but it still does pose a risk, especially if ingested. I would not use it at all. It is in some dog shampoos too.:(

Revolution, as I understand it (according to my vet, etc...), isn't as good a heartworm protector as Heartgard or Interceptor, and he said that it wasn't good for ticks either really, because the medicine is absorbed and then is secreted in the dog's natural oils....but the main place ticks attach on dogs is in between their toes and on/around the ears, which are places dogs don't secrete (much?) oil. I haven't heard any negatives as far as flea, ear mites, and mange are concerned....but it not being a good protector for heartworm was enough for me. I think if I were to use Revolution, I'd use a backup heartworm preventor unless I was in an are where heartworms weren't much of a concern....I guess a place where mosquitos aren't a problem.

This is a remedy I used on Max for Berry Bugs in the summer, and it worked. Below is an excerpt from the site I found it on.

Harvest Mites

There are several mite species that may annoy animals and humans directly, especially during the late summer and autumn. They tend to be found in areas of grassland and cornfields.

Their larvae have various local names such as:


Harvest mites
Harvest bugs
Harvesters
Berry bugs
Bracken bugs
Chiggers
in Ireland, Orange-tawneys

the minute, reddish larvae, which are the size of a pin head, suck the lymph and blood of humans and other mammals.

They puncture the skin and inject a substance that dissolves the skin tissue to form a kind of feeding-tube. Their bites produce small spots that itch intensely and are often called 'heat-spots'.

Dogs may be considerably annoyed by these larvae, which attack them between the toes, on the tummy and the groin areas. The itching can last for days to weeks. Once fully developed the larvae turn into nymphs, which later become adult mites. Neither the nymphs nor the adults suck blood and both these more mature stages are quite harmless.

Treatment


Prevention is the best treatment for harvest mites, but if you can't keep your dog off grass then you could try making up some "Bug Oil". Add one drop each, of essential oils citronella, peppermint and lavender to a bowl of water. Dip your dog brush in this and brush through the coat. These oils help to repel parasites and keep your dog smelling fresh
Try shampooing your dog regularly with Dorwest "Pennyroyal Shampoo". The Pennyroyal plant has a strong minty aroma and has been used since Roman times to ward off insects and mites. In olden times people used to place it on their floor and on their beds to repel parasites. Dorwest have incorporated it in to a pleasant, gentle shampoo that can be use on all coat types and for puppies and kittens
Reduce the irritation and repel parasitic mites, Denes have prepared a natural "Mite Cream " containing the essential oils, Cedarwood and Sweet Flag. Cedarwood has soothing properties, and Sweetflag essential oil is used as an insect repellent and insecticide. It is also effective against houseflies and is said to repel mosquitoes.
We have found "Thornit" to be effective against mites. It is a remedy that we generally use for ear mites, but it also seems to be very effective for a variety of mites. Thornit is a powder that is based on Iodoform - an old fashioned dental product. The powder can be lightly dusted on to the itchy areas, or in to itchy ears. Relief usually comes within 2-5 days. In numerous situations where a dog has been suffering from continual skin itching or paw biting, anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory treatment has given only temporary relief. Thornit has been seen to be a much more effective long-term relief in many cases.

With the exception of the "Bug Oil" all of the products can be bought immediately and delivered to your door. Just click here to go to the section you need.

We hope your dogs aren't bugged, bitten or bothered by mites!

Please ring us if you have any questions, or see our website Welcome to the Canine Therapy Centre

Carol Martin (AACC)
Edmiston House

I have used almond oil to prevent ear mites, it is also supposed to kill them.

Max has very hairy ears and had a yeast infection for which his vet gave him ear drops. These ear drops made him demented, and I looked for an alternative treatment.

Clean the ears two or three times a week, using one part water, one part distilled vinegar.

Max hasn't had another yeast infection.

We went to the vet's office Wednesday. She said I should worry about ticks for only 2 reasons: if Zoë is in or near by a heavily wooded area or if our house is somehow a tick zone. Well I have some grass, trees, and the tiniest bit of man made woods between houses but nothing I think that would qualify as woods.

The vet didn't give me very convincing info on anything really. I'm assuming that I shouldn't be concerned about ticks so I'm thinking I can use a product that works against ticks but it's not necessary.

So back to the drawing board, as the vet basically said use whatever works. Ugh, I'm not liking this vet. :rolleyes: (Between her less than stellar input on what I should and shouldn't use for this AND the whole "there's no such thing as an all life stages food" she doesn't exactly instill confidence when we see her....) In fact Zoë's last booster shot(s) are scheduled this week with another vet in the practice...

Anyway, if I'm not necessarily concerned about ticks and I could use whatever I wanted (as the vet said Advantage, Advantix, Frontline, and Comfortis are all good options) is there a "best" or "better" option? :confused::(

I agree....I don't think she'd be my favorite either. I'd be inclined to find somebody I really love (for me it's like finding a good pediatrician...I don't want just some old doctor. I want to feel like they are excellent at what they do and keep me informed and give me good advice for every single thing!!)

As for as "best" or "better", as I said before, I didn't have good luck on my CATS with Advantage (Advantix adds in tick protection). However, I hear from other people that Advantage and Frontline are pretty equivalent in flea protection (not taking into account my bad experience...maybe I just got a bad batch or something?? still, that's not good....) I would say if you don't care about tick protection, go with either Advantage or Frontline....but if you care about ticks, go ahead and go with Frontline. I think they're basically the same price, and if it were me I'd go for broke and go with the Frontline. I would NOT go with Comfortis because it's protection is limited--adult fleas only and only if they bite :thumbdown:thumbdown!! For me, that's inferior to the other 2 options. Everyone has their opinions, but mine are: Frontline > Advantage > Comfortis. (I don't know/hear enough about Advantix to be confident in that product, but I'd say it probably rates the same as--or possibly a little better than--Advantage. I think I remember too that Advantage doesn't get one of the life stages of the flea that Frontline does get....larvae maybe?? Check me on what I wrote before--I've slept since then! :rolleyes:)

Hey all! :wavey: I know it's been 2 months but I thought I'd give an update. Before I get to that I have to give a GIANT thank you!!!! to everyone who wrote in with some comments. You were all so helpful, I can't begin to even explain. Everything is so complicated you need to know more info but it's hard to find it. So THANK YOU!!!

Okay, well, per the vet's recommendation Zoë got her first flea preventative (Advantage) the beginning of September. She didn't seem to react to it and no fleas yet. That said she didn't have any fleas before her getting Advantage. In its defense Zoë went to the dog park and several other locations that I wouldn't have taken her otherwise (for fear of her getting fleas). So our opinion: Advantage worked well enough, only complaint is that it smelled kind of funky and she was a bit greasy while it first settled (only about a day) and during that I did really fear her eating/licking it.

While it worked well enough I don't know if I want to spend that much money on a flea preventative. It was just under $20 for one dose and while it'd be a bit cheaper per unit buying a few at a time (~$10+ per unit but that's multiplied for the amount of doses I'd have to buy, eg. $46 for 4 doses) it still seems a bit expensive.

Zoë just loves going out for adventures and for her sake I'll keep her on some flea preventative year round so she can do just that. While Advantage seemed to work, I am 98% sure I'll be buying the Frontline spray today as her newest preventative. I'm hoping that it works just as well as it seems to be much more cost efficient.

-Vicky and Zoë

I am Zoë and I approve this message. :D (This is me flea free at Dog-O-Ween at a Dog Park!)

Thanks for the update, I am glad you are satisfied and confident in your situation.. I have two dogs and they are both around 3 lbs so I split the smallest tube of Frontline between them, it saves me money and they get plenty of coverage this way.

Yeah, I did ask my vet about splitting doses. Of course I expected her answer, to not do that. But her reasoning made sense: that while it's a high dosage it's not toxic and with the intense fleas in Florida it's helpful/important to give full doses, just in case.

So it's easier for me to give her a smaller dose and be meeting the instructed dosage with the Frontline spray, or so I think.... :confused: :laugh:

Frontline is not toxic?
Fipronil
It is a possible human carcinogen, so the same would go for a small dog...
I wonder where the vet is getting her info.:confused:

I guess I need to clarify. She said that deaths from Advantage are very low. From that I inferred that the dosage prescribed is not toxic on its own. I inferred that because she said that the deaths that did occur were from a dog getting way more than the prescribed dosage. That's what she said.


On a side note I feel like I almost lied in my update. After talking to my Mom about what I should do she came up with a few new topics to keep in mind. At the rate Zoe loves to play everywhere, she would benefit from some form of preventative (since I don't want to guarantee having a flea infestation on her). That said, application, effect (on her), cost, and of course effectiveness are all important. While Frontline spray seems to be the most cost effective the practical application of it is a bit troubling. The directions say for me to wear GLOVES! and for it to not get near the dog's mouth or eyes. Forgetting that what about the areas I accidentally don't get that spray on, I assume those would be unprotected areas which wouldn't be good if I didn't know I'd missed any spots!

So now I'm kind of back to where I was before. :( Right now my next step is to ask my vet what their prices are for things. Depending on what they say I may just get a few months worth of a topical (still debating Advantage versus Frontline) either from them or online I guess.

I don't know. I feel like I'm back to that original crazy frustration and confusion. :(

I was thinking you were using Frontline...active ingredient fipronil.
They can all cause problems but you have to do what you have to do.

I usually just give the brewers yeast with garlic daily. I have been slacking lately with the kids being back to school and running around like a nut bag in the morning. I did notice that they have been itchy lately. I checked to see if I found anything on them but nothing..I really need to make sure I give it to them to keep them covered. I worry too much about the frontline and all the other chemically derived stuff especially as my kids are handeling them all the time.