Hi All,
So my 8 month old lab mix pup has fleas. I live in a city, but there are some patches of grass around, as well as a doggie park nearby. My pup has been spending time at another place more in the burbs, and that house has an outdoor cat as well. We use Frontline on the cat, but still find fleas when we give him the occaisional flea combing.
So, for the pooch we first tried BioSpot drops for his neck & hindquarters. They could be considered off brand, but we were trying to be cheap. We also supplemented it with a flea/tick collar because we were going hiking that day.
30 days came and went, and we weren't overly concerned. We did still notice fleas--we figured it was because it was cheaper than, say, Frontline. We were in a pinch, so we did another 30 day dose.
Near the end of the 30 day run, we got some flea shampoo. I can't recall the brand, but I know I got it from a PetSmart that didn't have a vet sponsoring it. We gave him another shampooing a few days later (a bit earlier than the recommended 7-10 period) and still noticed fleas within a short period.
A neighbor in the burbs with a similar dog recommended K9 Advantix, saying that his dog is flea/tick free & his dog arguably spends more time in a wooded/grassy area. Reading the packaging for K9 Advantix revealed an abundance of warnings for killing cats (more so than BioSpot).
So we broke down and got some Frontline for his next dose...also overlapping the shampooing & the last day or so of the BioSpot dose. We figured it was okay since he still had fleas.
Well he definately has less fleas on him now...maybe 4-5 instead of closer to 7-10+. Still though, this doesn't make sense to me. I've had dogs in the past (albeit with less outdoorsy exposure) and never even seen a flea. I feel so bad when I see him chomping away at his fur. We noticed that the base of his tail had a small hairless patch and read that it may be due to allergies to the fleas.
Help! How can we accomplish his fleadom (keep in mind the outdoor cat)?
Thanks in advance,
Flea-Ridden Owner
Frontline is good - but you have to use it more than once, and keep on using it. When you first used it, it killed the fleas and eggs on him, but he could have picked them up again somewhere else in the house.
Jim
As long as the outdoor cat isn't transferring the K9 Advantix to his own fur by rubbing against your dog or ingesting it by grooming your dog, you should be fine with the K9 Advantix. Does your dog spend time a lot of time in the water? Frontline Plus is very good but if your dog is swimming or being bathed 24 hours before or after application, then you're rendering it ineffective. Frontline needs time to absorb into your dog's skin because it works through his oil glands. Also, if you see more fleas after application, it is because the fleas are in the process of dying. As far as buying cheaper alternatives, don't! I used to work for an emergency veterinary hospital and we saw our fair share of dogs and (especially) cats with seizures brought on by off-brand flea preventatives. Instead of spending money on flea shampoos, use Dawn dish detergent. Just lather your dog and leave it on for about 5-10 minutes. It's important to treat not only your pets but the environment in which they live. Virbac Indorex flea spray works well and they also make a yard spray. If the fleas and eggs in your pet's environment are not being killed then you're at risk for reinfestation. If you're worried about live fleas, Capstar will kill all live fleas on your dog within an hour but you should still apply a topical flea treatment such as Frontline to ensure that you are killing the eggs as well.
It also sounds like your dog is suffering from flea allergy dermatitis. I would recommend that you take him to the vet to diagnose so he/she can recommend a course of treatment. Hope this helps!