Ahhhh Fleas

[Guest GreyGary91806]

So we had a dog come over to spend time with Gary before we got Diago and they brought there fleas with them

We are having trouble getting rid of them tried frontline and the hartz stuff. Next step is advantix for the dogs and advantage for the cats.. Any other advice?? I have never had a flea problem before now. I fel bad for the dogs cuz they are constantly scratching!!!

PLEASE HELP

[ivon]

Hmmm, stay away from Hartz stuff, pets have died from that, also, I would not use more than one product at the time. A good flea shampoo (ask your vet) should get you started, and I would spray the house, and the yard. Better yet, have someone do it, make sure they know you have pets.

[Guest GreyGary91806]

Thats what I was thinking, have a pro come do it. I didnt realize that about the hartz!!!! Im going to go home and give them baths tonight

[Guest jbbuzby]

The trouble with fleas is that they can keep living in your carpets and furniture off of old dander for weeks. You have to clean/flea bomb everything. Revolution topical works very well on fleas and is also a heart worm preventative...if frontline isn't working for you, that might do the trick (and yes, it is considered safe for greyhounds). But be sure to wash all those pet beds and...basically anywhere where they go or have gone!

[Guest BrianRke]

Frontline didnt work for me either. I use Advantage II for dogs and this year, not one

 

Definitely stay away from ANYTHING that says Hartz on it. All their products are garbage.

 

Vacuum really well and wash all the dogs linens/bed covers in hot water with maybe a little bleach.

 

Between the Advantage (which should break the cycle), the vacuuming, washing, and the colder weather, things should start looking better soon.

[winnie]

DH and I noticed fleas on our dog when we got back from Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg last month. Our vet gave us Capstar tablets and Vectra 3D. It worked to clear the problem quickly. Thankfully, we noticed the fleas before they infested the house. Apparently, Frontline Plus - which is what we normally use on our dogs - doesn't do a very good job with fleas. I would check with your vet before giving any medication - oral or topical.

 

DH and I noticed fleas on our dog when we got back from Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg last month. Our vet gave us Capstar tablets and Vectra 3D. It worked to clear the problem quickly. Thankfully, we noticed the fleas before they infested the house. Apparently, Frontline Plus - which is what we normally use on our dogs - doesn't do a very good job with fleas. I would check with your vet before giving any medication - oral or topical.

[krissy]

Revolution works really well for fleas. That's what we usually prescribe when we have animals come in with a complain of fleas.

 

Capstar is fantastic. It kills off all adult fleas in 24 hours. However, it doesn't work if you have an infestation with fleas that can continue jumping onto the animals, and it doesn't touch eggs (if I remember correctly).

 

The thing with a lot of the flea preventives is that they don't work overnight like Capstar. A lot of them simply inhibit growth of immature fleas or prevent egg laying by adults. So they break the cycle which stops them from reproducing and then a month or two later... voila! No fleas. But you can't expect them to work overnight.

 

If you have an infestation the best thing you can do is apply Revolution or some other similar product and let your dogs/cats ALL OVER THE HOUSE. They're going to act like a magnet for fleas. Fleas don't want to jump on people. They're species specific for the most part so if there are dogs and cats around they'll jump on them. Once you treat your animals you WANT fleas to jump on them, because then they come in contact with the drug. The worst thing people do is shut the animals into one room trying to "contain" the problem to that one room. But you're still going to end up with some fleas in other areas of the house and with the animals stuck in one room those free fleas are going to be around a lot longer.

 

And I totally agree... stay AWAY from Hartz.

[Guest mariah]

I've heard that Advantage works better than Frontline on greyhounds (even though both are perfectly safe), because Frontline is distributed through the coat by way of the dog's natural oils, and greyhounds are much less oily than most other dogs. I had great success with the Advantage products for dogs and cats.

 

Definitely stay away from any of the cheap-o products like Hartz, Bio-Spot, Zodiac, etc...these are especially bad for cats! If you put one of these on your cats recently, definitely give them a bath. It's a shame they're allowed to have these products on the market, because they're really not safe, in addition to not being effective.

 

In either case, you should wait at least 7 days (I think longer for cats) after applying a topical flea product before applying another round.

[macoduck]

Do a search on here before trying Vectra. I will never put it on any of my dogs. Never.

[TheFullHouse]

Make sure you wash their beds, vacuum your carpets every day for a few days and also vacuum any upholstered furniture in the house. Flea's love to hid in furniture and beds.

[Guest KennelMom]

Pick up some comfortis - it's capstar that lasts for a month - both are amazing products and fleas will be dead within a few hours. Then, you just need to take care of their eggs - Vacuum everywhere REALLY well and wash all bedding, including the human bed if they get up there.

[tydyelady]

YES vote for Comfortis! It keeps on killing fleas for a month. Give to dog - I bathe the dog the next day to get rid of dead fleas and flea poop, wash all bedding and vacuum vacuum vacuum. Any fleas you miss that still jump on the dog will be killed from the Comfortis. Its a great product.

[Guest Energy11]

Here, we just use good ole' Adams flea and tick spray. You can get the water-based, if you don't like the feel of the other. It is totally safe for greyhounds, and, believe it or not, you can get it in Wal-mart! I use ONLY this, and have never had a flea problem.

 

I'd definitely flea bathe, and I am also a huge fan of Capstar, which gets rid of the fleas on the dog. Yes, you do have to still treat your house, as well. Before bombing, I'd check with the vet on the safest stuff to use, and go from there. Of course, you and the puppers have to be out of the house during, and after a bit, when you bomb.

 

Good Luck!

[Guest GreyGary91806]

Thanks has anyone had luck with Program??

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0002J1G2K/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=2619533011&s=pet-supplies

[duncan41]

Make sure you wash their beds, vacuum your carpets every day for a few days and also vacuum any upholstered furniture in the house. Flea's love to hid in furniture and beds.

 

Yes, yes and triple, yes! Advantage II works well in our area of FL for both the dogs and the cats. Frontline and regular Advantage stopped working. Fleas have a 21 day life cycle so plan on vacuuming daily for 42 days. I have been vacuuming daily since April 1 and we have no fleas even though the cats have access to two screened in porches and the dogs are walked 4 times a day. Good luck - I know it's a royal pain.

[Wonder]

I had a foster bring fleas this summer. They were a bitch to get rid of. I'm still paranoid every time the dogs itch.

 

I used capstar first

Adam's flea spray once a week

I vacuumed every couple of days (wood floors)

Washed the dog beds, blankets, my sheets

I also sprinkled DE on my mattress, the dogs, the couch, the floor, dog beds, my car and my yard.

Then 2 weeks later, fleas again so did it all over again.

 

So far, I haven't seen any since that 2nd time.

[Guest BrianRke]

Pick up some comfortis - it's capstar that lasts for a month - both are amazing products and fleas will be dead within a few hours. Then, you just need to take care of their eggs - Vacuum everywhere REALLY well and wash all bedding, including the human bed if they get up there.

Have you had good luck with the Comfortis? I was thinking of trying it in the spring but it hasnt been out all that long so I wasnt too sure about it. My vet said it was really good.

[Guest snowmo18]

This is a really great thread. Raider goes to doggie daycare here and there and I am always worried about him bringing home fleas (even though everyone attending is supposed to be on a preventative). I hope you can get rid of them!

[Guest GreyGary91806]

This is a really great thread. Raider goes to doggie daycare here and there and I am always worried about him bringing home fleas (even though everyone attending is supposed to be on a preventative). I hope you can get rid of them!

You and me both! Thanks!

[Batmom]

What we do is:

 

DAY ONE: Capstar the dogs. If they're due for their Frontline, use it. Wash everything washable (if we can't wash it all at once, it goes into securely closed, thick garbage bags). Use Knockout spray on everything that can't be washed (carpets, upholstery, and a hefty spritz into those can't-wash-'em-yet laundry bags); we don't have to leave home because I can serially shut off and then air out different areas of the house.

 

DAY TWO: Capstar the dogs again.

 

Might need to repeat the process a couple weeks later but if you're thorough with the Knockout spray the first time, once is usually enough.

 

We use Frontline because there are many ticks in the environment here. So far I haven't had any problems with it. If your house/yard is infested with fleas, you will see a lot of fleas regardless of what the dog is on.

 

Good luck!

[KF_in_Georgia]

If your vacuum cleaner has a bag, toss it after vacuuming. Otherwise, you're providing a nice, quiet place for new fleas to hatch.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

We had fleas last summer for the first time. I wondered why the pups were scratching so much. Duh! My vet suggested cutting up a flea collar and putting it in the vacuum bag before vacuuming and then tossing it. After washing all bedding and the hounds, and vacuuming everything, they were gone and haven't seen a sign of them since. But I do still get nervous if I see one of the hounds scratching. I keep the flea comb handy.