Flea Treatment Sickness & Diarrhea

[Ghemmie]

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Morning all,

We've got a 11 month old black lab boy and he doesn't seem to have a dodgy belly. He's only been fed Eden 80/20 since he came home with us at 8 weeks. He has training treats and some veggies and healthy scraps.

However, the flea treatments we have tried on him (spot on and tablet) cause him to have a very upset belly. One time he couldn't eat or drink water, had to call the vet. He gets a loud gurgling in his stomach and diarrhea for 3 to 7 days.

We stopped giving him treatments in the end as we didn't think it was worth it. However we're going to Scotland and been told the tics are very bad there, so he needs some extra protection. Can anyone recommend gentle flea/ tic protection? I'm a bit nervous of using anything 'natural' against tics. I want something that will repel/ kill the bleeders.

So far we have tried-
Frontline - spot
Advantage - spot
Bob Martin - spot (best we've tried, but still gave him diarrhea).
Nexgard - tablet (worst reaction)

Also, do dogs really need flea treatment every month? Can you do it less often?

Thanks,
Gem

 

[JudyN]

I swear by Seresto collars - I used to be taking tics off my dog every day and he'd get pretty grumpy about it, but with his Seresto collar he just gets one or two all summer (and no fleas).

Having said that, though when I first researched them they seemed very safe, I've just Googled 'Seresto' and 'side effects' and there's some scary lists. Having said that, there's a fair chance this is the usual fake news that gets all over the internet, like 'apples give you cancer'. Possibly a couple of dogs who had been wearing the collars got a gippy tummy and the owners decided to blame the collar. So do your research, but definitely consider the reliability of the websites. And bear in mind that if you search on 'spot-on' and 'side effects' you'll find similar things and, no doubt, the same for 'flea tablets'.

 

[JoanneF]

If you don't live in a high tick area and it's fleas that are the concern, you could treat the house annually as a precaution rather than the dog.

I certainly don't use flea treatments monthly though, that sounds like quite a lot.

 

[merlina]

We use Neem oil in various ways (best Google it and see what you think) on our hypersensitive cocker. It deals with mites and as a side effect appears to keep him flea free. I don't think it will necessarily deter ticks but we deal with them by a thorough search of the coat every night when we're in tick country. If you miss one then you'll have to watch a 'how to remove ticks from your dog' thingy on YouTube. NOT the most romantic activity for last thing at night in your hotel room!

 

[Josie]

I have a black lab (however he is 10 so may not be the same!) and I use advocat drops on him which works really well.
I don’t give him treatment every month personally for a few reasons, one of them being that it is stinky and leaves a white residue on his nice black coat for a few days!

 

[excuseme]

Seresto collars are what we have started using, the dogs have been flea free. If a tick is found it is usually a very sick one and comes away lifeless!
Much nicer than the monthly chemical spot on types (Advantix) which also marks and stains the white kitchen cupboard doors!

 

[arealhuman]

We get six monthly flea and tick chews from our vet.

 

[Caro Perry]

I'm still on the fence here. I'm going to have to make a decision one way or another in the next few weeks.

 

[Sezzy]

I use Advocat drops every month. Not really given it a thought before now, the vet told us to use it every month, and having never owned a dog before I have done what I was told! It makes her fur greasy where it’s put on for a day, but no problems other than that.

 

[JudyN]

Jasper thinks I'm trying to kill him if I put drops on his neck, and often throws up if he has tablets, which is why we settled on the collar.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

some safe options, not only for direct use on the dog, but outside, in the garden, & indoors, in the house:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/non-toxic-flea-and-tick-control-dogs/

specific WARNING:
i read the entire article, & This is the only bit that is not IMO & IME, safe - quote:
"I don’t recommend bathing as a means of routine flea-control, as bathing dries out the skin. And it certainly won’t control fleas alone.
But, if you’re in a tight spot and the fleas have exploded, it can be a quick solution to get you some sanity. And if you add a dropper or two of essential oils (lavender, citronella, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, etc.) to the bath, you’ll have a pretty good repellent to discourage the next wave..."
___________________________

Three points -
* essential oils in contact are never ever used undiluted by a base-oil; they're too concentrated.
Putting them in water does not "dilute" them; it merely sets them afloat.
* essential oils, even diluted, are not used by the dropperful, but by drops.
* Citronella, pennyroyal, & eucalyptus are all toxins; eucalyptus can cause respiratory problems, pennyroyal is a potent abortifacient; any of the 3 can cause skin reactions, kidney or liver problems.

OTOH, the author is absolutely correct that anything which breaks surface-tension will drown fleas - literally a few drops of liquid soap [NOT dish-detergent!] in a half-gallon of water will drown fleas; U always start a pet-bath by wetting a donut-ring around the pet's neck at least half the neck's length - wet it thru to the skin all the way 'round, & LEAVE IT THERE while U bathe the rest of the dog.
That donut of soapy water prevents the fleas from running to high ground, & escaping by climbing to the dog's head & going airborne. // Now, U can concentrate on getting the dog wet to the skin all over, & let it stand for about 5-minutes, to ensure the adult fleas are dead; hold the dog's head to stop any shake-off, & hold a chewy for the dog to gnaw - an antler, a bone, a bull-pizzle, something to hold their attn & keep them engaged.
Then rinse really, really well with tepid water - till the hair squeaks when U pull a lock gently. The water running down the drain should be clear, with no suds & no persistent bubbles.

My 1st pet-therapy dog had flea-bite dermatitis, & for his entire life with me, he was bathed every week to 10-days for about 8-months of each year, with a mild pH-balanced shampoo. One bite could make him itch for a week, so bathing was a critical part of keeping him comfy & preventing infestations indoors. he never had skin problems, despite his frequent baths.
My Akita, too, was a therapy-pet, & was bathed every week or bi-weekly for her life. She, too, had no skin issues from her baths.

A fine-toothed flea-comb to remove fleas & ticks, PREFERABLY OUTDOORS, & a de-tangler to make this a pain-free process [my choice: Happy Tails lavender pump-spray de-tangler / calmative - it's non-toxic, no-rinse, & effective] would be my 1st resort.
To repel ticks, that's a different issue. . Getting them off once they're on, sure - making them NOT WANT to get on?... Hmmm.

- terry

.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

more info:

Council issues advice on tick bites

Lyme in Scotland -
http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/resourcedocument.aspx?id=5982

BTW, i never use DEET products; I use botanical catnip-spray in a pump-spray bottle, sold as enrichment for pet cats, & kept in the refrigerator to maintain its freshness. It lasts 6-mos to 9-mos, closed tightly & chilled. Be sure it's the herbal extract, not a synthetic perfume.
Catnip spray has actually been tested & proved to be more-effective than DEET in repelling mosquitoes - I don't know of any research on repelling ticks with catnip, unfortunately, but I do know that catnip works against both fleas & mosquitoes.

Long-sleeves & long-pants tucked into one's socks are good; I'd also strip, put my clothes directly into a hot dryer for 10-minutes, & shower within 30-mins of getting home. Once out of the shower, i'd move my "heat-sterilized" clothes to the washer, & if the weather is fine, i'd do my flea-comb + no-rinse detangler - if it was too cold, damp, or dark, I'd put the dog into the bathtub for their session with the flea-comb & detangler spray.

map of more vs less-likely Lyme hot-spots in Scotland -
http://d10k7sivr61qqr.cloudfront.net/content/royinterface/13/116/20160140/F2.large.jpg

article on the map research -
Map reveals where in Scotland Lyme-infected ticks are most likely to get you | Spectator Health

SHEEP ticks are the species most-often encountered, & thankfully, the encephalitis carried by ticks is in Europe, not Scotland. That's a blessing!

Ticks | Mountaineering Scotland

- terry

.

 

[Katelyn]

Hey everyone, please be careful when using Nexgard chewables and do your research first. Dogs Naturally Magazine has a great post about the dangers of using Nexgard, Bravecto & Simparica on your dogs. I HIGHLY recommend reading it before you give these harsh chemicals to your fur babies.

If Nexgard destroys a pest's nervous system, imagine what it can do to your dog? We all love our four legged friends and want to make sure they are using the safest products out there. There are so many ways to naturally treat your dog before you turn to harsh chemicals. I have been using an essential oil natural tick repellent for a while now and it has worked wonderfully. My Corgi is very sensitive to over the counter tick and flea treatment so I try to go as natural as possible.

 

[arealhuman]

@Katelyn - your link doesn't work, might just be me though.

 

[Caro Perry]

@Katelyn - your link doesn't work, might just be me though.

It works for me - it's a more complicated version than I'm using but I've got most of the oils so I'll give it a try.

 

[Kara 1]

I used seresto collars on all 5 of mine until my lurcher girl had a siezure out of the blue after having her collar on ...so i threw them away ....i walk mine daily through woods with high number of red deer ...i bought a nit comb and comb my dogs after each walk i can get up to 15 ticks off of them with the comb ....
There was a write up about dogs with flea /tick collars and spot on going into streams and water where fish etc live and the chemicals polluting the water .....its a real minefield about the chemicals we are advised to put on our dogs ....
When we were kids our old dog had one vaccination was never neutered, was wormed once a year ...ate chappie and winalot biscuits along with food scraps and lived until he was 19 ...i think we have become slightly paranoid about our 4 leggers !!!!☺

 

[evan]

Morning all,

We've got a 11 month old black lab boy and he doesn't seem to have a dodgy belly. He's only been fed Eden 80/20 since he came home with us at 8 weeks. He has training treats and some veggies and healthy scraps.

However, the flea treatments we have tried on him (spot on and tablet) cause him to have a very upset belly. One time he couldn't eat or drink water, had to call the vet. He gets a loud gurgling in his stomach and diarrhea for 3 to 7 days.

We stopped giving him treatments in the end as we didn't think it was worth it. However we're going to Scotland and been told the tics are very bad there, so he needs some extra protection. Can anyone recommend gentle flea/ tic protection? I'm a bit nervous of using anything 'natural' against tics. I want something that will repel/ kill the bleeders.

So far we have tried-
Frontline - spot
Advantage - spot
Bob Martin - spot (best we've tried, but still gave him diarrhea).
Nexgard - tablet (worst reaction)

Also, do dogs really need flea treatment every month? Can you do it less often?

Thanks,
Gem

There is a website called My Itchy Dog who sell lots of natural flea and tick control. In fact, everything they sell is natural.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

U do have to be careful about "Natural", too - after all, snake venoms, toad toxins, & arsenic are all NATURAL, among other things.

I'm not picking on 'natural', but i need something more - such as non-toxic, organically produced, fish-safe, no phosphates, biodegradable, etc. Natural is the bare beginning.
Yes, i avoid synthetics & chemicals as much as possible - I also use chemicals daily. Acetic acid is a chemical, also known as vinegar.
Carbonic acid? - that's soda-water...
the single biggest risk-factor for osteoporosis in women over 35-YO is answering YES when someone asks, "Do U drink soda daily?" - diet doesn't matter, HFCS doesn't matter, DAILY & "CO2 dissolved in water" matter. Carbonic acid in Ur stomach quickly hits yer bloodstream - Ur body needs to buffer the acidity, & pulls a buffer from the handiest & largest supply, yer skeleton. Oops.

So read labels, think about consequences, consider what U will need to throw away / recycle / compost if U buy this product. And of course, what effect it may have on yer pet, yer child, yer health, etc.

- terry

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