The fleas and ticks are ridiculous this year! I guess a combination of the warm winter and no longer having the chickens free ranging... the poor dogs are covered. I tried a cheap, but still name brand flea and tick collar but it's not doing much if anything. My parents use those expensive collars (Seresto) and said they work well, but they have two small dogs... mine are bigger, one is 21 lbs the other 50 lbs (not huge, but definitely larger than their Yorkie and Lhasa) so I don't know if they would be as effective? I know the Frontline brand has lost it's effectiveness. Not sure what other good options there are? The pills weird me out a little bit - are they truly safe? It seems like topical would be safer, right? I should probably do the cat as well, although he doesn't seem to be as bad for some reason. The smaller dog is a part time indoor dog (mainly in the evenings she will come in after supper and conk out in her bed). I thought she had dirt on her, then the particles moved :x . I realized then just how bad they were...