Need an Answer Soon

[famous seamus]

For fleas I prefer Diatomaceous Earth which I am sure the forum members are sick of hearing about, I talk about it in here a lot when people ask.

That being said, I have also been using Comfortis for fleas, when it stayed so warm here in Jersey, the fleas cropped back up on us and took us by surprise and we needed a quick fix. I waited a year for Comfortis to be on the market before I would even consider it for my shelties. The reports are good for Comfortis.

These are all that I use, DE in the yard, in the house, Interceptor for heart worm and Comfortis for sneak flea attacks.

THe DE is a powder, it is food grade, NOT pool grade and works as a flea and tick repellent, naturally outside and inside.

Kate

 

[k9kreationz]

My first question would be....do you need the flea meds at all?

Personally, I prefer Interceptor (heartworm) with something like Advantage or Frontline (flea). If you don't have year round fleas (and you may not up in OR), then don't give it to them year round.

I think it depends on how much you interact with nature, other dogs, cats, etc. My 13yo dog rarely went out (hiking, dog parks,etc), so he has only had 1 flea in his life (I named him Pepe - dont' ask, lol). My 4yo and I do agility, so he has gotten fleas even while on flea meds, but I expect that being outside all the time and around all kinds of dogs and in horse arenas.

So, at your pups age, you may want to think of separate things for now. And then depending on what you do outdoorsy with him/her, maybe a flea or flea/tick topical (if not the DE stuff that was mentioned).

Good luck.

 

[pixgal]

Well, well, well. What to do.
I don't plan on going out into the wild much.
If I see a flea is it too late to try one of the topical flea killers?
or
Should I give both now?
I will need to spend more time researching.

Thank you for all your comments.

 

[k9kreationz]

If I see a flea is it too late to try one of the topical flea killers?

No, it's not too late to use a topical flea killer (frontline/advantage) after you see a flea.

It only becomes an issue if you see many fleas...because then they could potentially already have infected your home (but maybe not).

I would say we all handle it differently depending on what you believe (no topicals, etc). Right now, my dogs are on Sentinel (heartworm with flea birth control - doesn't kill fleas, but prevents them from having babies) and K9 Advantix (flea and tick). And I live in SoCal.

My choice was based on the fact that I do agility in parks, horse arenas, and sometimes places that are up against wilderness. With my older dog having kidney disease, I may now put him on Interceptor (heartworm only) and Advantage (fleas). Or maybe use Advantage when necessary. But, that's just me.

I know it's not easy to choose, but do what you feel is best for your dog. It seems that you dislike the idea of Trifexis, so definitely choose something else.

 

[pixgal]

Thanks Cheryl and everyone,
I think I might just use topical flea stuff and then the heartworm meds seperate.

 

[Lysette85]

I use Heartguard and Frontline. Frontline does not repel fleas or ticks. It usually takes about a day or two for the fleas and ticks to get enough of the poison on them to kill them. Some ticks latch so quickly they don't wander through enough fur to get poisoned. Every time my dogs go outside, even to potty, they will come in with fleas...these parasites are always waiting for a furry passerby. So, you will still see fleas and ticks even on a dig treated with frontline (and advantage only kills adults-not eggs or larvae) so frontline is recommended more. Just don't be discouraged if you still see fleas. The product works great...but with warmer temperatures the fleas have been an unstoppable force the past couple years.