Fleas

[MrsSmith]

We've been fighting a losing battle with fleas since we picked Tyler up from the shelter. No matter what I try, I can't seem to kick them. They're definitely <b>better</b> than they were at first, but they're not <b>gone</b>, and I feel bad because he's still scratching a lot and I know he must be all itchy.

So...does anybody have any advice on what to use to actually get rid of them? The vet we took him to originally said not to even bother with flea shampoo because none of them work, so I haven't tried any of those. Of course, she also said socialization wouldn't make much of a difference with him because he's a *dramatic pause* <i>chow</i>. So...she could just be full of bull...any experiences either way??

[WildThings]

What have you used so far...my family has fought many flea battles over the years, and with a dog and four cats (past and present) with severe flea allergies, some years it seems like they are getting the best of us. We use Frontline on all of our pets now, which seems to work great. A few years ago, the fleas got really bad and while we had the pets on Frontline, the fleas were in the house and the yard (a really warm winter makes for very bad summers). We ended up taking all the pets outside, which is not easy with indoor cats, used a fogger on each floor of the house, then after the house was safe to go back in, we also treated the yard. I'm pretty sure the rest of the summer, we used a flea spray that was made to use on pets to spray down the carpet every week or so to make sure they didn't come back. Not the most convenient solution, but it was that or everyone in the house, people and pets were going to be chewed alive.

Oh, never bother with the store brand flea medications that you can find at Wal-Mart, or similar stores...it will not work regardless of how much they claim to be just like the stuff you get from the vet.

I also wouldn't listen to the vet over the whole socialization thing. We found Tess when she was 11 months old and afraid of everything/everyone. While she barks like crazy still when people come to the house, she is just fine out in public. She would rather people not touch her, but doesn't freak out when she sees people or other animals. Chows can most certainly be socialized, although I'm not sure about the socialization of some vets.

[Jeff&Vicki]

The south never gets a kill off of fleas. When I lived in Florida we would bring fleas in from the yard on us to the dogs. Frontline Plus worked for us along with spraying the yard and house. Once they are killed back, as you can never get rid of them all in a sub-tropical climate, the Frontline Plus will kill what gets on your pet. Frontline Plus says it will kill fleas up to 3 months but I would apply it every 30 to 45 days until you get them under control. For tick control it must be applied every month.
The fleas don't live on the pet but just feed on them and then jump off to lay eggs and live in carpets and other areas. When you vacuum you need to throw away the bag to keep any eggs from hatching in the bag and re-infesting your house.
To find out how bad they are in the house you can put a light over a pan of water, they will jump towards the heat of the light and get trapped in the water.

If you google "flea control" house or pet, you will get loads of info, these are a few.

Links:
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasit ... ontrol.htm
http://www.tulsamastergardeners.org/ins ... icks.shtml
http://beyondfleas.com/

I forgot to add that some dogs are bothered by fleas more than others, some have allergies to fleas.

[LEO's mum]

I'd love to know what works best. Leo's been on Revolution & Advantix, but I still find fleas on her, they may be a bit groggy as I can catch them. When I catch them, I run to the sink and put washing liquid or bubble bath, well any kind of liquid soap on it to suffocate them. Yesterday, I caught 3 in the morning, today 2, but one escaped in the sink(on to me? I don't know). I don't think her light coat is helping either, fleas tend to go for light.... We do not have a fenced yard and there are lots of dog traffic even on our front lawn.... And of course, her walk trails are frequented by other dogs, too.... I always have bug bites on my legs, especially along the socks line, to avoid them coming up higher, I make sure I have a shower or a bath before going to bed. I love that ritual, but at the same time would like to have a peace of mind that there won't be bug bites higher up............

[ciaobella]

I use Frontline Plus on Sophie... it claim to kill fleas, flea eggs, ticks and chewing lice. I put it on her every 6 wks or so during warm months. We did use just the Frontline formula, but that doesn't kill the eggs, so made the switchover, and haven't had a problem since.

[Desi]

Advantix on the dogs,carpet spray in the house,and I spray the fenced in part of the yard.
Five dogs and a cat,not taking chances.
We tried the cheap stuff ,within two months I saw fleas on both poodles,I'd rather pay the extra buck.

[vicster605]

Well, now I'm itching at the very thought of the darned things
I didn't know we could apply the flea treatment sooner than 3 months....thats nice to know.....

[vicster605]

And what are you guys spraying the yard with?????

[Dogdad]

I am so glad I live in the great white North. Out of 12 dogs we have never had fleas, Too cold in the winter and numbers are small enough that they are rare
dogdad

[Desi]

And what are you guys spraying the yard with?????

Adams spray,works fine.Kills ticks and fire ants too.

[vicster605]

It won't hurt the Chow Girls???? Lord knows we need something for the ants too.....right Mrs. Smith???

[shandilady]

Frontline plus every 30 days, vacuuming, flea combing alot, and frontline also makes a spray for bedding , carpets, and such. Borax works good on the yard and is safer for the dogs so that is what we use. We have a basset that has flea allergies , so does Shandi . The husky however is allergic to something in the grass in the summer so I am careful with chemicals out back. Good luck. We tried a cheaper company this year for a frontline , dumb move. We use Upco pet supplies online for ours, saves some money.

[Grab]

Luckily I haven't had to deal with fleas for years, but when I did I always used Advantage for a few months in a row to make sure I caught all of the lifecycles (assuming there wasn't a population in my yard, which I never had a problem with) and it always took care of the problem right away. I always had more luck with Advantage than Frontline (though frontline is great if you have a tick problem as well)

I hear that Advantix is extremely effective, but it is highly toxic to cats and not recommended for use if the dog's going to share an area with a cat. Since I have pet cats, I won't take the chance.

I'm a vet tech, and frontline and advantage are most commonly sent home, and clients seem pretty satisfied with them.

[furballchowbaby]

My mother-in-law swears by Brewer's Yeast. She has always had great success by giving her dogs a Brewer's Yeast tablet, I think every day, but maybe it's once a week. Anyway, it's more of a preventitive measure and won't help much if the fleas are already present.

I have also heard to put a bowl of very soapy water sitting on the carpet overnight with a hot light very close to the bowl and the fleas will jump in the bowl. This worked for us one time.... there were probably 25 fleas in that bowl...gag!