INSANE FLEAS!!!!!!!! *AKA: STUPIDEST CREATURES ON THE PLANET!*

[Daddas1Punkin]

My animals have been using it for the last 5 years, all still among the living and no fleas. They may get treated now twice a year where the other products we were having to treat monthly and we still had a problem.. with fleas sucking the life out of them. As I said it the same ingredient found in comfortis, suspended in propylene glycol (same kind as in cough syrup not the antifreeze which is ethylene glycol).

This cost about $30 per year where the vet meds cost about $100+, This cost is also divided among 8 dogs, 4 cats and spraying 60 chickens and the coop and run.

If you have a breed that would be sensitive to the combinations of Comfortis while on Heartworm Meds.. Then it may not be your best option. All of mine receive Ivermectin and Valbazen for internal parasites. With no issues combining, but they are not any of the breeds that are of concern.

You asked for a solution, this has been mine.

Good Luck

Thanks, I appreciate it! We'll think about it!

Are you sure these are fleas and not bedbugs? Frontline Plus works beautifully - I've used it for years. Capture a few and take them to your vet for ID. Might also be mosquitos.

Yea, and to make things worse, today I went to the dr about my asthma (& the fact that I have been really sick for almost 3 weeks) and found out I am allergic to flea bites! My back is covered in them, and they are still red after three days... STUPIDEST CREATURES ON THE PLANET! thanks!

 

[Trefoil]

Are you sure these are fleas and not bedbugs? Frontline Plus works beautifully - I've used it for years. Capture a few and take them to your vet for ID. Might also be mosquitos.

You are lucky. Frontline plus no longer works on the fleas here, and as I have tried everything else I will be visiting Amazon. Hope it works. When you're down to tweezing them off, fleas are pretty easy to identify.

 

[SunnySkies]

I happen to be a vet and I live where fleas are horrible.

1. It takes at least 4-6 months to break the cycle of fleas. Most people quit too early and start fooling around with various products instead of giving things time to work.

2. Most people assume the product is not working when they see a few fleas. Well, no lasting product kills instantly (year fleas and tick shampoos kill instantly, but you wash it off and it stops working). If you see a few, it's OK. The dogs pick up a few here and there and the products kill them before they reproduce.

3. If you are buying flea products anywhere other than the vet office, you are quite possibly getting stuff that is NOT flea control. I have a very good client who was laid off. She started buying FL at Costco, and suddenly, all her pets had horrible fleas. We monkeyed around for some months trying to fix it cheaply for her. She finally told me her source, and I suggested buying a box at the clinic and using it that month. The fleas were gone that month, and she kept buying FL at the clinic for the next few months and had no fleas. Money got super tight, and she bought it at Costco again. Sigh. Fleas again. Whatever it is in those tubes isn't FL.

5. Flea bombs don't work. Hand held sprayers do. If fleas are biting people, it is time to have an extermination service come in. If you have been buying FL at the vets office for at least 4 months, Merial (Frontline's manufacturer) will send in a team on their dime. Call your vet for information about the satisfaction guarantee with Frontline.

6. Spinosad is very safe when used as labeled on the package and can be very useful. It is the active ingredient in Comfortis, a product I like. If we didn't have ticks here as well -- which carry awful diseases -- I would consider just using Comfortis for my own dogs.

7. I have never seen essential oils, brewers yeast, garlic, DE, etc work in an active infestation. I think people who say they work have animals that are naturally resistant. I have noticed animals with underlying medical issues -- endocrine disease, allergies, etc -- are the ones that seem to attract fleas more. No studies to back it up, but it's just something I have seen over and over again.

8. Flea collars do NOT work. I have taken more than one off and found fleas UNDER them. DO NOT cut one up and put it in the vac bag. Then you are breathing in those chemicals.

OP, sounds like you need an exterminator and to pick one product and stick with it. Ask your vet about Vectra, Certifect or Frontline Plus, Advantix, and then couple the one you use with Comfortis.

EVERY ANIMAL IN YOUR HOUSE MUST BE TREATED EVERY 30 DAYS. At least 4-6 months of treatment.

It is not easy. It is not cheap. But once they get a foothold, they are difficult to eradicate. I tell clients they will be one animal surviving a nuclear holocaust.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

SunnySkies has some awesome advice! Fleas are such a pain to get rid of once they start multiplying!

Just be careful if you decide to try Advantix. It is highly toxic to cats, so its generally best not to use it on dogs if you have cats. I've known some people who still swear by it and use it on their dogs, but they have to keep them totally separate for at least 24 hours. I just don't think it is worth the risk!

I think at this point, calling in an exterminator for the fleas attacking you guys might be the best course!

 

[Daddas1Punkin]

Quote: Yea!

I happen to be a vet and I live where fleas are horrible.

1. It takes at least 4-6 months to break the cycle of fleas. Most people quit too early and start fooling around with various products instead of giving things time to work.

2. Most people assume the product is not working when they see a few fleas. Well, no lasting product kills instantly (year fleas and tick shampoos kill instantly, but you wash it off and it stops working). If you see a few, it's OK. The dogs pick up a few here and there and the products kill them before they reproduce.

3. If you are buying flea products anywhere other than the vet office, you are quite possibly getting stuff that is NOT flea control. I have a very good client who was laid off. She started buying FL at Costco, and suddenly, all her pets had horrible fleas. We monkeyed around for some months trying to fix it cheaply for her. She finally told me her source, and I suggested buying a box at the clinic and using it that month. The fleas were gone that month, and she kept buying FL at the clinic for the next few months and had no fleas. Money got super tight, and she bought it at Costco again. Sigh. Fleas again. Whatever it is in those tubes isn't FL.

5. Flea bombs don't work. Hand held sprayers do. If fleas are biting people, it is time to have an extermination service come in. If you have been buying FL at the vets office for at least 4 months, Merial (Frontline's manufacturer) will send in a team on their dime. Call your vet for information about the satisfaction guarantee with Frontline.

6. Spinosad is very safe when used as labeled on the package and can be very useful. It is the active ingredient in Comfortis, a product I like. If we didn't have ticks here as well -- which carry awful diseases -- I would consider just using Comfortis for my own dogs.

7. I have never seen essential oils, brewers yeast, garlic, DE, etc work in an active infestation. I think people who say they work have animals that are naturally resistant. I have noticed animals with underlying medical issues -- endocrine disease, allergies, etc -- are the ones that seem to attract fleas more. No studies to back it up, but it's just something I have seen over and over again.

8. Flea collars do NOT work. I have taken more than one off and found fleas UNDER them. DO NOT cut one up and put it in the vac bag. Then you are breathing in those chemicals.

OP, sounds like you need an exterminator and to pick one product and stick with it. Ask your vet about Vectra, Certifect or Frontline Plus, Advantix, and then couple the one you use with Comfortis.

EVERY ANIMAL IN YOUR HOUSE MUST BE TREATED EVERY 30 DAYS. At least 4-6 months of treatment.

It is not easy. It is not cheap. But once they get a foothold, they are difficult to eradicate. I tell clients they will be one animal surviving a nuclear holocaust.

Thank you! That is some great info! We are giving them a bat right now, then we are going to talk to my dad about ripping up ALL of the carpet in the house, my mom is worried cause i've been realy sick for three weeks now, and have breathing problems, we think it is time for the carpets to GO! Be sides, there are some beautiful hardwood floors under there! I want this carpet gone!

SunnySkies has some awesome advice! Fleas are such a pain to get rid of once they start multiplying!

Just be careful if you decide to try Advantix. It is highly toxic to cats, so its generally best not to use it on dogs if you have cats. I've known some people who still swear by it and use it on their dogs, but they have to keep them totally separate for at least 24 hours. I just don't think it is worth the risk!

I think at this point, calling in an exterminator for the fleas attacking you guys might be the best course!

Yea, and like I said above, BECAUSE we have so may pets, IDK where we'd take them when they spray. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 ham, 6 fish tanks (kinda big ones too)(& you have to remove them to spray, & we can't really afford it right now.) and 4 frogs. ALL INDOOR. Thanks though!

 

[SunnySkies]

Now that you are giving a bath, DO NOT apply FL or any other flea product for 24, preferably 48, hours. These products last because of the hair oil, but the bath just removed all of that. You have to give them some time to get the oils back before applying, or it just evaporates. Treat every single mammal you own, although I am not sure which, if any, flea product is safe for a hamster...your vet might have to call the company and verify first. For instance, FL and rabbits do not mix.

Then pick ONE product -- FL, Vectra, Advantage/Advantix, whatever (NO Hartz or any of those cheap OTC products...they do not work and are very toxic!) and stay with it for at least 4 months, but I would bet money you need at least 6 months. I have one client I insisted needed 12 months...and I was right.

I would still call an exterminator and ask them about the fish tanks. They may have some ways to manage or some suggestions on protecting them from the sprays. Or they might be able to treat outside and help reduce numbers in the yard.

U fortunately, pulling up the carpet might not solve the flea issue. It might help your allergies and breathing problems (or not), but I still have clients with flea problems, big flea problems, with hard floors only. My sister pulled up all the carpets in her house and still couldn't breathe until she saw an allergist and pulmonologist. We ripped out all of ours in our old house, thinking it would help my allergies and asthma (but turns out I have to not have any house pets any longer). So....might not help with that either. I have had clients rip out carpets thinking it was that bothering the dogs allergies when it was really something else, like mold or grass pollen (common this time of year). TBH, I don't know where the fleas pupate when you don't have carpets, but they do...they really do.

Do you have any near neighbors the fleas might be coming from? I have one client who can't get rid of them because his neighbor does not treat her dogs consistently, and so, her dogs infest the area, his dogs pick them up in great numbers and bring them in. They are not reproducing, but if he wasn't using flea products, his pets would be in a state.

Fleas are one of the top medical conditions I see, and it peaks starting now and runs until December or January. Very frustrating for me, as many clients won't follow advice, frustrating for the owners because the fleas won't go away, costs a fortune if you have any number of animals, and a health concern for the animals.

 

[Mehjr10]

Yea!


Thank you! That is some great info! We are giving them a bat right now, then we are going to talk to my dad about ripping up ALL of the carpet in the house, my mom is worried cause i've been realy sick for three weeks now, and have breathing problems, we think it is time for the carpets to GO! Be sides, there are some beautiful hardwood floors under there! I want this carpet gone!
Yea, and like I said above, BECAUSE we have so may pets, IDK where we'd take them when they spray. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 ham, 6 fish tanks (kinda big ones too)(& you have to remove them to spray, & we can't really afford it right now.) and 4 frogs. ALL INDOOR. Thanks though!

That is why I was recommending the spinosad spray or liquid... you can spray it on the carpet and not have to worry about it.. Just don't spray it in the fish tanks We had a similar problem before using the product. We now live a flea free life.

 

[Daddas1Punkin]

Now that you are giving a bath, DO NOT apply FL or any other flea product for 24, preferably 48, hours. These products last because of the hair oil, but the bath just removed all of that. You have to give them some time to get the oils back before applying, or it just evaporates. Treat every single mammal you own, although I am not sure which, if any, flea product is safe for a hamster...your vet might have to call the company and verify first. For instance, FL and rabbits do not mix.

Then pick ONE product -- FL, Vectra, Advantage/Advantix, whatever (NO Hartz or any of those cheap OTC products...they do not work and are very toxic!) and stay with it for at least 4 months, but I would bet money you need at least 6 months. I have one client I insisted needed 12 months...and I was right.

I would still call an exterminator and ask them about the fish tanks. They may have some ways to manage or some suggestions on protecting them from the sprays. Or they might be able to treat outside and help reduce numbers in the yard.

U fortunately, pulling up the carpet might not solve the flea issue. It might help your allergies and breathing problems (or not), but I still have clients with flea problems, big flea problems, with hard floors only. My sister pulled up all the carpets in her house and still couldn't breathe until she saw an allergist and pulmonologist. We ripped out all of ours in our old house, thinking it would help my allergies and asthma (but turns out I have to not have any house pets any longer). So....might not help with that either. I have had clients rip out carpets thinking it was that bothering the dogs allergies when it was really something else, like mold or grass pollen (common this time of year). TBH, I don't know where the fleas pupate when you don't have carpets, but they do...they really do.

Do you have any near neighbors the fleas might be coming from? I have one client who can't get rid of them because his neighbor does not treat her dogs consistently, and so, her dogs infest the area, his dogs pick them up in great numbers and bring them in. They are not reproducing, but if he wasn't using flea products, his pets would be in a state.

Fleas are one of the top medical conditions I see, and it peaks starting now and runs until December or January. Very frustrating for me, as many clients won't follow advice, frustrating for the owners because the fleas won't go away, costs a fortune if you have any number of animals, and a health concern for the animals.

Thanks! Yea, our neighbors have like 10 dogs that are RIGHT NEXT to the house

Quote: Oh, okay, thanks! The only thing, is that I have been REALLY sick with respitory prob. and that worries me... I'm willing to take the chance though!

 

[j-duck]

We had a flea infestation a few years ago. It was horrible. We tried all the things you have listed and finally did a combination of the following. Wear a mask when applying dust or spray!!
Week One:
- 1 time in house: sprinkled 7-dust on carpets, flipped cushions - sprinkled, hard wood floors, mattresses. Let it sit during day (few hours - while all kids were not home and pets in a safe place). Vacuumed it up and then discarded bag.
Sprayed liquid seven dust on yard in the morning before sun all the way up (before heat of day 6am-9am)
- comfortis...comfortis...comfortis!! For dogs and anything (frontline or something similar dr cats)
Week 2:
- purple can of raid - safe for pets and inside house. Spray all areas originally treated with dust. Vacuum and discard
- repeat spray of yard with liquid seven dust
Week 3: repeat week 2
Week 4: repeat week 2 & 3
Week 5: repeat week 2,3,4 AND reapply comfortis comfortis comfortis!

We have 3 dogs inside and 1 inside/outside cat and 3 outside cats and 1 of 3 children who is HIGHLY allergic to fleas. We have no fleas!

Good luck - hope you find something that works!!

 

[Daddas1Punkin]

We had a flea infestation a few years ago. It was horrible. We tried all the things you have listed and finally did a combination of the following. Wear a mask when applying dust or spray!!
Week One:
- 1 time in house: sprinkled 7-dust on carpets, flipped cushions - sprinkled, hard wood floors, mattresses. Let it sit during day (few hours - while all kids were not home and pets in a safe place). Vacuumed it up and then discarded bag.
Sprayed liquid seven dust on yard in the morning before sun all the way up (before heat of day 6am-9am)
- comfortis...comfortis...comfortis!! For dogs and anything (frontline or something similar dr cats)
Week 2:
- purple can of raid - safe for pets and inside house. Spray all areas originally treated with dust. Vacuum and discard
- repeat spray of yard with liquid seven dust
Week 3: repeat week 2
Week 4: repeat week 2 & 3
Week 5: repeat week 2,3,4 AND reapply comfortis comfortis comfortis!

We have 3 dogs inside and 1 inside/outside cat and 3 outside cats and 1 of 3 children who is HIGHLY allergic to fleas. We have no fleas!

Good luck - hope you find something that works!!

Wow! Thanks! We did FINALLY FIND SOMETHING! I will tell about it in the next post.