I'm a little confused ..... are you now in the Carolinas and asking about regional flea problems? Fall is the primo pest time here.

If you wish, click on my name above and email me. I'll be happy to walk you thru canine-pest problem prevention here in the sunny South!

I had that same problem with my pups this year. I too have treated them both for many years with Frontline. I first noticed them crawling along my white-haired jack russell and then discovered them on our other dog. After multiple visits to our vet and then an infestation in our house I switched to Comfortis. Frontline does not kill the flea immediately and I guess they were picking so many up outside and dropping the eggs inside that our houses ended up infested. Within three hours after taking the Comfortis all the fleas on them were dead. I used a topical treatment from the vets on all bedding, floors, etc. on and off for two months. We are now flea-free. What a nightmare it was though. The only problem with the Comfortis is that it does not also treat for ticks. I will switch back to Frontline in the spring and keep a close eye on them for fleas since spring seems to be the main time they pick up ticks. Adele

Dirthappy, I got your email and replied back, but it failed to deliver. Shoot me another note and confirm your address for my reply back - thanks!

This information is amazingly timely for our family. I have a call to our vet on the top of my To Do list today. We have been treating our pale-golden retriever mix and our Maine Coon cat with Frontline, and it just has not cut it this season. Thanks for bringing up the question, and Adele, as ever, thank you for your guidance and compassion!!! What was the topical treatment you used?

In "high" season, I have to dose more than every 30 days, and my vet agrees. Also, I know it's not supposed to be good for them, but I have to also use a collar during warm months. Otherwise, ticks will hitch a ride into the house.

We no longer have cats, but when we did, the fleas got into the house and in the floors. I had babies, so i didn't want to fumigate or anything like that. Got some DE (diatomaceous earth), sprinkled that on the floors and worked it in good, and left it on them as long as i could handle- a couple days as i recall. It'll look like you had a major baking accident- it's fine and white like flour. Anyhow, then you sweep and mop it up and it really took care of the problem inside for us.

We have occasional problems with ants coming in the spring when they start their flights, and it takes care of that, too. Very non toxic for humans & animals- it'll dry your skin out some, but that's about it. I doubt breathing large quantities is good, either, but i have asthma, and it's never bothered me applying it or living with it when i had to. Nice thing is, it keeps forever. It goes along ways, too- I still have that 2 pound bucket i originally bought and have used it against all sorts of pests, in the house, garden and greenhouse. Before you ask, i have no idea where i got it now- it's been like 16 years. Most garden centers and/or agricultural places (like agrisupply or agway) would probably carry it.

I hope you guys are able to get the flea problems under control- i know it's miserable for you and your beloved pets.

I'm going to have to get something to "bomb" the inside of the apt. I had two fleas on me today and red spots, like bites, on my legs. Cody looks clear for now and I want him to stay that way.

Ane to think, before I got here, I was more worried about roaches and mosquitos. I never gave fleas and ticks a thought.

I was going to reply to Dirthappy off board - but it seems many have this problem so it may not be as OT as I'd thought. Think I've given this 'lecture' before, but maybe not here. Btw, Dirthappy ... if you're in an apartment some of my advice won't apply, but some will so listen up :o) and query me if you wish. I spent 9 years in apartments with a dog - been there, done that .... and made it work, with a little tweaking !

Intro - I'm not an expert nor a vet, but I did run a family dog centric business for 12 years and have seen it all. Personally, I subscribe to the holistic/non-toxic way of doing things for both pets and plants and it's worked for me.

Every situation is different - the commonality being the pest/parasite issue - and getting the environment under control is key. The dog/cat is but the host ... and it's the enviorn that allows the parasite to occupy the host - not vice-versa.

Problem w/Frontline and its ilk is, as stated above, what worked before doesn't work now. Parasites defensively and generationationally (is that a word?) mutate over time and build up immunity rendering last year's "cure" ineffective this year. (That's why fleas and cockroaches have been on the planet longer that we have!) 'Frontline' (effective and less caustic than some other products on the market) has had a good run .... but apparently, the bugs this year are winning the war.

My yard is shady (great incubator for fleas)and I have one small dog. So, here's what I do ......

Outside - attack the breeding ground twice yearly w/an app of beneficial nematodes - 'round April after last freeze, again late October before first freeze. Not to be confused w/the 'bad' nematodes, these don't hurt plants - fact is in my experience, they slurp up lots of other buggie uglies and help my garden. Btw, full sun lawn areas are not flea breeding grounds - shady areas are.

Nematodes are fragile - I mail order mine from a company in Colorado, fresh grown and visably viable on delivery. I have total faith in their product, have dealt with them for years and their cost is do-able. I'll share details w/anyone who's interested.

For in the house flea control (and don't kid yourself, if fleas are on your dog/cat, they are in your house!) - a sodium polyborate dessicant like FleaBusters or FleaMaxx 2000 does the trick. Most effective and non-toxic to pets and people when applied correctly. Again, I'll share - just ask! Quick stopgap measure - suck a handful of moth crystal into your vacuum cleaner bag - prevents any eggs/larvae you've vacuumed up from completing their lifecycle (dark, warm vacuum cleaner bags are ideal breeding grounds).

Earlier in this thread Tami mentioned diatomaceous earth and that's definitely in my flea control toolbox. But, with caution and - in my experience - only outside. I advised such for under decks, stairways i.e. non-foliated, hard to reach shady spots. I'd be very wary of using it inside the house - inhalent/respiratory issues. Hard on people and reportedly toxic to cats - so I've read.

Speaking of cats ...... indoor/outdoor cats can be a real segueway to indoor flea problems. While cats can develop 'flea anemia' from infestation, they often don't exhibit the symptoms (itching, scratching wildly like dogs), thus they're kinda sorta 'carriers'. So while cat in and out may not be targeted as the 'typhoid mary' vehicle, she actually is. Just an fyi.

Last but not least ..... I arm my dog nutritionally against parasites (bug proofing from the inside out). I subscribe to a formula derived from the Goldstein (NY & CT)vets which adds a few components to an already rich diet. (open to discussion for readers here). It's really easy - fresh garlic, organic apple cider vinegar, plain yogurt and brewer's yeast - plop 'em in the dinner dish, pennies a day, payback in gazillions! Folks with dogs that are 'free ranging' outside of urban fenced yards can employ this too.

I just read Dirthappy's last post .... please don't "bomb" - it won't do any good! Nasty, scary stuff! We can work thru this !! ....... :o)

Lots of good suggestions here. I guess it's a bad year for fleas. We've been having the same problem. Frontline worked, then didn't. We've been using the approach I found in an 'ask the vet' column. She suggested switching back and forth between Advantage and Frontline and applying it about every 3 weeks during flea season. It seems to be working. We still see fleas once in a while, but things are greatly improved. Also, FYI, both products are available from online sources that are a lot less expensive than buying from the vet.

I've been using Advantage on my dogs as long as I can remember. I think I started using it when it first came out. Prior to that, we tried the pills you give them (old medicine) and I had marginal luck with that. Advantage has worked great for my gang. I haven't seen a flea on one of my guys in years. Poor kitties seem to be worse for them than pups IMO. I'm guessing it's because they tend to spend more time outside. My last flea problem was living in a condo. My next door neighbor had cats and the poor things were infested. She had a EX roommate who had abandoned them to her when she moved out. She had never had cats and had no idea what was going on, just the kitties were itchey and felt dirty to her. She asked me about it and I checked them and confirmed the problem. She took them in to the Vet, got them treated, had an exterminator come in to her condo and we didn't have any more flea problems. They were coming in my place via under the walls and yard. Now I have an exterminator on a quarterly contract to keep the crawly critters out of the inside of my home. This is one case I highly recommend calling in the pros! One thing I've noticed, Frontline doesn't seem to work as well for my dogs as Advantage. My Flat Coat Retriver was on Frontline when I got her from rescue and I noticed a couple on her. I switched her to Advantage and none since. catc is correct, you can order your flea treatment and heartworm preventative off line at much better prices than your Vet will give you. It is mailed to you and they even put in a biscuit for your favorite 4 legged pal! :-) Good luck and hopefully your pup will be flea free and comfortable soon!

Had to add this..... My boarding facility manager told us to give our lab live culture yogurt to keep him from getting ear infections. He gets about a tablespoon or more a day in food (or not) and hasn't had another ear infection since, even tho he loves to go in the dog pool and plays in the sprinkler and hose. Now, I make my own yogurt and he eats that too ! We use the Advantix because the mgr told us that the frontline becomes less effective with repeated use. We have never had a flea, and we have lots of shade and are surroundrd by woods. We have ticks, but they never bother him either. Just me :(

As an add to MadaboutMickey's post, I haven't had a need to really use Yogurt, but I do feed a food with yogurt in it. Hmmm, maybe why I have dogs that aren't really prone to ear infections?? I do know food content makes a huge difference in your dog. I've eliminated coat/skin problems with Lamb and Rice based food in several of my dogs. Salmon and rice based food eliminated sensitive/nervous stomach problems in my Rottie who would barf every Monday when Mom had to go back to work. Food with a heavy Garlic content helped my boy Rottie repel ticks when working in SchH. fields tracking. In all honesty, it's best to look at the picture as a whole. And every method works in different ways with different dogs. I'm a HUGE believer in feeding a good diet with specific foods to correct some of the problems dogs can encounter. LOL even though this is a Garden forum, can you tell we have a lot of pet people here?? :-)

We have always used Advantage with the exception of a few times when ear mites were an issue and then we used the Frontline. We only use half a vial of the Advantage every other month and it seems to work great. We don't always put it on all the cats either.

I have never had much luck with Frontline. I ended up with the impression that it didn't work so I quit using it. That was what my Mom was using and ended up with an infestation with two cats in the house. She switched to Advantage and the problem worked itself out within a month.

Thanks again EVERYONE for all this great information. What a gift this site is, on so many levels!!! My four-legged friends send their thanks, too.

The crisis is over. We used a spray and went to the beach while it settled. I haven't nor has Cody been bothered since.
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions.

I'm glad it's fine now although I am surprised by the Frontline problems. I have used Frontline Plus, exclusively, for 7.5 years without a problem. I find a small dog dose for my 18 pound jr terrier, doesn't always go a month. I watch for any scratching. I don't expect to see fleas.

I read all of this in awe. I am a Old Time Vet. In practice for 55 years. What are you folks thinking. Would you take chemo therapy to kill mosquito's that bite you. Of course not. Why subject your beloved pets to this type of treatment, oral or systemic ? I know the American Vet Association justifys the use of these meds because they have decided that the useful life of a Pet is 75% of its full life. Therefore, reducing the Pets life 25% with the use of toxins is okay. I refuse to be a partner in crime with the chemical companies. I hate it that these toxins are available for animals and I hate it that the Pet owners don't have a clue what they are doing to these poor animals. Folks, you are putting poison into the animals blood stream. Either thru his belly or systemically. Why not just kill the fleas in the house and in the yard and spray them with a topical like the CedarCide BEST YET. It kills fleas instantly, not the animals ! My, My, My, Why do you think the dog vomits, gets latharic, shakes and has convulsions ? You would to. I hope there is reincarnation and everyone that uses these horrible treatments comes back as a dog or cat and has some master put poison in his body. Talk to someone that has had to do chemotherapy and find out how it feels. Wake up folks! Dr. Ben, "DOGS BEST FRIEND"

Doc, I so agree with you on avoiding the systemic poisons but I'd like to hear more about this CedarCide you recommend and where we could find it. This has indeed been the flea year from Hades but I think our source here has been our adoption of a semi-feral cat that is still quite predatory (squirrels). This little guy spends most of his time hunting squirrels and voles and standing off the band of deer in our woods.

I spell something like Spam. You may very well be legitimate Dr. Les, but it's not correct forum practice to join the same day you post a message about a product.
My inner cynicism has kicked in: are you really a seasoned vet or a young hipster?

Sorry to blow your circuits young one, however, you must join to post. I got to this forum from a link tied to spot drops. Sorry I invaded your territory without permission. By the way, try googleing Dr. Ben Oldag if you really care who I am. Its easier than second guessing.

I will. I am always interested in natural remedies that work and have wondered about frontline.
Every board has spammers almost daily and a link to a product on the day they join is typical. They can get quite original in attempts to squeeze in links while appearing innocuous.

Lestergee, I appreciate your suggestions. Spraying outside isn't an option for us. I live in a large apartment complex and we walk all over. Since the gardeners use the watering systems every day it's always damp here. Perfect breeding ground. We went to the groomers yesterday and she said this is really a bad year for fleas. She told me of a pill that's somewhat new but couldn't remember the name. Comfort-something.

Hi dirt it is comfortis. I started my inside dog on it 6 months ago because she was miserable and I wanted her to be happy.
It works although a lot of people object to it, BUT I hate fleas, she would scream out EVERYTIME she was bitten and it was quite a bit. I felt sorry for her and my vet suggested I give it too her because I still wanted to be able to bathe her without losing the effects of the drop type flea retardants.
So, I feel like she deserves to be flea-free and my vet didn't object to Comfortis so she is now on it.

:) Fran

Ugggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I'm SOOOOO disconcerted... discombobulated... disappointed... unsure of what to do next!

As I didn't get around to giving Tater Tot HIS monthly flea/tick/mosquito treatment long enough before his monthly bath and nail grinding last Friday, I'd planned to do it tomorrow, yet as voiced by "Lestergee" (Dr. Ben Oldag) above, I've been concerned with the treatment for some time.

To save money (against my better judgment, but my mom's SO frugal, and it was HER money when we started) we've been using a product called Bio-Spot since we started with our previous dog, Gizzmo, a Shi Tzu who died at 12.5 FULL OF CANCER, and she HATED getting it put on her. Tater Tot will sit quietly and let me put the Bio-Spot Spot-On treatment on HIM, but sometimes he shakes and is lethargic afterwards, and usually sleeps in a sort of humped fashion, like his back is burning (it goes on his back).

The product is 45% PERMETHRIN (that's BUG SPRAY -- and most bug sprays have like .25% permethrin in them -- and 3% Methoprene (which I really know NOTHING about)... It smells like CITRUS, so I assume it's in some sort of citrus oil base.

I just KNOW I must be increasing his risk of Cancer or something, yet I did a search on this a while back and found a pet site where people were discussing this and most said that Frontline and Advantage were equally toxic...

So "CedarCide" sounds JUST GREAT! And everything "Dr. Ben" says sounds EQUALLY GREAT! Unfortunately, bumblebeez "RADAR" seems to be QUITE "on target" about you, Dr. Ben, which makes me reticent to follow your advice, leaving me right back where I started.

Although what you say DOES make sense, being both SNEAKY and DISHONEST in how you go about saying it DOES NOT tend to make people comfortable about either YOU or YOUR MESSAGE. I followed your request in your second posting and clicked on close to a dozen links I got on Google... To begin with ALL OF THEM listed you as AN ENTOMOLOGIST, NOT a Veterinarian!

Frankly, I LOVE Entomology! But if you're an entomologist who studies non-toxic ways of killing pest insects WHY NOT JUST SAY SO, rather than claiming to be a Veterinarian???

Secondly, you used the SAME USER NAME (Lestergee) to post a POSITIVE REVIEW of CedarCide at Dave's Garden, and wrote the review as a THIRD PERSON who supposedly called CedarCide and had "a conversation" with "Dr. Ben!" That is DOWNRIGHT FRAUD! I'm posting the link below so everyone else can see for himself or herself.

Your product may very well be the very best solution, and I may end up using it, but you certainly aren't doing it any favors the way you're going about representing either CedarCide OR the Company!

To quote you, Dr. Ben... SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
Jeff

Here is a link that might be useful: The scoop on 'CedarCide Industries'

Good detective work, Jeff and while the end doesn't always justify the means, it just might in this case. "Dr Ben" was, indeed, very 'ham handed' in his delivery, both here and elsewhere, but he's right in unmasking all the toxins used on our pets and in our homes. I'll give him a pass - just this once - and hope your admonishment leads him to better represent himself and his product line.

Meanwhile ...... I posted my long standing anti-flea protocol via non-toxins earlier on this thread (scroll up, Oct 6th), all the while knowing I was 'due' for a scourge and not meaning to represent that 'my' way was foolproof or failsafe. Well, I got my 'comeuppance' last week with a flea-bloom to beat them all after six years of flea-free at this address.

In my own defense, I was buying time - had the carpet product on hand and the nematodes on order. I like to do all prevention simultanelously and had, stupidly, let the clock run out. Long story short, I cancelled personal plans and waged war on the house first, then got those yard guardian nematodes installed the minute the UPS man dropped the box. But, unfortunately, not before the beasties had caused my pup to dance a jig for two days and chew her little elbow bloody. We're now doing damage control (tea tree oil whole dog rinses and brown Listerine dabs on the sore spots) while the inside/outside treatments take hold.

This is definitely a heavy flea year and I got sloppy, too complacent, and will be a lot more vigilant in prevention procedures in the future. Lesson learned.

BTW, over on the GW Pets Forum, there is a longstanding discussion of chemical flea controls - title is "Comfortis" and posts include comments on many other chemical products.

I just bought a product at Wal-Mart that has the logo for the National Wildlife Federation (I'm a member)on it and is all natural oils (peppermint oil, thyme oil, various other natural oils) which makes all the same CLAIMS as the permethrin products without all the toxicity. I'm going to put it on Tater Tot in a few minutes and see what results I get.

I'm just increasingly concerned about all that Permethrin, although I think I was "technically" wrong about the "bug spray" thing... I believe it's PYrethrin that's in bug spray, and PERmethrin is the more "natural" relative of pyretrhin. STILL, I think I'll feel better putting peppermint oil and whatnot on him. I also have a little bottle of oil of wintergreen I got the pharmacy to order for me a while back (basically because I'm just CRAZY about wintergreen). I might try adding a drop or two of that, too.

Good luck with fixing your mess, ZigZag!
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff - we're making slow progress and I pledged to beaglette NEVER to let this get out of hand again! An ounce of prevention is worth a gazillion pounds of cure!

Permethrin, Pyrethin ..... sheesh, who knew one had to be a phD to own a dog?! FWIW, I believe pyrethrin is a chrysantheumum derivative, technically GRAS ('generally accepted as safe'), but not very effective in my experience. Another not so sure fix is d-limonene (derived from lemons and toxic to cats). While mums and lemons don't seem too threatening, it's all the other stuff in the concoctions that is questionable - and nobody ever mentions the shelf life of these 'natural' products (it's short, very short).

So, stick w/your essential oils and I'll stick w/my nematodes, oils, diet add-ons and poly-borate carpet stuff. We will win this war .... Tater and Katie are depending on us! :o)

I've got the Fleastoppers(polyborate crystals)and had the same big can for years (maybe 14). I've only ever had to use it once and more as preventative when my dogs were puppies.
Jeff, I'm just concerned about putting such tremendously fragrant oils on an animal that has such sensitive sense of smell. Hope it doesn't drive TaterTot to distraction.

Hi Dottie (and thanks for welcoming me back on one of the other threads... I regret being absent so long... been a bit bored lately and realized this was one of the few real online "families" I have).

As for the oils, well, TT always responded pretty badly to the Bio-Spot for about 12 hours or so. While he'd let me put him on it and rub it in, he'd almost immediately start sort of swallowing hard, and he'd kind of roll around on his back a bit like he was trying to rub it off... In his bed, he'd "lie funny." Instead of lying curled up like normal, He'd sort of "hump" over the bed, with the middle of his back raised up (the stuff was placed between his shoulderblades and the tip of his tail).

With the new stuff, which is peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, clove oil, thyme oil and a couple others I can't remember, he didn't seem to really have ANY bad reactions... This one is JUST placed between the shoulderblades, and he seems OK with it. The smell was VERY STRONG to start with, but I think it was far enough from his nose that he just dealt with it. He seemed A LOT happier the first day... Ever since it's the same.

As I said, my major concern is the LONGTERM effect. I'm concerned about whether a monthly dose of permethrin might end up shortening his life either systemically or giving him cancer or something.
Jeff

I HAVE THE ANSWER TO ALL OF YOUR FLEA PROBLEMS! I'm 32 years old and have had my dog (yellow lab) for 6 years now I have been his master since he was a puppy and he has never had fleas until.... a couple of months ago. So of course I was using a "Spot Drop" IE: Frontline,Advantage,Advantix... and nothing seemed to work it almost seemed to give the fleas energy, well it started to get real bad especially above where his tail meets his back because he would constantly scratch there making himself go bald. So finally after a couple of weeks of research I found this company named CedarCide they sell a product called "Best Yet" well i was kind of weary of the product because they use an all natural approach using cedar oil to kill the fleas so i bought a quart and tried it. I sprayed my dog all over getting the spray all the way to the skin like the instructions said to do I saw the fleas IMMEDIATELY DIE!!! I was so amazed as to how well it worked i ordered enough to spray my house because as they explained to me the fleas lay eggs that can be dorment for up to 3 years and this product kills the eggs which is what you need to do to actually rid yourself of any flea problem. I speak to you today three months later after this HORRIBLE flea problem and after nothing else worked CedarCide's product "Best Yet" worked for me.

Cool.
Dmh 1 has no posts on all of Garden Web & The Home Site except this one.
That Cider stuff must really work.

Well, I was inclined to give the earlier poster plugging this product a pass .... but not so now. Thinly veiled sales plugs, especially with guises, just don't cut it. Good try. Unfortunate, since the product might be good .... but the delivery method smells.

Cider-whatever really needs to have a sit down and host impartial focus groups to co-ordinate with their marketing strategy. Hope they do it soon - probably good product, definitely bad marketing delivery.

I'm sticking with my original protocol ... regretting my lapse in prevention, but happy that 'my way' products have done spectacular mop up. They never failed or stopped working ..... I just dropped the prevention ball.

Beagle and I are back on track ...... :o)

What an interesting and slightly crazy discussion.
I hope people who are using those topical pesticides will consider using other methods.
I also wanted to comment on using oils, as in essential oils. I don't have the documentation for this handy (this is from a book that I do not have access to now), but it is important to know what using oils that are not properly diluted can be dangerous for dogs and cats. Not just an annoyance, but actually dangerous. There is also one oil (pennyroyal)that is commonly used in these products but has very significant heath risk.

Still, the oils are just repellents, and other methods should be used in conjunction to kill/remove the eggs.

We're having the same thing here.. Frontline not working. zigzag, could you please send me sources for your remedies? We're going crazy over here with two itchy dogs and 10 cats. My mom is having the same situation with her cats.

Email on the way, Gnomey!

Just want to chime in. I had the same problem with all 3 of my dogs this summer/fall. I use the spray form of Frontline, but this year it didn't seem to do the trick. I then bought Comfortis for my Jenny who is allergic to fleas and chews off her fur. It took over a week to work.

Today I bought capstars for them to get rid of any remaining fleas. Maybe the fleas (or the dogs!)have mutated and are Frontline resistant now!

Gnomey - did you get the email?

Well, "dmh1" is simply IMPOSSIBLE to verify one way or another... I Googled the "name" and there are literally DOZENS of "dmh1"s online... I think it STANDS for a variety of things, in addition to being an internet user name for A VARIETY of different people...

It's still pretty obvious to (most of us, I think) what that post IS, though.

As for those essential oils, I hear ya, Seahorse. He hasn't seemed to have any ill effects so far, though, and it's been almost a month (and he smelled REALLY NICE all month long, lol)

My guess is that a company as big as Sargents wouldn't be selling a product using essential oils that were harmful to dogs -- especially NOT with the endorsement of the National Wildlife Federation -- unless they were oils known to be safe for dogs... Then again, we've all been assuming for YEARS that the Permethrin in the other products is SAFE, and now I'm not so sure about that.

These days, it's hard to know WHO to trust... the FDA has been allowing plastics with BPA in them to be used in all kinds of things -- including BABY BOTTLES -- for MANY YEARS, and NOW there's growing evidence that may be carcinogenic, and while SOME COMPANIES are voluntarily recalling all bottles with BPA, the FDA is STILL claiming the levels are safe -- EVEN IN BABY BOTTLES... MANY of our government regulatory agencies -- which are SUPPOSED to exist for public protection -- seem to ACTUALLY exist more to protect the profits of the industries they're supposed to be monitoring... It's like having the foxes guard the henhouse!

By the way, so far as I've seen Tater Tot has NEVER had a flea or tick problem... I'm just hoping to keep it that way without killing him with "the cure."
Jeff

DON'T TRUST Comfortis. I had 2 dogs of different breeds that developed a small flee problem. One dog (golden retreiver/labador mix) was 11 years old and the other 10 1/2 years old (doberman/german shephard mix). Both dogs in very good health other than a newly developed small flee problem. In fact, other than the newly developed flee problem the vet said verbally that these dogs are healthy and will live forever. My vet suggested a new flee product called Comfortis. The flee problem did seem to go away quickly HOWEVER this is when many other health problems developed in both dogs. The first signs from both dogs was a lack in appetite. Then one dog developed a very bad salivation problem. I was just into the 3rd dose for each dog when the problems became worse in both dogs. Both dogs had a very significant weight loss and became very lethargic, vomiting, excessive salivation. I looked for answers from every direction, the dog food manufacturer to see if any change was made in their recipe to something that could have gotten into the yard to any new medications. This is where I discovered that Comfortis could have been the major problem in their rapid declining health. Both dogs, of different breeds, developed 7 of the possible 10 listed side affects listed on the Comfortis warning. I was told by the vet that I had to let the dose run its course as there was no way of getting Comfortis out of their systems. All I could do was just watch their health decline as the vet told me they could do nothing. I called the 800 number for Comfortis and was also told that the medicine just had to run its course. 2 different dogs developed the exact same symptoms listed on the Comfortis warning list at the same time. The vet actually still did not admit that Comfortis could even be a possible reason for their declining health and said they must have gotten hold of something in the yard like a squirrel or a rabbit or something. One dog developed what Ill call seizures near the end and died just after the 3rd dose of Comfortis. The other dog died just 4 days later. The day before the 2nd dog died I took him to the vet where they ran blood and urine test. IÂm not a medical person and donÂt remember the exact terms but they compared his blood work from just 3 months earlier and the decline in the blood cell numbers were unbelievable to even the vet. In my opinion, Comfortis is a POISON. Be very careful about this product. If your dog has flees, give your dog a good old fashion flee dip. Flees are on the outside of your dog, NOT on the inside of them. pbloom@northgeorgiaauto.com

pbloom, I am so sorry for your tragic losses, and appreciate your topping this old thread. Here in the South, we're staring down yet another flea season and if your story helps even one pet owner, it will be invaluable.

This post is a needed wake-up call for me. As I've cited above, I do parasite (flea & tick) control w/out chemicals. But, one of the components of my protocol became unavailable last year and I substituted w/a lesser product. Long story short, I had a flea problem for the first time in years and the only variable was that missing component.

You post is spurring me to bite the bullet and get the real stuff - have to order it from Canada, pricey plus shipping - but, I'm doing it today. Thank you.

hey ya'll, I haven't been hanging out here too much lately, but thought I'd join in the flea fun. I alternate between frontline plus and advantix, and alot of months my 3 dogs don't get anything. According to my niece, who works at a vet and is on her way to vet school herself, advantix works best for fleas and frontlineplus for ticks, something about the chemicals in them. I too have heard of cedarcide but actually haven't even thought of it for years, well, until now. the one thing that seems to help us the most is one of those cheap flea collars. What I do is put a one inch piece inside my vacuum bag,kills the fleas & eggs that the vacuum sucks up. This was a tip that my groomer had suggested. I personally don't care if fleas live outside as long as it isn't out of hand. My yard is just too big to treat the whole thing. But I do not want fleas in my house, so a daily vacuuming does the trick. Plus with 3 dogs bringing in all kinds of leaves I really do need to vacuum every day.
tanya

Comfortis is great for me. Really works well and no problems yet. I have found a website that has Comfortis at a special price right now. Search for vet meds for pets.

I heard on the news this past week that the FDA has finally decided to investigate the flea kill/control/repel products.
I find the whole current issue of fleas on dogs quite odd in that 50 years ago a dog or cat with a couple of fleas was considered quite normal.
Remember the old saw "Lie down with dogs,get up with fleas"
???
Still, it is a greater problem now than it was so many years ago and I have to wonder if what we are feeding our dogs is making them more attractive or susceptible to flea bites?
Could it have its basis in all the antibiotics and chemicals pumped into chicken,beef,turkey by the growers?

Has anyone had less of a problem with fleas because they fed their animals only certified organic meats?

We had a monstrous flea problem at our other house this past winter. The house was vacant while son was out of the country but he left behind his 2 cats for us to feed. When the weather got colder in Nov. Dec. I made the cats stay indoors and never noticed them scratching.
In mid-December I arrived to feed them one day and noticed a flea on my wrist. The following week I arrived and didn't get more than 6' into the house and my slacks were covered with fleas. Not a half a dozen..we're talking hundreds.
You'd have thought that these two cats would have been eaten alive and constantly scratching but they weren't.
Weird.
All I was feeding them was dry food.
I had the cats removed for two weeks and the entire house and yard treated by a pest control company that specializes in flea eradication.

So fleas are obviously a much bigger issue than they were when I was a kid and we only used the occasional flea collar on the animals but it seems odd that some animals are more susceptible than others.

Hey, Dottie ..... I don't have much time tonite to respond, but if you read some of my earlier posts above, you'll see where I stand on this issue.

As for why 'wonder cure' chemical stuff stops working, well - just like human flues/viruses etc. w/chemical antibotics,the bugs mutate and become resistant to chemical warfare. Fact is - fleas, cockroaches and other yucky ilk roamed the earth way before man, and they'll still roam the earth long after man is gone. Personally, I stay way away from chemical stuff for both me and my pup. JMO, of course.

And as for cats and fleas ..... well, cats (especially the 'indoor-outdooor' free roamers) are Typhoid Mary's - major flea carriers, exhibiting few if any symptoms of infestation, they just transport the bugs into the home. With a few exceptions, cats don't exhibit the same itch/scratch symptoms as dogs so are much less detectable. That said, cats do suffer 'flea bite anemia' and it can be fatal to them, but is rarely recognized as such.

Gotta go now, but I do have much more to say for anybody who's interested. Fwiw, I'm not just speaking out of the stratospehre ...... I owned and ran a family/family pet business for a dozen years, got really up close and personal, and learned a lot. Would love to share knowledge w/interested folks.

Oh, and btw .... I do feed my pup raw, fresh foods ... so, yes, diet does make a difference!

P.S. There is not a single flea in North Carolina - they're all married and have families. :o)

Been in Florida 20 years and my dogs have always suffered with fleas! Tried every treatment known to man ... always treated inside and outside as well and nothing worked. Just got a puppy and the vet recommended Comfortis --- it's a God sent!!! He is now 6 months old and not one flea on his little body!!! It's pricey but worth every cent!!!