speaking of fleas...

[Erinne]

i didnt want to thread jack the other post. both our cat and dog have fleas now all of a sudden. over the last 2 days i noticed them iching more, and sure enough today while giving the puppy a bath between rain storms, (he got muddy and smelly running through puddles haha!) i noticed flea bites on his belly. they both just had a treatment that the vet gave me 2 weeks ago. i belive it was frontline? i didnt give either of them a bath for at least 5 days after their treatment, bcause the vet had said t make sure they didnt get wet for a while while it dried. i also have 3 young kids in the house, and we go on vacation in 2 weeks! what can i do to get rid of them, and can i give the dog and cat another treatment (either same brand or different) if the treatment they had was a once a month thing, and its only been 2 weeks? what should i use on them since the last thing isnt working i think?

edited to add that i just steam cleaned all the carpets in the house today, so maybe that will help?

[deepseamama1]

Ok so a little back ground on me Vet Tech for 10 years before my now current and wonderful job of Full time SAHM of 2.

For the pets: Topical either Frontline or Advantage are the best!
I have found that some clients love either one or the other me personally I have use Advantage I did use Frontlineon two different occasions and got fleas fairly quickly. But Advantage works for us. On the other had I have friends that it is just the opposite.
Either product is safe and very effective if you use one and it doesn't seem to cut it for your house then use the other.
I have advised some clients whom have flea allergic pets to apply as often as every 2 weeks as a true flea allergic pet and react for up to 6 weeks from just one bite.

There are also other oral meds:
Capstar - a pill that will start to kill fleas within 30 mins and all dead in 2 hours (great to use for quick results) but only last for 24 hours
Program (Sentinal- combo med with heartworm preventive) - a once monthly flea birth control, the flea bites the pet and becomes sterile, lives out its 30 - 45 day life and dies.
Comfortis- once monthly oral flea killer, flea bites the pet and dies. last 1 month.

The yard:
I have used and recommend the product Over and Out (blue bag runs about $20-25)it is labeled for fire ants but is the same medicine/chemical in Frontline Plus. I had to stop using it as we now have a pet tortise in the yard and we have gone with out chemical/toxins for her.

Now the carpet:
Borax (boric acid) yes the stuff in the laundry aisle.
Apply (sprinkle) like carpet freshener and let set for 30- 45 mins vaccum and dispose of the contents(dump canister or change bag) take it outside! Live fleas will find their way out and back into the carpet!

In these tough times we are all looking to save a buck so call around, you do not need a prescription for the topicals. DO price comparisons! Not all Vets charge the same! If you are loyal to your vet then find a lower price and ask them to honor it, most will.
There are other product available over the counter none that I have found really work and some are very dangerous can cause seizures and even have caused death!, and yet the fleas are still very much alive!

Good Luck

[beth119]

I would HIGHLY reccomend Comfortis! (oral pill)

We struggled trying to find something that worked... and this was it! A little bit more pricey than the topicals, and needs a script, but worth EVERY PENNY. You don't have to worry about it washing off, doggies getting wet, etc...

[PeachySteph]

I recently had a long convo with our vet about flea treatment. He said Frontline is the best because if your flea population is high, you can reapply Frontline every two weeks.
He said Frontline is the only one that you can reapply safely. I thought that was great.
He also said no baths after treatment unless absolutely necessarry. If you do bathe you need to reapply Frontline (or any other treatment) as the bathing process ruins the effectivness of the treatment.

You may also want to apply a powder to your carpet or rugs specifically for fleas. It will help keep them from forming a population IN your home.

[extremesoccermom]

We love Revolution. It takes care of fleas, ticks and heartworm for only less than any of the other products alone.

[Doglover8180]

I recommend Comfortis as well... its about 7 dollars and you can get it from your vet... 7 dollars was for one pill...but it is the best 7 dollars you will ever spend... within a few hours of my dog taking the pill... roughly 3-4.... you saw the dead fleas falling off her and they were dead.... it kills the fleas and kills them fast...

[greenrays]

Advantage never worked well for us and frontline stopped working after using it too many years.

Comfortis worked great, just make sure and feed it on a full stomach b/c I had one of my dogs get sick and throw up a lot when he had it on an empty stomach.

you CAN reapply frontline even if it's only been 2 weeks, I wouldn't do it often b/c even though it's "safe" it's really not...... still harsh chemicals that are being put into your animals skin and body.

btw..comfortis is only for dogs.

[W0Wme]

At the beginning of spring we went through a flea infestation with both of our dogs. Had them both on Frontline and still got infested. Come to find out it was because of the wild cats in very small country neighborhood. Every year we have to call animal control out to catch these cats. The neighbor gets kittens every year and of course they multiply and become wild. There is no law here to prevent this, just lots of tax payers money to catch them! Anyway, we catch 30+ yearly and can't always get everyone. Because of the wild cats they flea infest our back yard, carry diseases, etc. Mind you this all happened so rapidily we didn't have time to act before we were infested and thought our dogs and home were protected. We took the dogs to the vet, they got Capstar and a bath then started them on Comfortis and Sentinal (a plus with the flea birth control). We bought bags and bags of 7 dust & something else (DH knows, sorry I can't remember) to treat the back-yard, rotating the dogs where they potty'd as we treated. Since we were so infested and having carpet, we ended up pulling up the carpet because of the larva (don't want them to ever become active again in my house!) and put down laminate (hardwood look) flooring & bought new Living Room furniture. Thankfully they were never allowed in the bedrooms or in the hall area, so we kept the carpet there. We started noticing immediately on the pets (fleas above the hair/fur dead), constantly combing and vacuuming. It took 3 complete cycles before there was not a flea in the house or on the dogs. I learned a hard & very expensive lesson here... keeping the inviroment in which your pets live treated is most important when it comes to fleas! My back yard is fenced, but wild cats, deer and other critters still find their way through. I even treat it with lime to keep the bug away from the cat poop or whatever animal feels free to poop in the yard.

I recommend treating your yard, Comfortis & Sentinal for fleas! Worth every penny, wish I knew this before it cost me A LOT MORE with a new floor and Living Room suit... oh and a Dining room rug (dining room is hardwood).

[workinatsavin]

I'm using a product called Diatomaceous Earth. It is a fine white powder used in food processing to kill bugs. You can find it at some Hardware & Feed stores and online. I brush it into the cats fur and sprinkle it in carpet. It is totally non-toxic to animals and people.

[tuckll]

I work at a grooming shop. We use regular Dawn to get rid of fleas on dogs that are on flea preventative. Let it sit on the dog for 5 to 10 minutes. This will kill the fleas only. Be careful using it around the eyes. Dawn also works well for dogs that get really greasy coats. I don't recommend that you use it everyday you bathe your dog.