Flea & Tick Preventatives? What do you use?

[Joe13]

I'm not completely against frontline or advantage or some similar systemic poison but just try to use it as a last ditch option if the dogs become uncomfortable.

We are lucky to not have a stitch of carpet in the house and the furniture is wood or microfiber so not a good place for fleas to breed.



Once long ago in apartment years, we had a neighbor adopt a flea ridden cat and didn't treat it right so our flea free inside cats all of a sudden had fleas we couldn't get rid of - we tried any and everything and very little helped.

Spreading garlic granules or powder worked for the carpet and we used dried eucalyptus branches with leaves under couch cushions. That did seem to help - at least it went from bite city to just every now and then.

 

[cmica]

for some reason when I first moved into my new house there were some fleas, I fig. Id give this a try in the house and out in the yard.

http://www.boraxforfleas.com/


oh don't forget dog baths, i just used v05

 

[PBinWA]

I usually do the house perimiter with permethrin or something similar. During the warm months the cats and dogs get this stuff:
http://www.petsneedmeds.com/category.php?id_category=6

 

[salmonriverjohn]

What do I do for fleas?
I usually don't lie down with dogs
We do use advantage though.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Ortho flea bgone spray indoor/outdoor. It comes in one gallon ready to use containers.
It really works.

 

[PaulB47]

Food grade diatomaceous earth works for things like bedbugs, maybe it would work for fleas and ticks too. I just wonder how to apply it to your animals - blow it on them with a duster of some sort?

A friend of mine owns this company:
<broken link removed>

I always have a 50-lb sack of this stuff around for whatever reason. It even can be used for food preservation. When we had 80 horses in a corral (Bill Cody Ranch) we used to feed it to them. Took care of their internal parasites and the flies too. Amazing stuff.

 

[Joe13]

Food grade diatomaceous earth works for things like bedbugs, maybe it would work for fleas and ticks too. I just wonder how to apply it to your animals - blow it on them with a duster of some sort?

A friend of mine owns this company:
<broken link removed>

I always have a 50-lb sack of this stuff around for whatever reason. It even can be used for food preservation. When we had 80 horses in a corral (Bill Cody Ranch) we used to feed it to them. Took care of their internal parasites and the flies too. Amazing stuff.

DE might be a great idea but I know it's real bad to breathe in. I'd be concerned about getting them all good and covered and then the dog shake happens and a big cloud of DE goes airborn..

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I use an ice pick.

 

[Joe13]

I use an ice pick.

Dunno, I like my dogs better then most folks I meet and I've yet to ice pick one of them (although I'd have improved the gene pool if I had).

 

[jsparks747]

It's that time of the year again and the dogs have started itching.

I try to stay away from the toxic stuff from the vet for as long as I can so I'm curious what other people use to help keep the fleas and ticks (thinking of bringing one of my dogs with me on hikes is the tick part) off thier dogs?

I start off with baths with eucalyptus, lavender, cinnamon, peppermint and rosemary oils in the shampoo. Seems to help for the first 2 months.

Then we have a spray that is more natural oils and such but it's highly concentrated and smells up the whole house for a whole day and even then they are smelly in a fruffy way.

I'll go toxic in August / September
If it gets out of hand.

I get my cats vaccinated every 6 months with a anti flea and tick shot. Works gorgeously. Ask your vet about it. If you get them on your carpet our vet gave us this stuff that you just spray on and it dries in about 30 minutes.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Do far ,, crossing fingers, eyes and toes, its been a very easy year as far as fleas go here.

 

[Joe13]

Since shaving him down and giving him regular baths with some essential oil drops in the shampoo (peppermint, tea tree, cinnamon and lavender) and we have not seen a single flea.

No carpets, microfiber couch and his blankets get washed any time he gets a shower so we have a low maintenance house for bugs thankfully.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I hate using poisons on my dogs, and with all the wildlife around, I had just about given up. Tryfexen works, but can also cause problems! I went looking and found that any sprays or soaps that use essential oils specifically Ceder Oil work the best! Combined with diatomaceous, I have found this to be the best and most effective means to deal with this issue! I spray the lawns and the rest of the yard where the dogs like to hang out, and this also helps a lot! The Soaps are pretty common but you want to check the labels and make sure it contains no more then 10% ceder oils, otherwise, you will have skin issues that will drive your buddies bonkers worse then the flees!

 

[PiratePast40]

Fleas can lead to heart worms that can kill a dog. Bravecto works fast and lasts 3 months. We only have to do it twice a year.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

We had an issue with the Advantage type of products. Our Bull Mastif had such a thick, heavy, down coat that you couldn't get it on the skin. Plus, had to do it on the shoulders and hips!
Our Vet recommended Serasto, made by Bayer! Said it was much safer than old style flea collars! It worked great! Lasted eight months and was 100% effective! Problem was, they are expensive! It took two collars to span Lilly's neck! Worked out to about $65 per year, but well worth it. I liked the put it on and forget it!