Flea Control

[FritterGirl]

Anyone else experiencing flea issues this year?

We have not, in the four years we've had our home, ever experienced flea issues. This year it seems we are having problems.

All three dogs are on Sentinel heart and flea control medication. The cats are not on anything, but are indoor cats.

We've sprayed the backyard twice, have bathed the dogs twice, the cats once each (joy, joy) and have powdered the carpet, and washed, with bleach - all of the dog bedding, plus human bedding where they also sleep.

It seems like it's just a long and lengthy fight. The one thing I DO NOT WANT to do is bomb the house. It scares the living heck out of me to do that.

Every time I think I've made progress, I find more fleas...pesky little buggers!

It's not a complete infestation yet, but if I can't get it under control, I'm afraid it might turn into that.

Any success stories people have had?

[PennyQuilts]

I'm not familiar with Sentinel. My girls are on Frontline. I can't imagine a flea being on them with that. We haven't had any trouble - my sympathies. If you have fleas in the house, the cats are going to get them, too, I should think. Won't matter if they are indoor cats.

[flintysooner]

Sergeant's Flea-Free Breeze home and carpet spray worked well for me one year.

I've had better success with K9 Advantix especially for tics.

[Thunder]

Yeah, it is horrible this year.

Frontline is best for dogs.

Advantage is best for cats.

I don't know what other brands at Walmart, PetSmart, and PetCo that is just as good but so much cheaper.

[jstanthrnme]

2 years ago I had a pretty big flea issue with my dog and cat. We used an oral medication called Capstar. It's a pill that you give your dog (or cat) and fleas literally start falling off of your dog (or cat) in under an hour. After we did that, it was all preventative. Washing bedding, flea powder for the carpet, etc...

You can get it from your vet, or even PetSmart at the Banfield counter. I would also suggest following up a dose of Capstar with Frontline (ask your vet), because Capstar only works for a day or two.

[FritterGirl]

Well, I seem to be winning the battle - at least for now.

After re-bathing all five animals on Thursday night (found it easier to pre-prepare the cat bath and then dunk them, drowning the fleas), plus getting an aerosol spray to douse the carpets, upholstery, and two of our soft-sided dog dens, I think we're finally on the winning side.

I also went and got a topical flea control for the cats from Banfield pet clinic on Saturday. I didn't want to get an OTC version, as I've heard nightmares about them. Of course, my female cat had a mild reaction when the stuff ran down her back and she licked it. Started salivating uncontrollably, then later in the evening, threw up just a bit.

I took her immediately into Banfield after the salivating started, just for precautionary measures, and as I had purchased the flea control from them. They told me the medicine is designed to cause hypersalivation. A component in the serum has an extreme bitter taste that is designed to discourage self-grooming of the area and injestion of the product. Scared the daylights out of me, though, as I thought it was the onset of a seizure. Cat seemed fine a few minutes later, but I still took in just to be safe.

I have to admit, I was impressed with the vet there. I had only gone there in the first place because it was a Saturday and just wanted a consult on the OTC topicals vs the vet-controlled topicals.

The vet said that fleas are extremely bad this year. The combination of lots of rain, with moderate temperatures (at least for Oklahoma) makes for a very hospitable environment for them.

Thanks, all, for your replies!

[tnajk]

We had this happen to us a few years ago. It was exhausting trying to get rid of them on our 3 animals and in our house. Just 1 missed flea or egg can turn all your progress around. In the end, we had to use capstar (previous poster mentioned) several times and bombed the house. (twice) It cost us over $300 after endless flea dips, powders, sprays, medications, bombs, professional carpet cleaning... HORRIBLE experience. We now use the more expensive monthly topical treatments on all of our pets like clockwork to try and avoid it from happening ever again. Good luck to you!

[FritterGirl]

Haha! You hit the nail on the head. One lousy flea can turn your mountain of progress into nothing, and I found two on one of our dogs yesterday. I feel like Sisyphus!

[Silvermoon]

Big thing to remember as you are doing all of this , you, the people in the house , you can only take so much before it takes a toll on you and your kidneys so be very careful with all of the dusting,washing, etc. We have farm dogs and have had excellent luck with BioSpot. Drip on once a month, also takes out the ticks and misquitos.Also worm animals at the same time it seems to help. You have to remeber that the little buggers have a two week cycle that is why when you have a big infestation so many say to bomb, but do it by the book and do not forget to turn off your pilot lite on hot water heater !Dusting your yard with "Sevin dust" will also help.