[MandysBlackRoses]

I tried Advantge and it sucked. Every month a few days before I needed to dose again, Raven would have fleas. I think I will be getting K9 Advantix and giving that a try for the girls. Does anyone use Revolution? I heard it works great. I need something to deter the Misquitos(sp?) as well. Raven my Boston is highly allergic to bites. We need to figure out something before the summer months. I have to start heartgaurd for the girls as well.

Do you guys use Flea control all year long? I have not been. Though HeartGaurd I do. But Raven had tape worm last fall, so maybe I should.

"There maybe bugs on some of you mugs, but there ain't no bugs on me!"

 

[Julie W]

I'm very lucky and I almost never get fleas. I got them once about 10 years ago, put a single dose of advantage on everyone and didn't get them again until about 4 months ago. Again put a single dose of advantage on everyone and so far still flea free. I guess I'm not much help. I only treat if I get them.

 

[DreamDoby]

I am sticking with my Frontline Plus. I won't use Advantix because I have cats around the house. The mosquito repeller ingredient is poisonous to cats. I would rather not take that chance.

If you didn't get a chance to see it, there was a thread about preventatives.
http://www.dobermantalk.com/showthread.php?t=3453

 

[Acooper]

"There maybe bugs on some of you mugs, but there ain't no bugs on me!"

Oh that is catchy!! Once the commercial has been on I am stuck with that for the rest of the day!! **Thanks Mandy!**

No help here either I'm afraid. That last flea I've seen on my dogs was a few years ago, and that was because a friend of Phoebe's had them and shared with her (as all good friends will do)

We flea bathed her & her stuff, and that was the end of that.

 

[Burns]

The only product that I'm aware of that repels mosquitos is K9 Advantix, which as DreamDoby rightly says, contains an ingredient that is toxic to cats. However, if you apply it, and make sure the cats and dogs have no contact for a few hours until the product completely dries, you should be fine - unless the cats are going to groom the dog at the application sites.

 

[Riagogogo]

Good I'm glad to hear that others don't have the flea problem. I protect Rudi 12 months a year with Interceptor for Heartworm. I haven't seen a flea on him since I've had him. All of my felines are indoors and I've never had a problem with them either (Over 12 years). I do check all the animals every once in a while for flea dirt. Never have seen any and no one is scratchy at my house. LOL I may prophylactically protect Rudi from fleas if we are going to be hanging around the Dobie rescue more.

 

[Lexus]

I've used Advantage for 10 years and have great results with it. I also don't apply monthly, don't need too. I apply in the spring, as soon as the grass is showing and it's getting warmer, and sometimes I apply once or twice during the summer. And more as preventative then anything, I apply in fall also, when those pesky little buggers are looking for a warm meal, just to deter anything from hitching a ride inside

So usually three applications, sometimes four times a year has been enough for me. Make sure when you put it on, if you do it after a bath, give them a few days for their natural oils to replenish themselves, since Advantage spreads itself through the oil glands. And if you bath them inbetween applications, use a gentle shampoo, nothing that degreases. Most people shampoo degreases, so it wipes out the natural oil buildup. I usually use a baby shampoo on my guys. But they are fine to get wet, it doesn't affect the effectiveness of the product.

I personally won't use Frontline b/c it gets in the bloodstream, and if your dog were to have a reaction, with Advantage, you can just wash it off, you can't do that with a chemical that distributes in the blood.

 

[natdobe]

I've always used Frontline Plus and my dog's have never got fleas or ticks.

 

[doberkim]

Rah tends to be exposed more than other animals at work (sometimes its very hard to keep fleas out of a vet hospital!) and one of my cats is very sensitive to them, so they have been treated when needed, but I don't typically use it preventatively. When they have had fleas, I treat with Revolution or Frontline. Rah has also had a course of Revolution every two weeks because his best friend had sarcoptic mange (like I said, it's hard to avoid some things at the vet clinic!) and he did well on it, so that's my current choice.

None of my dobes have ever HAD fleas, but they are the most likely source of the cat infection, so they were all treated

 

[mary & prince]

I have been using Sentinel for years and never had a problem with fleas.

 

[bleh60]

We've always used frontline on our dogs and our cats. In fact they all just got it yesterday. Never had a problem with fleas. Strike of course, also gets his heartworm prevention pill.

 

[trikeschick]

Touch wood Suki has never had fleas but we give her garlic regularly and it seems to work as all the other dogs she's been in contact with have had them and she's escaped. I used to use Program for my cats, which was great stuff as it made the fleas infertile and eventually they died off - had used all the other products on the market and nothing worked with them.

Of course now we have tiled and wooden floors it makes all the difference too!

 

[lyngr]

Are there any flea /tick prevention meds that one should avoid?

I can't seem to remember one company that had a problem a few years ago..

 

[Lexus]

Definetely avoid Biospot and pretty much anything you can find that Walmart or any other such superstore carries.

 

[JavasMom]

Agree w/ Lexus' posting - I picked up a less expensive brand @ Wal-Mart once when we ran out of Frontline and Java was about to go for a walk in the woods and returned it as it wasn't much better than a pesticide. Didn't even put it on her, wasn't worth the risk to me once I googled the ingredient list. Instead went over her when she got back to check for ticks and got the Frontline from the vet the next day. No fleas so far - knock wood.