My Dog Has Fleas! Still!

Noddy, the best BEST way to keep fleas out of your house is to use top-spot. One of the vet recommended gels that you squeeze onto your pet's skin. It soaks into the skin and kills all the fleas that bite him and in 2-4 weeks, the fleas are basically gone. You live somewhere warm, I think, right? You'd need to keep your dog on the stuff year-round. Each pipette of gel lasts about a month.

The unusually warm weather has made fleas VERY problematic this year where I am. We have treated our dog to a point that we don't dare treat her any more and have Orkin out twice to treat the carpet and furniture etc. The Orkin treatment is actually very good and has residual killing power for quite a long time, but the dog, even with us FINALLY getting some cool temperatures, has not been flea proof once.

At one point in July, we were eaten up with fleas in the house and on our bodies. If it had gone on much longer I might have had to grill the dog and serve her to the neighbors.

PS little k topspot wouldn't touch our fleas this year, although that's what we've used every year in the recent past. They got high on it and danced on the dog with do rags on. Word.

This is the first year my dogs have had fleas. I was freaking out - the vet said 'bad year, don't panic'.

We're doing the gel behind the shoulder blades stuff. I can't imagine having to apply it year-round.

Yikes! The fleas have built an immunity to top-spot?

I think we even had a couple fleas this summer. I never saw one, but a temporary housemate said she's pretty sure she saw one.

My fleas are immune to the gel stuff too.
But I use a wash which is primarily for ticks on horses - here it is sold as Asuntol. It keeps the dog flea-free for about 3 weeks.

Eve, that's impressive.

kerosene helps, but when you strike the match the dog makes a God awful fuss......bad for the coat too.......kills the fleas though....and a furless Beagle is an interesting site.......

Little K--

I've heard good things about the gel and I've put it on my shopping list.
I'm in the Poconos (northeast Pennsylvania) and we've had a number of hard frosts. The squirrels are still scratching and the last time the local bear ambled by, he had a powerful itch behind his left ear (but this was before the frosts).

BiPolar Bear--

Perhaps your fleas were sent by PETA? I think they might quibble about your ursine attitudes?

yes they are sense of humour impaired that lot....

I don't kno wht u people do to keep away the flese...
I hv a dog too.. and i hv a excellent idea to remove any type of flea ticks etc. from my dog.. it requires these steps to be follow 1 times in a month to hv good results..

1. buy any good liquid pest remover .
2. pour that liquid in any bucket or bathtub in which u can easlily give bath to u r pet (qty of liquid should be slight more as directed in the liquid manual).
3. Now make ur pet sit in that water for 10 mins..
4.(Not step) sitting ur pet in water will kill any pest on its body already and that liquid will enhance ur work..
5. take ur dog out.. and let him dry usually.
6.. All done.. Remarks are invited...

I remember one of my cousins telling me a few years back that they take their cat to the vet a few times a year to get a shot that prevents fles. I think they said it lasts about 6 months.

Have you tryed FRONT LINE
It is brilliant
All you do is put 1 drop on the back of the neck and thats it
It puts something into the skin that flees don't like so they leave them alone
I used it on my dog a year ago and she has never had them back
Good luck

carrieanne

Its a drop not a shot

I used one tube of Top Spot and the fleas are gone.

As part of replacing a dying computer I did a thorough cleaning in that corner of the house and discovered three live spiders. I wonder what they are eating.

This morning, trapped on the telephone with my long-winded sister-in-law I found a live moth.

Sanctuary!

think of your pets living in a symbiotic ralationship with the dog.

Dear little Iffy doesn't do spiders or moths. She pursues larger game.

Noddy - I have three dogs and live on Long Island, which is also infested with fleas and ticks. I used Advantage for years without any problems and now use K9 Advantix, which also repels mosquitoes. None of my dogs has ever had fleas or ticks, and these products also kill living fleas on the dog. You would probably still have to treat your house, dog beds, etc., but I strongly recommend these products instead of a flea collar. They come in tubes and are liquid medications. Each tube has a very small amount of liquid which you have to put on once a month. The only downside is that they are kind of expensive. They are based on the weight of the dog, but 50 dollars for a four to six month supply is not unusual. I think it's worth it though, because I NEVER worry that they will get fleas, and they sleep with me etc., so to me the price is worth the peace of mind. I usually only buy it once a year (a four to six month supply) because I don't ever put it on them in the winter.

I use Advantage too, hearing from several folks that it is better than something else that is also put on the skin above the shoulders, but I forget why exactly. It is more expensive. However for me, that is, for Pacco, it lasts more than a month. I use it about three times a year, primarily in high season. I thought he had fleas a week or so ago, scratch scratch, and didn't want to give him more, as it is toxic to the liver if you give it too often and he had gotten his Advantage two weeks before. Although with him, I am sure I lose a lot, m'Pacco has double thick hair and it is difficult to find skin... Anyway, he didn't have fleas after all. I hear it is a bad year out here too.