Done with fleas!

[ButtonsPalace]

So my pup's had fleas and I've done everything, DE, garlic, peppermint oil and lavender oil, so far the only thing that's slightly helped is a coconut oil with citronella oil mixed into it, I cover him in it and it keeps the fleas at bay until the smell wears off. So here's my question, what do you guys use for flea treatment for a puppy under 6 months, weighs appx. 4-7lbs. I've googled different flea meds but I'm unsure as to whether they are safe or if they work, I'm also looking to get flea meds for a 5 yr old that weighs probs 15lbs, she's a Rat Terrier, what do you guys use?

 

[shazza]

we have what my vet calls 'nuclear fleas' here and the only thing that staves them off is prescription medication, and even then i'll find a few every now and then on my dog. i've found that it's really just not worth trying much other than chemical flea meds. seresto is a decent collar, and advantage/advantix and revolution are pretty much the only topicals worth much, at least in my area. fleas tend to be resistant to certain medications in certain areas. natural/organic flea control methods only seem to work if you live in town or some place that gets regularly sprayed or doesn't have as much grass.

 

[UFCreel]

Frontline Plus for puppy's works well around here. Works for dog up to 22 lbs. So should work for your older dog as well.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

Should I look into place specific flea meds? Maybe call the vet and see what they say? I obviously don't want to do anything to hurt my animals, but the natural stuff isn't cutting it, not even close, I've been keeping DE in their crates and around them as well as periodically putting some coconut oil/citronella on them which has been keeping the numbers down, we have a full grass front and mostly in the back too, which is unfortunate, but from reading having puppies skyrockets your fleas and that is not a joke. We'll be getting their mom and dad fixed as soon as the pups are fixed and out, until then they aren't allowed around each other.

 

[shazza]

i would go to petsmart/petco or amazon and try one of their options first. they're expensive, but cheaper than at a vet's. it's something like $75 for a 6-month supply of advantage, but i pay $60 for a 3-month prescription pill now. i'm not sure what to suggest as to what one will work for you - you could try a two month supply of each and see if one handles the issue. like i said i've found that it depends on your area as to which one will actually work. i also want to emphasize that the cheaper options are, in my opinion, not really worth it. at best i find them ineffective, and at worst i've heard too many horror stories of peoples' pets getting chemical burns from cheap flea topicals and collars to ever risk it. of course it could happen on more expensive medications too, but it's much less likely unless your pup has an allergy.

you can also spray your lawn - there's some natural methods that work pretty ok. i wouldn't spray where you graze animals, but once they dry they're safe to walk on at least. i think it's supposed to be about once a month to kill fleas and eggs that may be in your grass to keep them from getting the chance to bite your dog.

fleas are so frustrating, i understand your pain last year my poor dog was covered in scabs because the topicals just did not work here. fortunately they never got in carpet, but poor thing, he did nothing but scratch for months. the prescription meds work great but i do really hope the problem isn't that bad wherever we move to because it is so expensive. but of course i'll pay it...anything so he won't be miserable anymore.

 

[Shea]

Seresto flea collars. I will never go back to topicals.

I've had a major flea infestation for years! The damned things were immune to all the meds, bombs and natural solutions. I finally gave these a try on 3 of my 4 cats. 5 months flea free. And my one cat who won't wear a collar got one dose of Frontline plus and I havent had to reapply. The collars on the others knocked out the entire population!!!
It is So very worth the inital cost, and I think the price has dropped a bit so they might even be cheaper then a 6 mnth topical supply that wont really work anyway.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

I'll look into those tablets and those flea collars as well, would it be ok to give a tablet then put on a flea collar? Sorry this is my first time owning my own dog, so I know all the basics but none of the stuff like this. Thank you guys for all the advice. I'll try a few different ones, I should honestly ask my mom (She lives 5 min from me) what she uses on her babes.

 

[shazza]

i second serestos. other flea collars are worthless but seresto is actually safe and effective from what i've read so far. it's a bit pricey, but i think if i end up somewhere with a bad flea issue i may try it instead of pills since it's a tiny bit cheaper lol. i don't like leaving collars on my dog all the time though, when the fur gets rubbed up and broken it looks awful and i hate it. it took ages for his neck fur to look nice after i adopted him and i'd rather not deal with that again.

generally you don't want to combine medications that way. i don't necessarily think it would HURT but it would be redundant and a waste of money. be aware that the pills are ONLY available from a vet with prescription. seresto collars and most topicals are over the counter at pet stores and online.

 

[Shea]

There is a pill you can buy at walmart, Capstar I think, that kills any adult fleas on your animal for up to 6 hrs. It is safe to use with topicals and collars. It works well for masses of fleas to kill off the adults and give you time to treat/clean up the eggs and larva. It can be repeated daily I belive if necessary.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

Oh that's good to know, my mom told me she uses Pronyll from Wal-Mart and that's what's worked for her flea problems, she has a cat with flea allergies so she has to be very careful about it.

 

[alforddm]

This is what we use. Imidacloprid is the same ingredient as original Advantage it's just at a lower concentration so you have to use more. I originally found the dosage on a coonhound forum and I've been using this on our dogs and cats for something like 8 yrs? Still works great although we did move once. I'll probably cry if our fleas ever become resistant to it. Doesn't really work great on ticks but since the fireants moved in around 25 yrs ago we haven't had huge tick problems. If you decide to try and find something like this locally make sure it is has ONLY Imidacloprid as an active ingredient and that the concentration is 1.47% Anything else and it maynot be pet safe and/or you throw off the dosage.

Dosage is

Cats 1-9lbs 2.5ml
Cats more than 10lbs 5ml

Dogs 21-55lbs 15.5ml
Dogs 55-80lbs 25ml
Dogs over 80lbs 30ml

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AR ... 0DER&psc=1

 

[Lowstorm]

Used to have an issue with fleas with the cats and dog. My solution? Ripped all the carpet out of the house except for my son's bedroom. No more fleas!