# Need new flea medication



## live-oak (May 10, 2010)

My dog has fleas! Yes, really, fleas!

Why does this surprise me? Because he gets monthly Ivermectin doses which have always suppressed the fleas along with worming him which is what it's really for.

So now it looks like the fleas have developed a resistance to Ivermectin and I need a new treatment plan for him that uses a different active ingredient. Hopefully something I can buy down to the farm supply the way I buy his Ivermectin (the 1% injectable in the bottle).

Anyone have a product to suggest?


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

I've been happy with Frontline Plus....
I use Ivermetcin as a wormer for dogs but have never really given it serious thought as a flea preventative as it only kills fleas and doesn't do anything further to break the life-cycle.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

i was confused about it too. i thought that keeping tapes in control would control fleas too because tapes are part of the fleas life cycle. but a vet on here told me that it is actually the opposite- that fleas are part of the tape worm cycle.

anyway, ivermectin doesn't control fleas. also i've used frontline plus for years but the fleas are getting immune to it. now fighting it with comfortis. however, it makes my little house dog sick and she vomits it up and the pills cost $17 EACH. too much to repeat the dose after she throws up.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Ivomec has *no* effect on fleas



> In the mid-1980's, ivermectin was introduced as probably the most broad-spectrum anti-parasite medication ever. It is effective against most common intestinal worms (except tapeworms), most mites, and some lice. *It is not effective against fleas, ticks, flies, or flukes.* It is effective against larval heartworms (the "microfilariae" that circulate in the blood) but not against adult heartworms (that live in the heart and pulmonary
> arteries), though technically it can shorten their lifespan


http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ivermectin.html


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Ivermectin doesn't kill tape worms either, you need prazi for that or a repeated dose of fenbendazole.
I like Frontline Plus best, but Advantage is cheaper if that would help you.

I'd stay away from promeris and comfortis, but that's just my opinion.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

mekasmom said:


> Ivermectin doesn't kill tape worms either, you need prazi for that or a repeated dose of fenbendazole.
> I like Frontline Plus best, but Advantage is cheaper if that would help you.
> 
> I'd stay away from promeris and comfortis, but that's just my opinion.


frontline plus quit working. advantage is cheaper/ well by golly i'll give it a try. doesn;t it have the "plus" part too, that kills eggs??


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## thimblethepig (Jun 6, 2010)

once they have an infestation you need capstar with frontline or advantage to get it under control I like the revolution or comfortis


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## Prickle (May 9, 2009)

Revolution is great stuff. It's pricey but it works.

You also may want to treat your yard for fleas.


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## Veronica (Oct 31, 2008)

My vet said the frontline plus may need to be applied every 3 weeks during the warm months. I buy ours from Costco, so it's not quite as pricey.


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## Missy M (Mar 2, 2007)

I put frontline on my cats, It's been two weeks and I have the worst flea infestation I have ever experienced. I'm open for suggestions too, so keep them coming.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

marvella said:


> i was confused about it too. i thought that keeping tapes in control would control fleas too because tapes are part of the fleas life cycle. but a vet on here told me that it is actually the opposite- that fleas are part of the tape worm cycle.
> 
> anyway, ivermectin doesn't control fleas. also i've used frontline plus for years but the fleas are getting immune to it. now fighting it with comfortis. however, it makes my little house dog sick and she vomits it up and the pills cost $17 EACH. too much to repeat the dose after she throws up.


That is true. Just like malaria, west nile and equine encephalitis etc. use mosquitoes as an intermediate host and lyme and rocky mountain spotted fever etc. use ticks. Really a brilliant method for non-mobile organisms to insure their own survival.


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## thimblethepig (Jun 6, 2010)

frontline top spot really doesn't work too well the spray is much better but you must use capstar in conjunction to get the infestation under control


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## Guest (Jun 22, 2010)

I just bought 6 months of K9 Advantage for my dogs from www.petcarerx.com They have free shipping and if you use the code "Lou12" you'llg et a $10 discount.


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## whatrset (Apr 13, 2010)

marvella said:


> i was confused about it too. i thought that keeping tapes in control would control fleas too because tapes are part of the fleas life cycle. but a vet on here told me that it is actually the opposite- that fleas are part of the tape worm cycle.
> 
> anyway, ivermectin doesn't control fleas. also i've used frontline plus for years but the fleas are getting immune to it. now fighting it with comfortis. however, it makes my little house dog sick and she vomits it up and the pills cost $17 EACH. too much to repeat the dose after she throws up.


Dont buy the 17 dollar pill. Buy the pill for a dog *4x *her size and cut it down. 4 doses for the price of 1, and if the dog barfs it up, we have another to give her.


How is the Confordis working for you? WE get about 2 weeks before the fleas return.


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## crispin (Jun 30, 2010)

Frontline Plus is BEST against ticks...not so much on fleas. great flea control....Advantage (whose main purpose is fleas) or Advantage Plus. I LOVE advantage for fleas as it is one of the only remaining products on the market that strictly deals with fleas. all the other products these days are for multiple pest/parasites...etc. That being said, if you do decide to go with Advantage, you will need a seperate product for fleas and other parasites. In that case...i STRONGLY recomend Revolution....which covers fleas, ticks, mites, heartworm and other parasites. This product pays for itself as it really does what it is intended to do and comes in a 6 month supply. Most vets will throw in an extra single dose free.


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## thimblethepig (Jun 6, 2010)

advantage multi is probably better than revolution because it treats hookworm too moxidectin also treats mange http://www.petshed.com/products/item3757.asp petshed always has great prices


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## Blogging Wench (Jun 13, 2009)

*Dr Bronners funky, awesome soap, Peppermint or Eucalyptus, fleas die before your very eyes when you bathe your dog in it.* I put a few squirts in a big plastic tub, fill the tub about halfway with water, put the dog in, squirt more soap on his back, and rub-a-dub the whole dog for 5 -10 minutes, he actually likes this a lot, then rinse, but not throroughly because fleas hate the smell of Peppermint and Eucalyptus. Dead fleas. I'm doing it every other day because the fleas are so bad right now in north Texas. BioSpot stopped working. It worked fine last year. This year the fleas are worse. I love Dr Bronners!


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

If I bathed 16 dogs every other day I'd never get anything done! However, I very much like the idea of using natural products. Unfortunately, it just isn't feasible. 

We've tried Comfortis on two of our dogs. So far, so good. This week I'm going to the vet and have them call me in prescriptions for the rest of the dogs. I can get it online for less than the vet's $17 per pill charge. 

whatrset, our vet said the problem with dividing a pill is that you don't get an even amount of meds in each piece. This might explain why you are only seeing two weeks of success with the divided pills. You're giving the dogs diluted medication.


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## VegRN (Jun 23, 2010)

About 3 weeks ago I had the worst flea infestation I have ever seen. It is like they popped up overnight. I tried Frontline with zero results. I tried every over the counter product, both natural and pesticidal, with zero results. I finally forked out the $$ to treat all 4 dogs with Comfortis. I have not seen a flea since. I made sure to give it with food because vomiting can be a problem. Since my dogs eat free choice I tempted them with some of their dry food moistened with warm water and some turkey cut up in it. No one had a problem (and 2 of them have very sensitive stomachs). 

With all the $$ I spent on stuff that did not work I could have bought an extra month of Comfortis


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

The Dr Bronners products are for people right..but using the peppermint shampoo will help with the fleas right. But it doesn't stop them from coming does it after the smell wears off. Like the idea of bathing the dogs in this. My one german shepherd seems to itch during this hot weather no matter what I try to do for her..flea drops and all although I never do see fleas on the dogs. But the prices of the products are really great. Going to make an order for the animals and ME too. Thanks...


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

I give garlic powder mixed with kelp on my dogs food and when I switched my cats to raw too- I now add it in thier ground mix...no fleas. It does take 2-3 weeks to take effect, and you need to give it daily- but it is cheap and it works for all my dogs and cats. Just a pinch a day will do...no more is not better- more just means gassy dogs and overdose can result in heinz anemia. I take a jar of garlic powder (not salt) and dump out all but 1/4 of the jar...fill up with kelp and leave a bit of space to mix. Shake well. I then sprinkle food as you would to season your food before baking. Been using this for years and the only time I got fleaswas in the dogs that my son cared for for a month...he neglected to sprinkle and only those dogs got fleas- the others I was caring for did not.


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