My Dog Has Fleas!

[Treasurer]

I have used Advantage since she was a pup. Then I moved to a state where the fleas are really bad, they live in the beach sand down here. I had changed my topical treatment to Frontline when I discovered ticks

Last month I used it and the treatment didnt get rid of fleas. Does anyone else have that problem? It happened one other time, I thought I got a bad tube. They suggested that I try something else.

So anyways, I had wanted to try Advantix, but they didnt have any singles. So I went with Advantage, since the fleas are more a problem right now than anything else. I just put it on her; well probably about 4pm Monday. How soon should I be able to tell if this is going to work.

I try really hard to keep the treatment on her skin, but after a while, the treatment makes some of her coat wet. Am I putting it on wrong. Will it still work? (I put it on her neck, middle of back, and near tail- this is what the Advantage site suggested. Usually I just put it on the neck and sometimes at the tail).

thanks

 

[aclouise]

Last month I used it and the treatment didnt get rid of fleas. Does anyone else have that problem? It happened one other time, I thought I got a bad tube. They suggested that I try something else.

Frontline FAQ's may help. They cover that (rather than me repeat it all here. ) I can't link but just go to frontline . us . merial . com / faq / faq . asp

So anyways, I had wanted to try Advantix, but they didnt have any singles. So I went with Advantage, since the fleas are more a problem right now than anything else. I just put it on her; well probably about 4pm Monday. How soon should I be able to tell if this is going to work.

Usually 2 days max...

I try really hard to keep the treatment on her skin, but after a while, the treatment makes some of her coat wet. Am I putting it on wrong. Will it still work? (I put it on her neck, middle of back, and near tail- this is what the Advantage site suggested. Usually I just put it on the neck and sometimes at the tail).

It might make the hair a little greasy in the patches where it's been placed but it shouldn't make it wet... one thing that helps, when putting it on her, is to part the hair completely and run a line of it directly on the skin so that it doesn't really come in contact with the hair straight away - that somtimes helps.

You probably already know this but also make sure that wherever she has BEEN has no fleas (or ticks!) That's really important. Although they can't last forever, fleas and ticks do hang around even without dogs/cats etc. They get into EVERYTHING. We had a lady come into our practice saying her dog's flea treatment wasn't working which, when it turned out, was because of a basket that had them in it that the cat used to sleep in occasionally. She thought she got rid of everything, but the basket infected the cat so that then although she would clean everything, her cat would come home and infect her dog all over again... it's really important that whether she's an outside or inside dog you check EVERYTHING.

I'd also be curious to know how she's getting fleas as well if she's been on regular flea treatment... once the ticks and fleas are fixed up might I recommend asking your vet about something like Revolution or Sentinel Spectrum if you can get them. They do both worming and fleas... and then frontline for the ticks and increased protection from fleas.

Good luck!

 

[Dagna]

For immediate relief, there's a pill that you can get, I don't remember the name of it right now. But it will kill all fleas that bite within a couple of hours. It only works for the day, but if it's a bad infestation, it can help kill them before the flea treatment begins to work. Also remember to treat the house. You can get a spray called Knockout from your vet and spray it around the baseboards and couch and such where fleas would have gotten to lay their eggs. This stuff DOES work. You have to treat EVERYTHING in the house or the flea drops won't work fully. Good luck with this, I know how hard it can be.

 

[Treasurer]

Thanks guys! It is probably because my brother has a dog, big rottweiler and he doesnt believe his dog has fleas even though I try and tell him he does. His dog constantly chews himself til most of his hair is off of his butt, nub, and sides, its crazy. He drives me nuts! I keep him out of my room though.


Does dry cleaning get fleas or flea eggs out of a comforter? (They probably dont really want that in their shop though, lol). I just got it and it says it needs to be dry cleaned. Can you wash dry clean comforters if you dont dry them? Just let them air dry. (We have wood floors, so I guess what I would have to treat is the bedding).

You asked why she has fleas. Cuz the one month I bought a treatment that was a sucky product, made the mistake of trying a store brand. It was a joke! I took it back and got my money back. I had to wait awhile before I could put more on her. The fleas are so bad around here, my dog is indoors 85% of the time and she got infested bad. I feel so bad for her. I'm not sure why the frontline didnt work.

It appears the advatage is starting to work. I looked Diamond over and some of the fleas are no longer jumping when I find them. They are moving kinda slow, like they are dying--Yaaaaahhhhhh!

 

[LegacyOfLove]

I use Revolution on my dogs. It is a once-a-month topical applied to the dog's neck/back. It is great for killing (and prevention of) fleas, ticks, heart-worms, the mites that cause mange and ear mites. I have been using it for the past two years and have never had any flea or tick problems since using it. And cost-wise, at least where I am from, it is cheaper to buy than Advantage or Advantix.

The one that I DISLIKE the most is Sentinel, as it only sterilizes the adult fleas, therefore, your dog can still have fleas on it! Eeps! (Just a matter of personal preference there, because I know some people really like it....it just hasn't worked for my dogs...so I will stick to the Revolution).