I hate my neighbors. The lady that lives behind us never cleans her yard or her dog and he always has fleas. Well Wilber our dog has now got them again. I have bathed him 2x and put Hartz on his but I still cannot get rid of them. We bombed the house and are bombing again on Saturday. I have to take him to the vet today cause I think he might be allergic to fleas and their dander cause he is getting a nasty crusty rash on him under his skin. What can I do to help keep the fleas away.

We bought a yard spray that gets rid of fleas, mosquitos and knats. We did our yard and the neighbors all the way around us on our fence lines.

HELP!!!

By Colette on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 11:43 am:

When you go to the vet get some frontline. It keeps away fleas and ticks.

By Tonya on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 11:57 am:

If I cannot bathe them away and put that frontline on him will it kill off the remaining ones that are left?

By Colette on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 12:46 pm:

Your probably going to have to get something from the vet to kill the ones he has now, the frontline will prevent (I believe) him from getting more.

By Dana on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 12:46 pm:

My vet (actually the techs) told me Advantage did a much better job than frontline. they weren't suppose to tell me that, but we had a friendly relationship and didn't want me to spend money on something that was not as good. I NEVER ever had troubles w/ fleas after putting Advantage on the dog (an outdoor dog that came in at night). I literally watched them fall off of her the very first time I used it. After that, the yard was clear, the house was clear, the dog was clear. I even waited an extra month before having to use it again. It's suppose to be applied 1x/month, but I hated using the toxin on my dog, plus I am super cheap and wanted to save the money.

I never tried frontline so can't atest to its effectivness. However, this past month I've had 3 people talking about the fleas being really bad and their frontline was not working. I told them to switch to Advantage.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 01:10 pm:

I prefer Advantage, my vet tech son prefers Frontline. Either way, the existing fleas should be quickly killed after application. It is a monthly application during all warm weather.

There are sprays you can use in your yard that are supposed to be anti-flea, but they are potentially dangerous, so I'd rather not.

Contrary to Dana, I'd rather use the flea preventive on the dog (and cat) on a monthly basis than risk subjecting them (and me) to fleas, ticks, etc. Either one should be good for fleas and ticks, and I think Scott uses Frontline because it is also good against mosquitos (West Nile). I will ask him.

Yes, your dog could be having an allergic reaction to the fleabites. And, they can get infected. I had a cat that had some fleabites and some of them got very badly infected.

By Tonya on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 01:51 pm:

Well we got to the vet today and if I have to I will go get the advantage and just forgo the Hartz that I have at how. I still have 2 months left of it. I haven't checked him yet today so hopefully it killed off what was left after last nights bath. If not the people at the vet best stay away from my dog with their pets!!

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 04:10 pm:

Tonya, I would go with Advantage or Frontline rather than Hartz. Hartz is made to sell "over the counter", without prescription, and I strongly doubt it has all the ingredients as well tailored for flea & tick prevention as either Frontline or Advantage.

You might also consult your vet to ask if you can use a flea dip. You'd dilute it in water at whatever the ratio is, and literally dip the dog. I've seen the SPCA use large tubs, and use a sponge to squeeze the liquid on dogs' heads and necks (being careful to avoid the eyes) and under the chin. I have also had to do this with a cat - which is definitely NOT fun.

By Tonya on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 04:20 pm:

Heck for all of this trouble maybe what I will do it do the vet today and while we are bombing the house Saturday morning take him into the beauty parlor and have him bathed and dipped there. Then do the Advantage or frontline before we leave the groomers with him. Just buying it over the counter and teh mess with having to do it will run me more than taking him in to have it done. Thanks ladies. Well see what the vet says today when we go and I will go from there.

By Missmudd on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 07:47 pm:

Definately go for the advantage or frontline, (we use advantage) Our poor old golden had a horrible flea allergy, with the advantage he looks and feels like a new dog.

By Shellyg on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 09:21 pm:

Hartz has too many HORRIBLE side effects. Look into it.
I use Frontline and Advantage and switch every three months. Both myself and oldest son are allergic to fleas, and we have no problems. I have three dogs, and a cat. On top of that I run a pet rescue and also have an "extra" now and then.
Also, do not dip, bomb, and advantage. Too many chemicals for a dog to handle. All that you need is the advantage.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 09:47 pm:

Hartz Victims

People on my dog board, would tell you not to use the Hartz products, also.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 10:38 pm:

Shelly has the experience and I suggest she is right. Talk to your vet.

My son says (a), he knows of no difference between Frontline and Advantage, just preference, and (b) mosquitos are not a problem for dogs because they only carry West Nile, which dogs don't get, and heartworm - and of course you are giving your dog heartworm medication monthly throughout the warm weather.

If you bomb, you need to (a) cover the doors of all cabinets with food or dishes with plastic (cut open trash bags, and tape) to keep it out, and (b) wash down all surfaces people touch - the baby's crib & stuff, doorknobs, etc., so that your people - especially your little people, don't get the bomb chemicals on their hands. And wash the clothes to get the chemicals out before the kids wear them.

Fleas are such a terrible, terrible problem - BTDT. it is just so much simpler to use the Frontline or Advantage throughout warm weather. - Even on animals (like cats) that never leave the house, as people can bring in fleas from the yard on their clothes and they will head straight for a nice target like a housecat.

By Imamommyx4 on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 01:19 am:

You don't have to buy the Frontline or Advantage from the vet. Our vet told us about a website to go to to buy the products we use for our dog to get them cheaper. He said he didn't care where we got them. We have to use several expensive products for our poor old dog who has Cushings disease. You can buy vet prescription items. You just have to note who your vet is.

I'm not sure if it is a violation of Momsview policy to note that or not. If one of the moderators says it is okay, I'll post the link.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 06:46 am:

As a moderator, I don't think this is solicitation, since I doubt you make any profit from it or are connected with this on-line veterinary supply house. I will also post a link later (after I ask him) to the site Scott uses, for the same reasons (if it is not the same site).

But, if you buy Frontline or Advantage from some source other than the vet, be sure you get the dosage appropriate to your dog's weight - the packages will say what weight range they are for.

And remember what someone said above. Since you have already used Hartz, ask your vet about when you can use anything else, to avoid overdoses. Whatever product you use, these chemicals can be dangerous in too large a concentration and you don't want to harm your dog while trying to help.

By Karen~moderator on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 07:30 am:

We use Advantage when necessary. But we don't use it regularly. Kali has had fleas on her exactly 3 times, and they were all after she had been groomed at Petsmart. And when she *does* have fleas we use Advantage until we are sure there are none, and then stop. I always worry about the chemicals we are putting into them with that type of stuff.

By Tonya on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 08:19 am:

Well we went to the vet and the DR said he is alergic to fleas and the dander that is why he is getting funky skin so he put him on meds to clean up his skin and get him back to normal he took some kindof solution to him to get rid of the Hartz since I had just used it the day before and gave him a pill for quick flea killing then did the Frontline Plus on him and told us that and the pill would kill off what was left on him in 12-24 hours.

So now my dog is on meds for the next month and I have 6 more months of Frontline Plus to use on him so this will get us through fall and into spring cause I won't use it in the winter.

By Imamommyx4 on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 10:07 am:

The vet med source we use is

www.petcarerx.com

Sorry, I don't know how to do the clickable link thing. And no I don't make a profit from them. Just save myself a little time and money. I just asked the vet one day if I had to bring the dog EVERY time I needed something and he told me that I could get all of the stuff I needed from an on-line vet supply. He gave me a couple of names and this is the one we found was cheaper for what we needed.

By Boxzgrl on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 11:07 am:

Hartz can be deadly. The smaller the animal, the more poisonous. I can't tell you how many kittens came in to be euthanized when I worked at the vet because they either licked the spot where the product was applied or the absorbant rate was too high for their weight and basically led to a slow death. I can't imagine using that product.

Advantage is suppose to be more waterproof than Frontline, therefore lasting longer since dogs are generally bathed more often than cats. I actually prefer Frontline Plus because of their added ingredient that kills flea larvae and eggs too. Advantage doesn't have that, you usually have to combine Program to get that effect. Either one of these two is MUCH better than Hartz. I can't wait until that deadly product is taken off the market.

And YES, treat your yard and house! Fleas don't live on animals, they only feed on them. They live in your yard and carpeting where its nice and warm. It gets expensive but it's also the responsibility of a responsible pet owner.

By Tonya on Friday, July 1, 2005 - 12:14 pm:

We are bombing the house and doing the yard again tomorrow. We already did the yard once 2 weeks ago but are doing it again to be safe. And as far as I can tell he doesn't have anymore on him I checked him this morning. And I am taking every measure to make sure he never gets them again.

I have had Wilber since he was 8 weeks old he was a small roll of black fur now he is 5 and a large round ball of black fur and I couldn't imagine not having him around.