Dogs, fleas, and Frontline

[Joy at Home]

I just noticed a few fleas on my six month old puppy. Will Frontline take care of killing all fleas/eggs on him? I am going to treat the areas where he sleeps and such, but not sure if there's anything else I can do for him.

 

Also, is Frontline still the recommended treatment for fleas? Is there anything more effective? I have him his treatment last month and he still got fleas.

 

thanks,

lisa

[JFSinIL]

Our vet said the fleas etc. were getting adjusted to the Frontline meds, so she moved our dog over to a monthly Vectra treatment. You have to get this one from a vet - they do give out coupons to get $10 back to use at your next purchase. It is expensive, sigh. but sure beats dealing with fleas, ticks, etc.

[Joy at Home]

Our vet said the fleas etc. were getting adjusted to the Frontline meds, so she moved our dog over to a monthly Vectra treatment. You have to get this one from a vet - they do give out coupons to get $10 back to use at your next purchase. It is expensive, sigh. but sure beats dealing with fleas, ticks, etc.

 

 

Thanks, I'll call my vet about this. Geez, and I thought Frontline was expensive:glare:

[ourjourneys]

We have always had good success with frontline. I would definitely get something that the vet recommends. We just used a Seargents line of it from the pet store (thinking I would save some money) and my cat just about died. He began shaking and it seemed he was hallucinating. When I called the emergency number they kept telling me that it is usually the dog medicine that causes problems. There must be a lot of this happening because I googled it and animals have reactions a lot.

I will never use pet store flea medicine anymore. I just recommend to get what the vet recommends.

[sands31210]

Frontline works very well for us. We have two dogs and no fleas!

[StephanieZ]

Frontline is still safe and relatively effective. There are many more reports in recent years of flea populations being resistant, which is why many vets are moving to newer options. (My husband was getting a lot of complaints & product returns in the past couple years with frontline.)

 

ProMeris and Vectra are two topicals that are newer and reportedly more effective.

 

IMHO, the best, most effective, and safest option now is Comfortis. It is a pill. No residues, no pesticides. It costs about the same as all the rest, give or take a few dollars a month. It is a MIRACLE. Absolutely fabulous. It's prescription, so you'll need to get it from your vet. Call your vet and ask if they carry it. If they don't, you might ask if they'd be willing to order it in for you.

 

If you don't want to do Comfortis, then any of the topicals are worth a try. If the infestation isn't bad, any of them might work. If it is bad, I'd try a newer one (ProMeris or Vectra). Whatever it is, get it from your vet b/c they each have risks, benefits, etc that you really need your vet's instructions to make the best plan for your family.

 

HTH

[Catwoman]

Our dog had a bad reaction to Frontline, but that was many years ago, and they may have changed the formula since then.

 

Cat

[awtl]

Frontline had stopped working for us as well, and our vet recommended Comfortis. It is a pill that they take. It works wonderfully, is very easy to give to them (you don't have to worry about the stuff being on the back of their neck and accidentally touching it.) It also kills the fleas as soon as they bite the dog, so there's no need to worry about spraying.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, the stuff has just worked wonderfully for us and we had a horrible flea situation even after two or three applications of Frontline. We gave our dogs Comfortis and it not only took care of the fleas on the dogs, but the fleas in the house as well.

[Jilly]

Frontline had stopped working for us as well, and our vet recommended Comfortis. It is a pill that they take. It works wonderfully, is very easy to give to them (you don't have to worry about the stuff being on the back of their neck and accidentally touching it.) It also kills the fleas as soon as they bite the dog, so there's no need to worry about spraying.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, the stuff has just worked wonderfully for us and we had a horrible flea situation even after two or three applications of Frontline. We gave our dogs Comfortis and it not only took care of the fleas on the dogs, but the fleas in the house as well.

 

:iagree:

 

My puppy is on Comfortis also. It is easy to give, and it works great. I highly recommend it.

[Joy at Home]

Our vet said the fleas etc. were getting adjusted to the Frontline meds, so she moved our dog over to a monthly Vectra treatment. You have to get this one from a vet - they do give out coupons to get $10 back to use at your next purchase. It is expensive, sigh. but sure beats dealing with fleas, ticks, etc.

 

I called my vet and they don't carry this. I was hoping I could get it online like Frontline, but I don't see anyone selling it. I'll keep looking.

thanks!!

lisa

[missiemick]

My mother raises dogs -- each day she makes her adult dogs oatmeal and adds yeast and garlic. Between that and Guinnis (sp?) she hardly ever has to use the chemical stuff.

[Joy at Home]

Frontline had stopped working for us as well, and our vet recommended Comfortis. It is a pill that they take. It works wonderfully, is very easy to give to them (you don't have to worry about the stuff being on the back of their neck and accidentally touching it.) It also kills the fleas as soon as they bite the dog, so there's no need to worry about spraying.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, the stuff has just worked wonderfully for us and we had a horrible flea situation even after two or three applications of Frontline. We gave our dogs Comfortis and it not only took care of the fleas on the dogs, but the fleas in the house as well.

 

 

I stopped by the vet today to talk about treatment options, and they recommended three doses of Capstar, which is a pill, to kill the fleas on him. I'm so confused, though, because they recommended continuing with a preventative flea treatment, although they only carry Frontline. I love the idea of giving a pill, so I will definitely look into comfortis. I'm not sure what the purpose of this Capstar is. If it's to kill the fleas, I guess it only stays in their system short term?

 

Do you know if you can get Comfortis online? My vet doesn't seem to carry much . . .

[Joy at Home]

My mother raises dogs -- each day she makes her adult dogs oatmeal and adds yeast and garlic. Between that and Guinnis (sp?) she hardly ever has to use the chemical stuff.

 

Wow, this is interesting:) Maybe I'll look into this!

[StephanieZ]

Yes, Capstar is a different drug but it does what Comfortis does but Capstar only works for 24 hours, whereas Comfortis works for 30 days! Capstar is very safe, but it won't keep killing. (In fact, Capstar is probably the safest flea product out there. . . it's the one we go to for tiny babies and otherwise vulnerable patients.) You'll have eggs hatching out for WEEKS from the carpet, etc in your home. (Only 10% of the flea pop. is on your pet at any moment. . .) You must have something that lasts longer to control the entire population. You can re-dose with Capstar frequently (say twice a week) until the pop. is in control if you wish. Doing that alongside FL would be acceptable and would probably do the trick. It might take a couple months. (These FL resistant populations are exactly why most vets are moving away from FL.)

 

Ask your vet if they'd be willing to obtain a box of Comfortis for you from a neighboring practice. (You can't buy it at another vet unless you take your dog in for an exam since it is a prescription medication. . . It would be illegal for a vet to sell it to you w/o an exam. . . but, vets can and do sell legally to EACHOTHER frequently as a professional courtesy.) We were the first practice in our town to carry it and frequently sold neighboring practices a box or two until they started carrying it as well. Most/all vets do this for eachother all the time.

 

If your vet won't do this, then you could call around to find a practice that does carry it and switch vets. I hate to suggest changing vets based on a product, but if your vet won't get it for you, you don't have much choice. They can get it for you if they really want to. :)

 

I would NOT advise getting Comfortis online. Lily, the manufacturer, is working hard to keep it in vet's hands b/c of safety/efficacy issues. (When any medication is used w/o a vet's supervision, problems ensue, bad reactions, misdosing, etc, etc.) So, if you find it online, it will likely be either fraudulent product (dangerous!) or blackmarket. Either way, it could be dangerous as you don't know how the product has been handled (overheated in a FL warehouse. . . reimported illegally from overseas, etc. etc. . .)

 

HTH

[kokotg]

Frontline started being useless for our dogs a couple of years ago...we do comfortis for the dogs and advantage for the cats now.

[joannqn]

We generally don't use any flea treatment other than a bath and treating the carpeting and furniture when we see fleas. We only notice fleas every other year or so, and treat it with salt, baking soda, and lemon essential oil. Mix equal parts of salt and baking soda. Add in lemon essential oil until it smells good to you and mix well (I use about 30 drops for 1 cup salt and 1 cup of baking soda). Vacuum the carpeting well. Sprinkle salt mixture lightly on carpeting and under couch cushions, etc. I usually use a broom to help push the salt down into the carpet fibers. Leave it in the carpet until your next vacuum. Repeat application after each vacuuming for about 3 weeks. This will dry out the eggs so they can't hatch; adult fleas only live 2 weeks so you are waiting them out and killing any eggs they lay to stop the cycle.

 

The bath helps to kill off the adult fleas faster. Any pet shampoo will work; flea shampoo with pesticides are not needed.

[Kathleen in VA]

My vet prescribed Vectra and my dog had a bad reaction to it and it did not kill the fleas. I called the company and they said you have to give your dog three doses over the course of 3 months before it is entirely effective. My poor dog was absolutely miserable. After 2 months I just bought Frontline myself from amazon. She's fine now. Oh, and I also had given her at least 6 Capstar pills every few weeks trying to kill the fleas that kept coming back while she was on the Vectra. I wouldn't recommend Vectra to anyone.

 

I'm going to call my vet about the Comfortis though - that sounds awesome.

[QueenCat]

Frontline wasn't working for our dog.... so on a whim, I bought Adams, at Kroger, 4 monthly treatments for $15.... and guess what????? It worked better than the expensive Frontline.... haven't had a flea since! Or a tic, or anything else!

[Joy at Home]

Yes, Capstar is a different drug but it does what Comfortis does but Capstar only works for 24 hours, whereas Comfortis works for 30 days! Capstar is very safe, but it won't keep killing. (In fact, Capstar is probably the safest flea product out there. . . it's the one we go to for tiny babies and otherwise vulnerable patients.) You'll have eggs hatching out for WEEKS from the carpet, etc in your home. (Only 10% of the flea pop. is on your pet at any moment. . .) You must have something that lasts longer to control the entire population. You can re-dose with Capstar frequently (say twice a week) until the pop. is in control if you wish. Doing that alongside FL would be acceptable and would probably do the trick. It might take a couple months. (These FL resistant populations are exactly why most vets are moving away from FL.)

 

Ask your vet if they'd be willing to obtain a box of Comfortis for you from a neighboring practice. (You can't buy it at another vet unless you take your dog in for an exam since it is a prescription medication. . . It would be illegal for a vet to sell it to you w/o an exam. . . but, vets can and do sell legally to EACHOTHER frequently as a professional courtesy.) We were the first practice in our town to carry it and frequently sold neighboring practices a box or two until they started carrying it as well. Most/all vets do this for eachother all the time.

 

If your vet won't do this, then you could call around to find a practice that does carry it and switch vets. I hate to suggest changing vets based on a product, but if your vet won't get it for you, you don't have much choice. They can get it for you if they really want to. :)

 

I would NOT advise getting Comfortis online. Lily, the manufacturer, is working hard to keep it in vet's hands b/c of safety/efficacy issues. (When any medication is used w/o a vet's supervision, problems ensue, bad reactions, misdosing, etc, etc.) So, if you find it online, it will likely be either fraudulent product (dangerous!) or blackmarket. Either way, it could be dangerous as you don't know how the product has been handled (overheated in a FL warehouse. . . reimported illegally from overseas, etc. etc. . .)

 

HTH

 

 

Thank you so much for this info! I'll be calling my vet tomorrow about this:)

[Joy at Home]

We generally don't use any flea treatment other than a bath and treating the carpeting and furniture when we see fleas. We only notice fleas every other year or so, and treat it with salt, baking soda, and lemon essential oil. Mix equal parts of salt and baking soda. Add in lemon essential oil until it smells good to you and mix well (I use about 30 drops for 1 cup salt and 1 cup of baking soda). Vacuum the carpeting well. Sprinkle salt mixture lightly on carpeting and under couch cushions, etc. I usually use a broom to help push the salt down into the carpet fibers. Leave it in the carpet until your next vacuum. Repeat application after each vacuuming for about 3 weeks. This will dry out the eggs so they can't hatch; adult fleas only live 2 weeks so you are waiting them out and killing any eggs they lay to stop the cycle.

 

The bath helps to kill off the adult fleas faster. Any pet shampoo will work; flea shampoo with pesticides are not needed.

 

 

JoAnne this is so helpful. thank you!!