Frugal (homemade?) flea control for dogs?

[mykdsmomy]

Our dogs' fleas are once again out of control :( We trade off between Advantage 2 and Frontline Plus. They seem to work for maybe 3 weeks then wear off :(

 

I'm about to bathe and trim the dogs right now (two small dogs..one is cocker spaniel/****zu/bichon and the other is ??? some kind of terrier/gazelle/ferret type dog animal..seriously, she's bizarre looking)

 

Anyway, does anyone have any homemade remedies that work and are safe?

 

I've used a few drops of citronella oil mixed with water in a spray bottle on their bedding and I have other essential oils I can use....but they don't seem to help that much.

 

Thanks :bigear:

[Caitilin]

My grandmother used pennyroyal-soaked pieces of cotton string as flea repellent collars. Now, I am not sure how well it worked, but she did it for several years, so it must have worked well enough, lol. The dogs generally did NOT like the smell, though I think it is a pleasant one.;)

[happygrrl]

If you have a Costco nearby you might be interested to know they are selling a Kirkland-brand Flea med comparable to Frontline. It is 6 doses for $19; way better than Advantage or Frontline, for sure!

 

We have not tried it yet, but will do so when our current supply runs out.

[ktgrok]

If what you are using (advantage/frontline) isn't working than I have two questions. 1-have you treated the environment? 2- have you been bathing them a lot?

 

Bathing them doesn't totally remove the product, but it lessens it for a few days. So stop it, lol.

Also, the life cycle is about 3 weeks, sometimes shorter, so it sounds like the product is killing the adults, like it is supposed to, but you get a new crop hatching out 2-3 weeks later. Those are from before you applied, and treating the environment will help a lot. If you don't need an instant kill my favorite product is Flea Busters (also known as Flea Stoppers). It is a powder that you work into your carpet, tile grout, baseboards, etc with a broom. It is a bit of effort, but one application lasts a whole year!

 

Also, personally I've found that dogs with skin problems do better with an oral product, rather than topical. Comfortis is AMAZING, and no worry about it washing off. Very safe as well...it is used in organic garden pest control actually. My personal theory is that dogs with irritated skin shed skin cells faster than normal, so the products that are topical don't last as long or as well as they should. Try the oral.

 

Most home remedies do not work, and some are very toxic. I live in Florida, flea capital of the world, and have been a vet tech for decades. Flea Busters plus Comfortis will do the trick, I promise. (oh, and make sure all/any cats are treated with something as well).

[ktgrok]

My grandmother used pennyroyal-soaked pieces of cotton string as flea repellent collars. Now, I am not sure how well it worked, but she did it for several years, so it must have worked well enough, lol. The dogs generally did NOT like the smell, though I think it is a pleasant one.;)

 

Pennyroyal is highly toxic, so I wouldn't advise this. If the dog gets it off and eats it, or a kid touches it and puts their hands in their mouth, etc, it could be very very bad.

[ktgrok]

This is the flea busters powder: http://www.amazon.com/Fleabusters-Rx-for-Fleas-Plus/dp/B000MS6Q2Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335216595&sr=8-2

 

You can also see if they have a location near you, and have them apply it, if you want.

[Stacia]

If you don't need an instant kill my favorite product is Flea Busters (also known as Flea Stoppers). It is a powder that you work into your carpet, tile grout, baseboards, etc with a broom. It is a bit of effort, but one application lasts a whole year!

 

:iagree: My parents had a huge flea infestation in their house a year ago. Huge. They hired Flea Busters to come put in the powder for them. The results were/are amazing. My sister has also used Flea Busters & found it great.

[justamouse]

Borax in the carpets (and let it sit there for a day or two, as long as you can), then put tea tree oil and water in a sprayer and spray the animals down.

 

Then vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.

[KS_]

You might look into a product called Precor. You dilute it and spray it all over where the pets go (inside and out) using a light spray. It lasts for up to 7 months and interrupts the flea life cycle. You'll have to deal with a couple weeks of fleas while the adults die out, but after that, they won't grow and reproduce. I had to use it in 2 different houses and it worked very well and was one of the least toxic options I could find (and we tried the all natural methods first without much success).

[Rosyl]

garlic

 

I started to feed my animals whole food diet and so far no fleas this year. I don't know why this would make a difference, but it has affected their behavior.

 

I boraxed my carpet last year and it worked.

[StephanieZ]

Generic frontline plus (at walmart, costco, etc) should be safe and have the same (moderate, variable) effectiveness you experience with name brand frontline plus. If it works for you, it is probably safe to apply every two weeks if that works for you. Rotating with Advantage is another option.

 

For any of the older pesticides (including frontline), they are losing effectiveness, which is why you are having such troubles. Vacuuming, washing bedding, etc, is key. As is treating ALL the pets in the house.

 

It is expensive, but Comfortis (or it's companion product Trifexis which also includes an excellent heartworm and intestinal parasite product) is available through the vet and is AWESOME. Sooooo much better than anything else out there. It is a pill. It is prescription only, as it is a medication, not a pesticide. If you can spring for it, then you can save a lot of time and trouble because you won't have to do anything other than give a pill once a month. :)

[jeninok]

I do not like to use essential oils on the dogs, it can cause sensitivities just like any other strong chemical, and is awfully stinky for their sensitive noses.

 

We do use cedar shavings and oils in their beds though :)

 

 

We finally had to switch to Comfortis, instead of the topicals and it is a miracle. It works like Capstar, and starts killing them instantly, but it works for a whole month, and even longer in the cooler months.

 

We also use Precor in the house, and vacuum daily in all the places cats and dogs hang out. You need to either throw away the bag/canister contents, or I put a cut up flea collar in the bag.

 

For the cats I buy a large dose of frontline and split it between them using a needle free syringe. This is perfectly safe, per the vet and saves a TON of money.

 

If they have live fleas on them a good bath with Dawn dish soap will give immediate relief.

 

My other trick is a Flea trap. you can buy these from amazon, or make your own with a candle in a dish of soapy water.

[Ruby Rose]

I suggest buying Advantage 2 from 800petmeds and order the 6 pack large dog $54ish. Pour those into an air tight container then use a syringe to give the proper dose to your dogs. It is the exact same strength for cats or dogs. The difference is the volume of each packet. Look on the ingredients tab to find the proper dosage. My cats get .8 ml. At this rate, a 6 pack last 10 months for my 3 cats. Just added a puppy to to the house so he will use it too.

 

ETA always apply topicals a few days after you bath them. This allows the oils to get in their coat and the rx adheres better.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Ruby Sue

[Mynyel]

Here is another :)

 

I know you said Advantage but have you tried Advantix? We use it and the only time we ever had fleas was when we ran out and didn't get more. Pure laziness on our part but anyway. Soon as we stated it again the fleas went away on the dog.

 

Advantix also repels ticks and skeets (which we need around here too).

[thesmileofGod]

I agree that you have to treat the environment. I use Dawn dish soap to bathe my dog and it works really well. Gina

 

Current Read Aloud: The Whipping Boy, The House at Pooh Corner

[mykdsmomy]

Wow, thank you all for the great suggestions! Looks like I have a lot of reading/research to do tonight ;)

 

I don't bathe the dogs often (maybe every 4-5 months). They live primarily inside :glare:

 

DH works for Terminix so you'd think we'd be at an advantage but....well....we aren't :glare:

 

I'm a bit bitter today too because the kids do SQUAT when it comes to the dogs which leaves all of the responsibility up to me (dh is rarely home). I'm so sick of the barking, the fleas, the "accidents", etc.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my dogs ...but I just have so much on my plate right now and these fleas are causing me to lose my marbles!

 

Anyway, thank you for listening and for the great tips....I wish we could afford the Comfortis as it sounds like the easiest option but I doubt we could at this time.

 

Oh, I tried the off brand Frontline at Target (Pet Armor, I believe it's called) but it only worked for like a week! I don't think it has the IGR in it that Frontline Plus has.

[jrn]

If you bought the Frontline from a Veterinary clinic, it comes with a guarantee. Call the vet or the number on the product. They can help you out.

 

Also, take the collars off of the dogs when you put the stuff on. Often times it soaks into the collar instead of the dogs skin. Make sure you are using the correct dosage. If you dog is close to the weight cut off, pick the larger dose. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, put a flea collar in your vacuum bag to kill the little buggers or toss the bag after vacuuming. You may want to treat the environment too. I you buy that at the vet it will also be guaranteed. These are a few tricks I learned before kids when I was a certified vet tech.

[momtoamiracle]

you'll have to spray your yard. We had to do that because the fleas on the dogs are just terrible. My vet said this year the fleas are horrendous. I've tried cedar oil but I think it burns my dog and it just doesn't work.

 

 

my dh is using some kind of spray to kill the mosquitos and he sprayed for fleas as well. It seems to have helped some. I hate using chemicals but nothing else is working on these things. Thankfully I don't have them in my house.

[Reflections]

(oh, and make sure all/any cats are treated with something as well).

 

Can I use this for cats? - we are having a horrible time with fleas this year.

[SonshineLearner]

Just my FYI... I would NOT use tea tree oil on pets. It easily transfers, and if you get it in their eyes somehow (and doesn't take a drop... just transfered) it is horribly painful. :(

[ktgrok]

flea busters is safe if you have cats, but no, comfortis doesn't have a cat version. Frontline is probably the best thing for cats.

[Shellers]

I highly recommend Fleabusters RX. We have five dogs, and my DD21's corgi visits a lot. A few years ago we had a horrible case of fleas in the house. I tried flea drops, collars, shampoos, bombs, dips, etc. I tried everything and I'd think we were winning the battle only to have another hatch the following week.

 

Fleabusters RX kills all three stages of the flea lifecycle. Just one container (one treatment) will keep your whole house flea free for a year! The stuff is only $32. It's every easy to apply too.

 

If your pets spend time on the lawn, I also recommend treating your lawns with Nematodes.

 

If you can only get one product, get the Fleabusters! I swear by the stuff. I haven't treated any of my dogs with any kind of flea medication in over two years. The stuff works!

[jeninok]

I don't know how big your dogs are, but you might be able to split a dose of Comfortis between them. Also we are going to be switching to Trifexis next month when my heartguard runs out and that will save us money.

 

Comfortis for really big dogs is 15 dollars a dose from the Vet, the Trifexis is like 18 I think. I am able to split the largest dose in half between two of my dogs and the other one gets a full dose because she is larger and highly allergic to fleas.

 

The thing is, I spent so much money on sprays and other stuff for the house, plus the time cleaning and vacuuming and washing, and was using frontline and advantage more often than called for just to keep them under control. The Comfortis ends up cheaper in the long run.

[Melissa in Australia]

what we do is buy the pack for cattle, then just use the correct dosage for dogs. works for us.

[jeninok]

Which product comes in cow size?

[StaceyinLA]

I buy two pills for 40-60 lb dogs. Our larger dog gets one, and I split the other amongst 4 small dogs (my 2, plus my Mom's and dd's). It's $30/month to do the 5 of them, which I thin is reasonable. We never had much luck with Frontline. I DO think I'll try the one that does hw preventive next month so I can eliminate doing the Ivomec.

[StephanieZ]

If you bought the Frontline from a Veterinary clinic, it comes with a guarantee. Call the vet or the number on the product. They can help you out.

 

Be careful with this. Merial (the maker of Frontline) used to be quite good about backing up their products bought through the vet. But, a few years ago, around the time it stopped working well, Merial stopped backing it up well, too. In order to get their money-back-guarantee, the pet owner has to show they've treated all pets in the household for several months PLUS done the advised environmental controls, etc. They essentially make it impossible to get a refund/replacement. Now, sometimes your vet might back it up out of their own pocket, which is what we often do with products we sell . . . but that is one of the reasons it became impossible to keep carrying frontline a few years ago. There is too small a profit margin on it to sell it when it is frequently not working, so clients aren't happy with it. Even though it is a safe product, it just isn't very effective any longer.

 

Sooo, anyway, I suggest choosing cheap generic equivalents to Frontline PLUS if you want a cheap (and safe) option, and if that does not work, then get Comfortis from a vet. (Or, better yet, Trifexis)

 

I don't advise splitting Comfortis or Trifexis doses among dogs. Not many vets would feel safe doing that.

 

Also, FWIW, Comfortis is sometimes (safely) used off-label for cats. Vets can (and do) prescribe it that way. It is not labeled for cats, but neither are 95% of the drugs used for them. (As is the case with dogs, too. . . ) Comfortis is dosed at the same per-pound rate in cats as it is in dogs.

[ktgrok]

I buy two pills for 40-60 lb dogs. Our larger dog gets one, and I split the other amongst 4 small dogs (my 2, plus my Mom's and dd's). It's $30/month to do the 5 of them, which I thin is reasonable. We never had much luck with Frontline. I DO think I'll try the one that does hw preventive next month so I can eliminate doing the Ivomec.

 

Many products do not have an even amount of medication throughout the pill. I know heartgard in particular is like this...one half might have all the medicine, so splitting doesn't work. I don't know about comfortis, but would be concerned.