topical flea meds.
 

So the vet. took the girls off Advantage and gave me Frontline to try. Seems that they are getting it in their mouths when they play with each other. Seems like I would have the same problem with the frontline. I have always treated my yard not my dogs, but we travel a lot and the campgrounds don't treat the sites. I thought I would try a preventative for just that reason. Does anyone apply frontline to multiple pups who play with each other and mock fight with a lot of mouthing. If so, any problems? I kept them seperate 48 hrs. after the Advantage application but still had problems.

Those products should have a warning that you shouldn't let kids around the dogs for X number of hours after application. It would probably be the same for other dogs. Do you see anything like that in the instruction? Since it is pesticides though, I would be nervous.

Hi, I have started using Mink sheen, it has natural citronella, eucalyptis which will protect your pet from biting mosquitos. Smells good too. Touch of Mink Exclusive Skin Care Products I also saw another thread about fleas that suggested 20 drops of lavendar, rosemary into a 16 oz bottle of shampoo, maybe even conditioner, perhaps do a search on fleas and it will come up. Good luck! I prefer natural remedies :thumbup:

Yes, it did. It said keep them seperate 2 hrs...I kept them seperate 48 hrs.. They still had problems. Not sure I want to try the frontline he suggested. I will probably just not put Anything on them.

I think I saw citronella on a list of toxins to pets. I know I saw some herbs, but not sure which ones.

The medicine the vet. gave them contained cortocosteroid and They were feeling much better about 6 hrs. after the 1st. dose. Finally we all got some sleep!

This is the only thing I found about citronella when I googled it:

"Your site lists citronella as being toxic. Does that mean that citronella anti-barking collars are dangerous to dogs?
—Ted D.

The answer is no, Ted—in most cases. While citronella oil does have the potential to be toxic in large amounts, the amount many collars use in their spray is relatively small. Most contain about 10 percent citronella. This level might potentially be an issue for animals who have a history of respiratory problems, but otherwise we would not expect to see any problems."

That was on the ASPCA Animal Poison Control website....here's the link:
ASPCA: Ask the Animal Poison Control Center: Okay or No Way?: Miscellaneous

Also, this website lists Rosemary as being inadvisable to use on dogs....google "Rosemary Dogs toxic" and see what you find:
Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia - Ticks, fleas, bees, flies, snakes and other gremlins! And how to deal with them! (near the bottom: "Oil NOT to use")
However, that particular website also says Tea Tree Oil is ok to use, but it is a known toxin to dogs (and even more so to cats)....Tea Tree Oil is toxic to Pets - WARNING
and
http://www.petcarenaturally.com/hand...a-tree-oil.pdf
(it says that "Tea tree oil can result in a fatal toxicity in cats when
ingested. Some holistic veterinarians prefer not to
use tea tree oil in small dogs and cats to guard
against any potential toxicity.")

As sensitive as my girls are I think it is best not to use anything containing any of these things. Thank-you for researching them for me.

That's what I'm doing now too....nothing until I see a flea!! In fact, that's what my favorite vet suggested I do yesterday when we went to see him. I think he would say differently if she were an outside dog or were outside often, but she isn't. She even potties indoors on pads, so her flea chances are even slimmer, though obviously still possible! If I ever do see fleas, I will have to treat (with Frontline) to get rid of them, but then nothing again once they're gone! It worries me a little to treat her with Frontline now at all (after all the things I read about Frontline/Advantix/etc... on this website: DogsAdverseReactions --click on flea products, then click each link to read about them)--I guess if she ever does get fleas I'll have to hope that those things won't happen to her since they're not extremely common side effects and since I'm not using it for long periods of time.

I am planning to use Mink Sheen, however, because I'm satified that the minimal amount of citronella in it won't cause her problems but will still help prevent fleas. My vet said he thought the citronella probably should work well at preventing. (Lots of things are toxic in large amounts....really too much of anything is toxic anyway, even water! Drinking far too much water actually causes severe dehydration!! Too much garlic is bad for dogs, but garlic is an ingredient in lots of foods/treats....I think they'd have to eat at least several cloves, possibly even more than that for it to be toxic, which hopefully would never happen anyway! Some things are just best to stay away from, but somethings are okay in small amounts....it gets sooo confusing, don't you think? I do.)

It does get a bit confusing sometimes.