Flea Control

[labmomma]

It's getting to be time to consider flea control and I'd like to stay away from the chemical applications available. Is there any additives I can put in their food that will repel fleas? If so, what would be the amount to use? I have three dogs that spend a lot of time in the house and it's important to be able to control the flea situation both for their health and in the house. I've heard of sprinkling brewer's yeast in their food but can't find reference to it anywhere on the internet. If I have to use the FrontLine types, which one will do the job without harming my dogs.
Please advise.

[Jessika]

I've heard putting 1 or 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar in their water with every change helps.

[JenBKR]

I don't know of anything like that that might help, I use Frontline on Roscoe. It works great and we've never had a flea on him. Personally, I have no problem using a chemical if it will save him from fleas and ticks

[labmomma]

I think I'm going to stick with Frontline. I've also read that Sentinel, the
heart worm medicine takes care of all parasites including whipworms and is also effective against fleas. I'm supplied for 6 months with heartworm medicine for 3 dogs so will go ahead and use that up and then talk to my vet.
Thanks so much for the advice.

[jackie]

Garlic is a natural flea repellant, but should only be used in small amounts.

I use Frontline on all the dogs and my cat, and seems to work great. Sentinel is another highly recommended product.

[Scooby4]

Brewer's yeast is a natural alternative which is also beneficial to their coats. You can get the supplement at a health food store in a powder form and maybe at less cost than a pet store. Avoid the kind with Garlic. Garlic causes gas which is more of a "human" repellant than a flea .
How brewer's yeast works is that it secrets a "smell" from the dog's skin. This smell humans can not smell but the fleas do. The fleas don't like the smell and eventually move off the dog. This does take time and is NOT an immediate solution. However, your dog's coat will improve in the mean time. My dog Scooby is allergic to yeast so check for sensitivity.
Frontline is the BEST and I have used it. I am NOT happy with the application part of it but in the end it does produce the best results. It can be slightly messy when using the applicator and petting should be avoided for a few hours till it dries.
Another solution for the yard is the use of "nematodes". This is another bio friendly solution. Nematodes are an "organism" or "bug" that only lives off of eating fleas. Once the fleas are gone the nematodes are gone. The product can be hard to find. I believe the first part of the product name is "bio"??? You can find it at pet stores in a canister.
There of course is the old timey "light and a pan of water" for getting rid of fleas in the house. This does work pretty well. Just have a light similar to a "grow light" above a pan of water for the fleas to jump in and drown. Not sure where to buy this kind of setup since it is kind of an old fashion solution. But my parents have used it and it works.
My dog Scooby is HIGHLY allergic to fleas. It is important for me to keep "vigilante" on flea control. I've gone through periods of fleas everywhere. It can take up to a month to get rid of the infestation. Once you get control you can maintain it better. Good luck!

[renfest]

I have used Brewer's yeast and Garlic as well as front line I am not into the chemical stuff , because I live in a wooded area I am always checking the cat and dog for fleas and ticks ... whenever they are playing outside and in the garden w/us we check them ... Merilyn is getting a fenced area for himself this spring and we will make sure that we treat the area w/a natural repellant as well.

rennie

[steph]

hello people..

Frontline is a great product for fleas.. however "STRONGHOLD" is a better one! not only does it treat for fleas, it does heart worms, tape worms, ear mites, ring worms, AND treats the home as well!! it's a small pippet (one pippet will last 1 month, comes in a pack of 3)and you apply it to the back of the dogs/cats neck, and it works in the oils of the skin.. its an awesome product.. you only have to buy "stronghold" and your dog/cat will be treated for everything, plus it kills the fleas around the home!!! what more could you ask for..lol

[renfest]

I was wondering if I can get it at Petsmart? I will check it out when I am in town..

rennie

[JenBKR]

If you can get it at Petsmart it won't be effective. I don't think that stronghold is available in the US, and is not effective against ticks. I still think that frontline is your best bet.

[VTJess03]

I agree with JenBKR; the medications you can get without a prescription tend to be much less effective. I get my prescriptions from the vet and then use 1800PetMeds (both the phone # and the website, depending on what mood I'm in ), for a less expensive alternative to buying directly from the vet. It's really easy, and I receive my stuff within a week for most things (vaccines are overnight-shipped on an ice-pack).

[JenBKR]

use 1800PetMeds (both the phone # and the website, depending on what mood I'm in ), for a less expensive alternative to buying directly from the vet. It's really easy, and I receive my stuff within a week for most things (vaccines are overnight-shipped on an ice-pack).

Yep that's where I get my stuff from too - Frontline is certainly cheaper from there!

[steph]

If you can get it at Petsmart it won't be effective. I don't think that stronghold is available in the US, and is not effective against ticks. I still think that frontline is your best bet.

ticks are not as a common problem as fleas are, yes frontline kills fleas, ticks, and lice.. but it does not treat the home or treat any worms, ear mites, and it does not kill flea eggs, so they will keep on hatching (fleas can ley up to 20-50 eggs a DAY, once they have mated,, they are fertile for life.. so they will just keep on laying eggs!!!)
If you applied stronghold, once the flea bites the cat/dog they become paralized... they then ley their eggs which are infected with stronghold also.. the eggs are called pupey, and they hatch they turn into larve (before they turn into fleas), the larve eats the pupey .. so they all die... thats how it treats the home.. it breaks the cicle and cat and dog are happy!!
ticks can be removed easy with a drop of surgical spirit on it.

[JenBKR]

ticks are not as a common problem as fleas are, yes frontline kills fleas, ticks, and lice.. but it does not treat the home or treat any worms, ear mites, and it does not kill flea eggs, so they will keep on hatching (fleas can ley up to 20-50 eggs a DAY, once they have mated,, they are fertile for life.. so they will just keep on laying eggs!!!)
If you applied stronghold, once the flea bites the cat/dog they become paralized... they then ley their eggs which are infected with stronghold also.. the eggs are called pupey, and they hatch they turn into larve (before they turn into fleas), the larve eats the pupey .. so they all die... thats how it treats the home.. it breaks the cicle and cat and dog are happy!!
ticks can be removed easy with a drop of surgical spirit on it.

But, as I said, Stronghold is not available in the US........not to mention that ticks can be deadly, they carry Lymes disease and if you live near a wooded area you are going to get them. Ticks are nowhere near that easy to get off, and even if they were by the time you get them off the animal already has the disease. And when you use frontline to prevent, you don't need to treat the house because fleas won't lay eggs.

[ParNone]

I use Sentinel on my 3 dogs for heartworm. It also has a flea preventative in it too. The last time I saw a flea on my dogs was almost 10 years ago and I live in South East Texas, where fleas run rampant.

The last camping trip we went on, we tried Frontline for ticks. I didn't find it all that effective. We spent most of the trip, picking ticks off my Collie. The time before that, we used Advantage, that was equally as useless.

Par...