Why won't flea products work on my pets??

Question

I have 7 cats, and 2 dogs, and recently no flea products have been working on them! I have used Frontline, Frontline Plus, and Advantage! What is going on, why aren't these products working for my pets? What else is out there that is reputable for killing fleas?

Answer 1

I have used everything under the sun, natural, drug store, vet, etc. Nothing worked until a Vet suggested Revolution. It works awesome. No more fleas, I didn't even treat my house. I put it on my cats and my dog and within a couple days they were all dead and I haven't seen a live flea on any of them. This product also treats them for certain worms, heart worms, and ear mites. It does something else also but can't remember off the top of my head. Good luck with those miniature vampires!

Answer 2

If you use Advantage, Advantix, or Frontline every single month and don't bathe your dogs and cats a lot, there is not way these products will not work.

Is your house infested with fleas, or the areas where the dogs and cats hang out? In that case, you need to have the fleas in those areas exterminated, but the monthly liquids, properly applied and not out of date, work just fine.

Home remedies do not work well, and some, like that washing with Dawn or any dishwashing soap, are downright dangerous - can blind an animal, don't do it. What a preposterous, dangerous idea.

Answer 3

The trick with fleas is that you have to be consistent with treatment, as some products will kill the adult fleas but not the eggs - so you'll have temporary relief, but a week or two later the cycle starts all over again.

My recommendation is this - treat all your animals with a sort of topical treatment, like Frontline, and continue treatment as recommended on the box - don't discontinue it at the first sign of waning fleas. Purchase a flea spray that you can spray your animals and home with, as you'll want to rid your upholstery of flea eggs as well. Continue the treatment for at least two to three weeks. You should see the amount of fleas start to decrease and eventually die out.

Worst case scenario, call an exterminator to bomb your home and your yard. Just remember, the key is consistency. Good luck!

Answer 4

Are your cats outdoor cats? They could be bringing the fleas in after the products take care of the ones currently on your pets. Also, you may have to treat the home if the infestation is that bad in addition to treating the pets. Call your vet, they should be able to help you out. Indoor/outdoor cats are usually a big source for bringing fleas into the house though. And of course, be sure you are using the products properly, which I'm sure you are doing.

Answer 5

Frontline and Advantage should work. If it isn't, then there is something going on. Are you getting the product from your veterinarian? If you are ordering it from an online pharmacy or from a pet store, They could be selling a bad product. Are you using the right weight range? Are you putting it on your pets correctly? On their skin, not their fur. Up high on their neck so they can't lick it off. Apply the entire tube. And are you applying it once a month? That is what I would think, because these are good products that work for all of my pets, if they are not working on ANY of your pets then something is going on. If you want to switch products you can try using Revolution, but this also has heartworm prevention in it, so your dog's will need to be heartworm tested before starting the medication, unless they are already on heartworm prevention, then you can skip the test. Good Luck, I hope I helped...

Answer 6

You should get Hartz shampoo for cats and dogs. Give them a hot bath with the shampoo, then put Hartz flea/tick control and get them a flea collar. The fleas may also be in your rugs and they just get right back on you animals. Maybe you should get a rug cleaner if you have rugs. Then give the animals a bath with the Hartz shampoo and put the medication on and then the flea collars. And hartz doesnt cost alot. Maybe $2 a bottle for shampoo and $2 each for collars.

Answer 7

revolution is a great product. is works for fleas and a heartworm preventative....its a little pricey but worth it. if your dogs havent been HW tested, they will need to be before the product can be prescribed. it would be best to wash the animals in a flea shampoo at least 3 days before applying a spot on...if you bath them too soon before or after it can deplete the skin oils needed to disperse the product. also, treat your carpets and things with a flea powder or spray. adams makes a good powder, it actually smells good too. good luck :)

Answer 8

I used something from Ark Naturals called Neem Protect spray and shampoo.. they sell it at drugstore.com. It contains neem oil (celery) and citronella and is particularly good when I wash her with it (the shampoo.. kills fleas instantly and naturally). Perhaps it IS working, but your home is infested with flea eggs? When you put flea medication on your dog, your home is still infested with fleas basically. You have to wash all the bedding in hot water and detergent, and I spray it with the Ark Naturals spray afterward. Anywho, you might want to talk to your vet, and he could probably give you sound advice. Good luck! :o)

Answer 9

For the dogs you can give them a hot bath with DAWN dish soap original and it is known for killing fleas. Leave it it in for 5-15 the rinse and repeat.

Answer 10

I use Advantage and I know it works on dogs and cats. Maybe you are not using the correct dosage for the size dog or cat.

Make sure you know how much each cat/dog weighs and dose accordingly.

You might also need a professional exterminator to spray your yard.

Good luck!