getting rid of fleas?

Question

Ok any solutions? we've tried everything...like frontline and other med from the vet ,garlic, spray, giving them baths with flea shampoo, a powder for the carpet, but we can not just get rid of them and it's horrible, my mom has even tried a home remedy book...I was wondering if anyone new a solution they used that actually worked cause its so hard to give the big dogs a bath and everyone says u shouldnt give them a bath more than once or twice a week.. So any ideas?

we've tried everything from the vets and nothing worked...we vacuum a lot and even tried flea colors those dont work either

my grandma bombed her house and it didnt work for her.. we tried dawn soap and it got rid of them on the animals til they walked around again and got them but we tried everything from stores and the vet

o and my mom has put a spary and stuff in our yard that was supposed to kill them

o and we have a dish with soap under a light not working so great

Answer 1

In the past several years a wave of new flea control products has hit the market. While flea control is now easier and more effective than ever, the variety of products available can be quite confusing. We hope this will help you to know when, where, how often and what to use to keep your pets flea free!



1). PROGRAM: The “flea pill” for dogs, given once a month (also available in a pill which combines the flea control and heartworm preventative into one, called Sentinel); in cats available as an injection which will last for six months. This is one of the easiest, most effective tools we have. Program works by sterilizing the fleas, so that they do not reproduce in the environment. It DOES NOT kill or repel adult fleas.

WHEN TO USE: Program is most effective when used BEFORE you start to see a flea problem. We recommend using it May through October in this area; if you have a pre-existing or severe flea problem you may need to use it year round. For the average pet in our practice who spends greater than 50% of its time indoors, it is very effective. These pets go out, pick up a flea or two, come back in and proceed to have those fleas drop flea eggs all over the house. Program interrupts this life cycle, and the occasional flea picked up outside usually lives its normal lifespan and dies without reproducing. It also works well in combination with a product to kill the adults on pets who have a severe flea infestation; the other product will kill the adults, while program will stop the cycle of reinfestation by preventing the eggs from hatching. It is very safe; involves no pesticides, and is especially nice when there are children in the household as it will usually eliminate the need for pesticide sprays in the house.

TROUBLESHOOTING: In order to be effective, you must use Program on all animals in the household (or the fleas on the untreated animals will continue to reproduce). Accurate weights must be obtained to ensure proper dosing, and it must be given faithfully each month. It also needs to be given with a full meal. If your animal is primarily outdoors in an area with many other pets or wildlife, or if it roams freely, Program may not be the best answer for you.



2). FRONTLINE/TOPSPOT: This is a new topical product for your pet which has been available since 1996. The active ingredient is fipronil, a new product which kills the adult fleas and has long lasting action. Fipronil is effective against both fleas and ticks; flea protection will last 30 days on cats and up to 90 days on dogs. Tick protection is for 30 days for both dogs and cats. Frontline is the spray form which is applied in number of pumps per pound of body weight. Topspot is the “spot-on” product, which is a liquid applied topically between the

shoulderblades of the pet. Both products will continue to work even if you bathe your pet. Unlike program, the flea does not have to bite your pet for the product to work, which makes it ideal for those animals with fleabite allergies.

WHEN TO USE: Puppies and kittens must be at least 8 weeks old to use. Topspot will kill 96% of the fleas within 2 hours and the remainder within 24 hours. It is equally effective as a treatment for pre-existing flea infestations, or as a preventative before you are seeing fleas, but when your pet has potential exposure. We prefer it to Program as a preventative when your pet spends a large amount of time outside, when there are already fleas present on the pet, or when the pet has a flea allergy. Program in conjunction with Topspot provides excellent coverage against fleas for almost any situation. Topspot is especially convenient in cats who object to sprays and bathing. While this product is waterproof, you need to wait two days after bathing before applying, and two days after application before bathing.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you are using Frontline or Topspot and are still seeing fleas, look first of all at their number and activity. If there are one or two sluggish fleas, the product is probably working- remember it takes up to 24 hours to kill a flea after the initial quick kill at the time of application. In some extremely heavy infestations we have seen live fleas congregate on the face for 1-2 days after treating; these fleas were much slower moving than usual and died soon after. Note that these were EXTREMELY heavily infested animals in which we would also expect to see an environmental problem- meaning that in about three weeks a new batch of fleas will hatch out- so if you see this be sure to retreat at the 30 days mark. Make sure you are applying spray according to the brochure directions, treating the underside of the pet, applying an appropriate number of pumps for you pet’s weight, and additional spray for long coated pets. In areas of heavy infestation, flea protection on dogs may be closer to the 30 rather than the 90 day mark.



USING ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE PRODUCTS PROPERLY WILL ELMINATE FLEA PROBLEMS FOR ALL BUT THE MOST SEVERELY INFESTED PETS. FOR THOSE ANIMALS, AND FOR GENERAL INFORMATION, A BRIEF SUMMARY OF OTHER AVAILABLE PRODUCTS IS LISTED BELOW.



3). HOUSEHOLD SPRAYS/BOMBS: These products may be necessary if you are beginning treatment and your pet already has a severe flea infestation. By using a product which has an insect growth regulator, or IGR, you will kill 95% of the immature fleas in the environment, eliminating the “lag time” it would take between starting the Program and having the pre-existing eggs, larvae, and cocoon stages mature into adults and die. BE SURE to use a product with an IGR; we prefer sprays to bombs as they are generally easier to use, more cost effective, and you can spray in hard-to-reach areas such as under beds, etc.



4). FLEA SPRAYS: May be effective on puppies and kittens too young for Topspot (make sure to check the label for approval for young animals). W have used Ovitrol Plus spray frequently prior to the availability of the newer products; it continues to be fairly effective in killing adults and also will de-activate the eggs, but the duration of protection is much shorter.



5). FLEA SHAMPOOS: May be an effective first step in treating your pet, but rarely will eliminate your flea problem used alone. Flea shampoos provide no residual protection once you rinse your pet.



6). FLEA COLLARS/POWDERS: To make it simple, not very effective and the collars in particular tend to be expensive. Most flea collars depend on the fact that fleas will usually head towards the pet’s eye at some point to drink; however a large percentage will jump on and off and never cross the collar. Some of the newer collars may be slightly more effective, but in maximum effectiveness per dollar spent you are better off with Topspot. Flea powder is difficult to apply thoroughly, has an offensive odor, and is not terribly effective.



7). ADVANTAGE: Another “spot-on” type product used monthly and available through veterinarians. At this point we have chosen to use the Topspot products instead, as the duration of protection is a little longer, they are a little more waterproof, and the cost is the same or lower per pet. Advantage probably will work well in many cases.



8). PROSPOT/PROBAN: Two older products, one a “spot-on” and one a pill, which have been more or less made outmoded by the newer, safer products. Prospot has significant toxic potential; Proban also is not as safe as the new products and is given only every third day despite the fact that it is only effective for 12 hours. These products can interact with other flea products and should be used only under strict veterinary supervision.



9). FLEA TRAPS: An interesting idea, generally consisting of a light over a sticky tray. While fleas may be attracted to the light and you will undoubtedly catch a few, many others will go on living happy, productive lives around the trap. The best analogy I have is that you can put a pie plate on the driveway during a snow storm and have it fill with snow, but you still have to shovel the driveway. These traps do not address the primary problem in the house- the immature fleas.




10). GARLIC, BREWER’S YEAST, ETC: Many people give garlic and Brewers yeast in order to prevent fleas; some of them swear by it. While neither product is likely to cause any harm, it is also unlikely they are at all effective (one study showed that fleas thrived best on dog blood and brewer’s yeast; no studies have documented any effectiveness at all). If it makes you feel better, go ahead; but you would be well advised to back it up with a proven regimen.

Answer 2

Things that do NOT work:

+ collars
+ flea bombs
+ home remedies
+ anything at all from a pet store

Frontline and other veterinary spot-ons do work, but you have to apply carefully: make sure it all gets on the SKIN of your animal, not the fur!! It's also very important to treat the house, but using something that's going to work i.e NOT flea bomb or Borax or a bowl of water under a light!!

You need to find a decent flea spray for your house - recommend Indorex, Acclaim or Staykil. You'll need to treat more than once, at least 10 days apart, in order to get the newly hatched eggs. If you get hold of Skoosh flea spray, this is very good as it is pesticide free and kills eggs and larvae as well. It's a new product, get a vet to order it in for you.

One other important point: if you bathe an animal within 48 hours before applying Frontline, the Frontline will NOT work. Bathing washes off the natural oils of the skin, stopping Frontline from being able to spread over the skin.

So: veterinary spot-on, on the SKIN, and without bathing the dog, and find a decent house spray. No more home remedies or pet store rubbish!

Chalice

Answer 3

First of all, ALL loose fabric in the house must be either washed in HOT HOT HOT water or put in plastic bags and left in the car for at least over 2 weeks (the life cycle of fleas). Then you need to go to the hardware store and get bags of SEVEN. It is a YARD pesticide. Get enough to cover all the grass in your yard (follow directions on the bag). Sprinkle it with rubber gloves on and a dustmask because it is a powder. DO NOT let the dogs eat the grass and leave them in the house while you do the grass so they don't breathe the stuff!! Get a treatment from your vet (Frontline, Advantage, etc) and bathe your dogs in baby shampoo 24 hours before putting it on. Comb them out well so their hair is as thin as possible (no matting).
On the day you treat your dogs with the vet meds...sprinkle the grass, do the laundry thing, vacuum the carpets -- change the bag OUTSIDE and vacuum the carpets again and then get rid of that bag too. This will kill most of the live adult fleas in the area. Comb out the dogs every day for the next two weeks and kill every flea you find by squeezing it between your thumbnails. Vacuum every day and change the bag. This should stop the cycle of flea hatching or at least bring it to a manageable level where the next vet med treatment will stop it entirely. Keeping the dogs confined to one or two rooms helps too because those are the only rooms you have to worry about. Don't forget your bed clothes and cover your couch and chairs in plastic for two weeks if your pets sit on them.

Answer 4

do you only take two baths a week. It doesn't bother them. You have to spray the area where they lay with a good flea spray, Look on the internet, the stuff you get at wal mart won't do. Then give them a good flea bath, and then use the frontline. You can't miss with frontline if you kill everything ahead of time. They wiill still get a few fleas but not an infestation/ They don't need to be in the house, but bombs have worked for me, and powder that you put on the carpet. If you have fleas that bad, you have to call an exterminator, because if you don't get rid of infestation. anything you put on the dogs ain't gonna last but maybe a day.

Answer 5

I've never used flea shampoo to get rid of fleas. My vet recommends Advantage flea medicine. You can get it at the vet or a pet store. May not be the cheapest but it works rather quickly. My cat had fleas, we put Advantage on its neck and by the next day, we really didn't see any fleas, maybe just a little flea dirt. Didn't get bit up anymore either. There's products in pet stores for your carpet&upholstery. But when used you have to leave the area for an hour it says (Zodiac brand, although I wait 2 hrs-1 hr isn't long enough. I've done it that way before). It's harmful to humans & pets. Make sure you read the directions thouroughly before using.

Answer 6

Oh jeez Louise, there's a war on fleas in my household. I was hoping to find answers here. This weekend, after waking up with bites (my two young cats like to cuddle with me at night), the war on fleas began. I marched like a soldier to the store and bought flea shampoo, flea bombs, flea powder, collars and that stuff you put on neck.
I'm now broke.
First I removed my entire bedding and left my mattress exposed. I bombed each room and when it was safe for the three of us to go inside, I bathed my cats. While they were drying off, I went to the laundry-mat. When I returned, I flipped my mattress and made my bed. Then, when my darlings were dry I applied that stuff on the back of their necks. I also sprinkled a little powder for safe measure. My fingers are crossed. I hope I won the war on fleas.

Answer 7

Do you think your pet is getting fleas from a different source? It sounds like you have been doing all the right things for flea control. Your pet, if going to other environments and being around other dogs, may be getting the fleas from somewhere other than your property.

consulted any exterminators? I know it's an extreme option, but its an option.

Answer 8

i get good results with frontline. have you tried it more than once, i am wondering if you had an old batch. i have also used borax on the carpet, sprinkle lightly and then vacuum it up later. i got help with that before i ever found frontline. good luck they are tough to beat.

Answer 9

revolution flea medicine worked for my dogs.