Anybody else having flea problems???

[noddnlo]

I am just trying to find out if anyone out there has any suggestions for the flea problem I have. I have a small poodle with some age on her. In the past this dog never had fleas. For the past 2 months I have found that I can't get rid of them no matter what I do. I always have used Frontline on her once a month, winter and summer. Recently I have also gotten some flea shampoo from the vet supply place and used it once a week leaving it lathered on her for about 4-5 minutes and repeating before finishing her bath. I have fogged my house (took her with me when I left of course). I am at my wits end with this problem. I don't like fleas. I want to keep my dog but I can't have the fleas. Something has to give. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate the help.

[citizen]

Try Advantix. I had fleas that became immune to Frontline. Have had no more problems

[seavey]

I ended up using capstar on my dogs last year.  It worked great!  Including my elderly poodle!

[Beckysews]

What everyone has already said plus I find that we have less of a problem when we keep the grass mowed.

The fleas do seem more aggressive every year though.

[Catliness]

We had to switch to the oldie-but-goodie flea product Program.  It was one of the first pills out there, before most of what people use today.  It does not kill the flea but rather sterilizes them as they get on your pet.  Last summer we had to have our house exterminated twice and still had fleas in the house...were vacuuming daily and trying to do all the right things.  We switched from Frontline to Revolution to Program and have not had any fleas in the house since.  You have to have a little patience, since it takes about 3 months for it to break the life cycle and stop the fleas, from what I know.  It was worth it.  We have had no flea problems since.
Beth

[Ramona Kadrich]

Remember that Lyme and other bacterias can be carried by fleas. If you are bitten by fleas and start getting ill. Tell your doctor you want to be tested for Lyme. It is very heavy in this county.

[Patty52]

Remember that Lyme and other bacterias can be carried by fleas. If you are bitten by fleas and start getting ill. Tell your doctor you want to be tested for Lyme. It is very heavy in this county.

Fleas do not transmit Lyme disease. It can only be gotten from a tick bite. Fleas CAN transmit bubonic plague (if it is in the local rodent population), typhus, and tapeworms. To people, they are mostly an annoyance, unless you have an allergic reaction, in which case, the bites can drive you nuts.

This is a bad time of year for fleas. In my case, it seems that I get caught out by the first wave of new adults each summer. I have let my guard down over the winter, and by the time I realize that fleas are hopping onto me in my house, I need to fight off a flea invasion. Unfortunately, all the vacuuming and washing of linens won't alter the fact that the flea eggs and larvae take several weeks to reach adulthood. They will continue to come out of the areas where my cat has slept for weeks. I don't use foggers, ever. I just continue repeated vacuuming until the fleas have all hatched out and are gone.

The cat is old and only gets Frontline in the summer months. It works okay - not perfectly, but keeps the flea load on her down. Plus, she stays outside in the summer, so there are no new flea eggs inside. This weekend, I did a big ultra-vacuuming and washed all bedclothes - mine and the cat's! Now, I just need to keep the vacuuming up, and in a couple of weeks, there won't be any new fleas in my house.

[Ramona Kadrich]

As I have Lyme disease and see a doctor that specializes in Lyme. She told me the latest information on Lyme proved that Lyme can be transferred by fleas, gnats, stinging biting flies, mosquitoes or any insect that broke the skin and feed off of blood. I am only stating what my doctor told me.

[natvrabit]

I hate the fleas/ticks, but I also hate putting this STUFF on my animal. I hope I am not shortening my pet's life with these treatments and any side effects we may not know of....

[Beckysews]

Even more than hating to put stuff on poor ol Petey the Boston Terrier, I hate spraying or applying stuff to ME.  I must be slightly allergic to some of the bug stopping components.  I always feel as if my skin is suffocating.

[natvrabit]

Same here Becky, not to derail the topic, my worst enemy to myself here is chiggers. They will eat ME alive if I don't use some deterrent. Kitter gets pretty good protection with Frontline Plus, but not 100%. Still scratchy around the head though. It does seem to reduce the ticks with him and MOST fleas.
I think it's likely that one needs to switch product use perhaps...

[Patty52]

As I have Lyme disease and see a doctor that specializes in Lyme. She told me the latest information on Lyme proved that Lyme can be transferred by fleas, gnats, stinging biting flies, mosquitoes or any insect that broke the skin and feed off of blood. I am only stating what my doctor told me.

Ramona, you are correct and I spoke too strongly. My understanding is that Lyme disease can, at least in theory, be spread by any blood meal. Good luck with your treatment. I know Lyme disease is no fun. It seems like half the people I know around here have had a tick-borne disease. The point I was trying to make was that here, Lyme disease is not one of the main problems with fleas, at least not yet...

natvrabit, I hate putting Frontline on my cats. As I am down to one 18 year old, I really try to keep the fleas off her with the flea comb, but I ususally have to "knock them down" for a couple of months in the summer. And it DOES seem to keep the ticks off her. Ugh, you had to mention chiggers. I have such a strong reaction to them that, two summers ago, when I got "eat up" by them - over 100 bites - I had to take steroids to break the itching cycle. That was when I first tried the Buzz Off / Insect Shield clothing, which is permethrin impregnated and works well. But you need to be covered by it for it to work, which means long sleeves and full length pants. So, when it is too hot and I can't stand that much clothing, I spray. I don't like it, but I never want to have chiggers like that again!

[Ramona Kadrich]

Thanks Patty52 for restoring my faith in my doctor. I have been doing a lot of research since you posted. BTW there will be a meeting at the Bynum general store with a doctor to discuss Lyme.

[maxsdogwash]

BioSpot seems to be working better this year than Frontline.  It is also significantly less expensive.

You also may want to do some research on the internet.  There are natural alternatives to help with flea control.

Best,
Carrie

[missjane]

Nice to see Carrie (maxsdogwash) here. They do a great job with grooming and also foster dogs needing home. And, so as to stick to the topic, I'm sure Carrie is a flea expert!

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