Fleas! ICK ICK ICK!

[PineBurrowPeeps]

OKay, I have OCD. Being such a person and finding out you have fleas is like telling me I have roaches, NOT ACCEPTABLE!
Especially when I am only seeing them on my 6 month old Chihuahua puppy WHO SLEEPS IN MY BED UNDER THE COVERS! gags

Here's the kicker, I use topical flea spot on stuff monthly on my animals. I have been using Sentry Professional that you can buy at Petsmart. I have alot of pets of many various weights (180lbs, 100lbs, and 5lbs)so spending $35 on a single box of one weight just cannot happen for me, I have to go with the cheaper stuff. Then I have four cats.
I also have an old home with lots of floor cracks and tiny spaces for flea eggs to hang out and wait to hatch, luckily I don't have rugs anywhere...

When I worked in the rescue years ago we used Yellow Dawn dish soap for any animals with fleas from newborns, up to seniors. Does this still apply as a good flea killing shampoo?
I can see myself needing a whole bottle just for my Newfoundland....

Then we get down to the fact that my topical monthly treatments are ovbiously not working... What should I switch to and I just dosed my Chi with his this morning and I am still seeing like two big fleas on him and a fair amount of eggs/dirt/larve on his head.
I'm not sure if it would be safe to dose with anything right now when he was just given his monthly topical...
I'm stumped.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I have one cat that goes out during the day. Would I be better off with flea collars on my cats, especially the one who goes out?

Ewww, I haven't had fleas in about 9 years!

 

[60ACRES]

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/qt/Flea_Spray.htm



*cleans laminate floors well too!

**Link works now!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

linky does not work!

 

[crtrlovr]

not sure about whether or not dogs can take Capstar, but cats can, so I'm guessing it would be safe for dogs. (I know, it works that way, but not reverse--cats can NOT take lots of things for dogs). Anyway, the Capstar tablet will kill the fleas on the animal (usually starts working within 15-20 min.), THEN dose topically with Advantage for cats, Advantix for dogs. MAKE SURE YOU NEVER PUT ADVANTIX ON CATS; IT IS DEADLY TO THEM! My vets won't even sell Advantix to anyone who owns cats b/c they don't want someone to make a tragic mistake. I used to use Frontline, but it seems to fleas here have developed an immunity to it. So far the Advantage seems to be doing well.

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

I use ovi-collars on the dog and one of my cats (the other can lose a collar in under 10 minutes). The only time I had a flea problem was when I didn't use any flea protection for a few months. Then I did the stuff you put on the back of the neck in conjunction with the ovi-collar. In addition, I did laundry like a mad fiend and I sprayed with fea killer stuff anywhere that I thought the fleas were hanging out. I also sprinkled borax on the carpets and the furniture at night and vacuumed in the morning.

The problem was cleared up pretty quickly. I am totally grossed out by fleas. Ovi-collars last much longer than they say they do and my animals are all indoor-outdoor pets.

Cheryl

 

[Stumpy]

I have battled fleas for decades, and when I found Flea Busters, I was amazed. It just works better than anything else. I'd tried all sorts of stuff. You put this powder everywhere, and it will go down in those cracks. It kills fleas mechanically, not by poison. We live in the middle of the woods with lots of dogs. We don't ever intend to be without this product. (I am not affiliated with them, BTW). You can find it on the internet.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

frontline works on dogs and cats. get yourself a siring and measure out the doses. I have big dogs and little ones and cats, I buy the large dog packs and dump them together then measure the prper doses...work pretty good! Still a little spendy tho.

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
Frontline does not work as well as it used to around here - they are becoming immune to it. My vet told me that it takes about 10-15 years for the fleas to develop an immunity and that is about how long frontline has been around.
It has not been effective for me in about two years.

If you do want to still use it they make a spray bottle version that is WAY mor cost effective for those with multiple animals. YOu can buy it online from several places.

I want to know what an ovi-color is?

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

I am a firm believer in Boric Acid It kills the fleas and keeps them from coming back. I spead boric acid in my yard years ago and this is the first year I have found a few fleas on the dogs. I really think they are getting them from the dogs next door as they come over to the fence but I havent used any flea control for 8 years. I ordered my Boric acid by the pound online I don't remember where. You can also get it at nurseries I have been told. DE will work as well if you put it on your animals but they say not to use it on your carpets as it will clog your vacumn.