Flea problem

[Canine]

Help!Dogs have super tough fleas.We have been washing them with Hartz flea and tick shampoo every 3 days or so and treating them with flea powder in between.We are keeping them thinned down but can't seem to eradicate them.Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[Almost There]

Hartz Mountain is the absolute worst thing to be using - there's a reason you can buy it in W/M so cheap!

It's very ineffective, as you've found, simply because all it does is wash out the adult fleas, it does nothing for the eggs and has no residual effect since you're rinsing it off.

I had very good results from Revolution:

https://www.revolution4dogs.com/

You might want to ask the vet for a local recommendation since a lot of areas now have developed a resistance to various meds because of over use.

I also used to use Borax sprinkled on bedding and carpets where the animals lay. And of course a thorough vacuuming (dispose of vacuum cleaner bag immediately out of the house) and washing all pet bedding in hottest wash available is also a really good idea.

 

[bigsallysmom]

I use dr bonners eucalyptus soap. Kills the adults immediately. However it doesn't last.

 

[highdesertranger]

I use advantx(sp). but I only use it when needed, usually 3 months a year. I really don't like to use chemicals and when I have to I don't like to overdue it. you do know fleas don't like the desert.

Almost There does Borax work on fleas? I know it works on bees. highdesertranger

 

[compassrose]

Used Adams brand flea stuff on my dogs & cats for years.

Flea cycle is short and overlaps. I found that flea collars, flea shampoo for the pets PLUS treating the house/RV every two weeks worked. I used foggers one week and the next week sprayed with a house pesticide (different brand of product). Following week I did the fogger again, then the spray the following week. It normally took a couple of months. Best thing is to try to not get the infestation in the first place. You don't even have to have pets to get fleas.

I use Ortho Home Defense on the outside and inside of my bus and my Jeep twice a year. In the spring as it is starting to warm up and in the fall when it starts cooling off.

 

[Canine]

Thanks for the advice.I'll try some of these remedys and let you all know how they work.

 

[Almost There]

Be very careful not to overdose the animals by using combinations of products or by applying too frequently.

I had one time where Advantage wasn't doing a thing for the local fleas while we were travelling. I had to use things like flea combs, daily swims, frequent laundry and borax for the next 20 days before switching to Revolution because of the chemicals in each of the flea treatments.

It's like overdosing on any other meds.

 

[Almost There]

I use advantx(sp).  but I only use it when needed,  usually 3 months a year.  I really don't like to use chemicals and when I have to I don't like to overdue it.  you do know fleas don't like the desert.

Almost There does Borax work on fleas?  I know it works on bees.  highdesertranger

Whether you can get away with only seasonal treatment depends on where you're living. With the dog and I following the sun for years, we had to use flea and tick treatment year round. Up north here, it's routine to only treat during the warmer weather.

As to the Borax, I was confident that it did. I used it as preventive treatment in the RV as well. That combined with the Revolution I was using for complete infection control (it does mites as well as fleas and ticks), I kept MacKenzie free of infestations all over the eastern seaboard.

I don't like having to use chemicals/drugs but it was the lesser of two evils - mites, fleas and ticks were a constant problem living in warm weather year round and exposing him to a different environment at least every week.

 

[ccbreder]

It's been a long time with out dogs. But had flea infestation with cats. Frontline did not work on these fleas! I then used a product by Beyer. After one week, flea much reduced. After two weeks flea problem gone. I recommend topical treatment, it worked for me. Avoid all the poison dips, sprays, and foggers. Good advice to get a brand recommendation from a local Vet, as fleas are different in other places.

 

[mockturtle]

After a bad tick infestation last spring, Bucky has been on Bravecto, which is effective for both ticks and fleas. It is a once every three month dose [prescription only]. He is 13 years old and has had no adverse effects.

 

[compassrose]

Make sure you are reading the directions on the product you are using. Sometimes a fogger is the only thing that will get into the places that the fleas are. If you stay in one place, you may not have a bad problem or any problem with fleas. One time in a campground, my dog (and cat) acquired some of the biggest fleas I had ever seen. Even the vet was surprised. We had a heck of a time getting rid of them. It was like they were immune to the pesticides. The vet told me to use the two products every other week so that I was able to kill the fleas as they hatched weekly. Adams brand was about the only flea treatment that my allergic-to-everything dog could handle. I have to assume that the mega fleas came from some one who did not believe in flea control. I suggest that you learn a little bit about fleas. Particularly the part about where they can transmit diseases. The cases of bubonic plague at Yosemite was spread to humans by fleas from the infected squirrels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea