My dog has fleas?

Question

I use Frontline Plus every month. A week ago I treated her. I just noticed she was itching and I looked underneath on her belly and I saw a flea. I can't treat her again so soon, can I? How about if I give her a bath and THEN treat her again? Is Advantage any better than Frontline? I hate fleas. Help me out here please.

Answer 1

Check this out for natural, safe ways to rid your home and pet of fleas http://pests.in/fleas.html

Answer 2

If you've never treated your house, you need to. That's the first thing to do when you find you still have fleas - remember 95% of the flea population lives in the environment, so even if you're treating your pet regularly, s/he will continue to get reinfested if you haven't treated the environment. And when I say treat, I don't mean with anything from any pet stores or supermarkets - powders and flea bombs are no good! Stick with treatments from your vet - a spray like Indorex, Skoosh, Acclaim or Staykil.

There's not much comparison between Frontline and Advantage really, they're both good for flea. Frontline Plus might have the slight edge because it also kills flea eggs, which is helpful.

I would suggest spraying your whole house - it's a good idea to vacuum the day after spraying, and repeat this process a few days or a week later to get the remainder of the eggs that will now have hatched. Between that and Frontline Plus, you should be covered. Nothing wrong with switching to Advantage or Revolution if you fancy trying something else - but get that environment treated!

Oh - and always be sure you're getting the Frontline completely on the animal's skin, none on the fur. Very important.

Chalice

EDIT: Oh, forgot that bit - don't bathe before treating with Frontline, because you'll wash off the natural oils from the skin which Frontline requires to work. If you check the instructions or with your vet, I believe you can apply Frontline every two weeks - it only covers for ticks up to this time, so you'd need to apply fortnightly anyway if you had a tick problem.

Answer 3

NO NO NO do NOT apply ANY treatment for 30 days!!! However, you may have seen a dead flea. The flea actually has to bite to die, so if you treated the animal but not the environment, then fleas will still get on your dog, bite, then die. You need to make sure the fleas are alive, then call the vet where you bought the Frontline and get a refund. It is guaranteed by the mfgr, so why not? If it's been 48 hrs, you can bathe your dog, even with flea shampoo. Then you need to de-flea the bedding, carpet and crate areas to ensure all te adults and eggs are eliminated. Stay away from HARTZ products. They have a high incidence of toxic overdoses. I don't reccomend Advantage at all. Why? It only works about 2/3 of the dogs I know tat have tried it. AND, Frontline is guaranteed, so they will make it right for you. Advantage would be better than a grocery or pet store product BY FAR! Good luck

P.S. the garlic thing works too! I fed my greyhounds rice with garlic mixed in their meat for 10 years (before Frontline was ever invented) and with 60 dogs in 1 building we didn't have a flea problem.

Answer 4

normally it is not good to treat with another chemical. i wouldn't stress too much , the frontline should take care of it. perhaps she had a few jump aboard when she went outside. i use revolution. it takes care of fleas, common tics, scotopic mange and heartworm. the results are fantastic

Answer 5

I'm not sure about the treatment, but you might also start giving her 1 teaspoon of garlic (I use minced) and 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil mixed in with her dog food every day.

I had a real bad problem with fleas, but bathing and flea collar and feeding him garlic has finally gotten rid of them.

Answer 6

if animals go outside again they can pick up the fleas. They won't stay on the animal but it's no good if they are hitching a ride back into the house, either.

Answer 7

You can apply Frontline every three weeks.