Preventative Flea Treatment

[Jillb]

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When I got my whippet 5.5 months ago I signed up at the vets to pay a monthly fee & get regular nurse checks & within the fee you get a years worth of flea & worm treatments & yearly vaccines. However since I got him at 3 months (with fleas) & got rid of them I have never seen a flea on him. I haven't applied the last flea treatment the vets gave me as i'm not sure if it's necessary.

What do you all do with your whippets - do you think it's best as a preventative to treat regularly or is it only something you'd deal with if you noticed fleas on them?

Jill

 

[Janimal]

I prefer to do it as a preventative measureure in my house Jill. I also have 3 cats as well as the whippets and they tend to hunt rabbits and bring the fleas along with them. I tend to do mine every 3-4 months. They have all just been done in the last few weeks.

I reguarly use Frontline on my cats and dogs, and like you hardly ever see a flea - but I know that if the cats do bring any in - they wont live long in our house now because of the regular useage of the Frontline, which also protects the living environment too.

Some people I do know use natural treatments in preference to treatments from the vets, but Im afraid this one for me is the only really good one, and you can now get it from good animal pharmacies online if you prefer.

If your dog is going outside and possibly meeting up with other dogs, there is a greater chance of him picking fleas up too from others, especially if they havnt been treated too.

 

[louisetope]

I [SIZE=14pt]NEVER NEVER[/SIZE] touch any of the veterinary flea products (Frontline etc)

Although never proven, there is certainly evidence that this type of chemical treatment can trigger auto immune based problems which are becoming more and more prevalent in our breed.

I think it was the use of Frontline which triggered my Reg's problem and very nearly killed him.

I use powdered garlic in their food (which is good for the heart and stuff too) If I find any "critters" I use either NO FLEA (Natural Pet Spray with Tea Tree) available from the www.animal-health.co.uk and DEAD & GONE available from www.pet-and-garden.com. Both are chemical free.

If you want to read more about auto immune problems, go to my website and click on the auto immune pages

www.dewerstone-whippets.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Louise

 

[nicky12]

I prefer to do it as a preventative measureure in my house Jill.  I also have 3 cats as well as the whippets and they tend to hunt rabbits and bring the fleas along with them. I tend to do mine every 3-4 months.  They have all just been done in the last few weeks.
I reguarly use Frontline on my cats and dogs, and like you hardly ever see a flea - but I know that if the cats do bring any in - they wont live long in our house now because of the regular useage of the Frontline, which also protects the living environment too.

Some people I do know use natural treatments in preference to treatments from the vets, but Im afraid this one for me is the only really good one, and you can now get it from good animal pharmacies online if you prefer.

If your dog is going outside and possibly meeting up with other dogs, there is a greater chance of him picking fleas up too from others, especially if they havnt been treated too.

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i have to agree with you on this one i do mine reguarly blue has never had a problem with fleas untill we got ollie who was riddled with them wen we got him .ther all gone now thou just do mine every 2/3 months and i dont see any and the dogs dont seem to have any problems wen i use frontline :thumbsup:

 

[~elizabeth~]

I [SIZE=14pt]NEVER NEVER[/SIZE] touch any of the veterinary flea products (Frontline etc)
Although never proven, there is certainly evidence that this type of chemical treatment can trigger auto immune based problems which are becoming more and more prevalent in our breed.

I have to say I agree, I have used them occasionally in the past (when they were picking them up from a friend's heavily infested house and from the chickens on the farm) but I wouldn't use them again unless there really was no other option. Since sorting out these external sources of infestations we haven't seen a single flea on cat or dog for quite a few years.

The last time I used one, the cat had a bad and prolonged skin reaction on her neck where the treatment was applied; a couple of months later she started having partial seizures, for which no cause has ever found and I do wonder if the bad reaction might have been a contributing factor.

Individuals who have a predisposition to autoimmune conditions usually are highly chemically sensitive ( I know from personal experience, as all my family and I have the same problems), and reactions will be more extreme if the autoimmune disease is active/flaring.

However, there are many other 'environmental' triggers for autoimmune diseases, including virus and bacterial infections, it's not solely triggered by chemical reactions.

Generally, if you have not had any previous problems with flea infestation I'd say the best prevention is good hygiene; do away with carpets and places where flea larvae can feed on dust and detritis, wash pet bedding regularly, check fur regularly for signs of fleas or dirt, and step up cleaning if you do find the odd one, just to be safe.

 

[Evie]

I regularly use Frontline on my two.

I just don't want to take the risk of ending up having to deal with fleas in the house. Plus we have Guide Dogs regularly staying here and I can't risk them picking up something from my dogs.

If you do go down the natural route and use garlic, be careful. In large doses it is poisonous to dogs. Though I believe it's safe in the doses used to prevent fleas. And never, ever use garlic salt.

 

[posh totty]

with a large volume of dogs within our family and all regularly meeting and mixing i do use preventative methods , also i use garlic , i think if you regularly deflea and worm , hoover reguarly and wash bedding at correct temperature, then you wont see too many anyway, i dont like to over use chemicals so i try to keep drugs to a minimum without letting the pets suffer, all my carpets are also washed and treated 6 mthly to prevent any infestation there too, with dogs cats rabbits and horses the odd bugs here and there are just part of the pleasures of pet ownership!!! please do remember that fleas and worms go hand in hand :thumbsup:

 

[Trish]

I [SIZE=14pt]NEVER NEVER[/SIZE] touch any of the veterinary flea products (Frontline etc)
Although never proven, there is certainly evidence that this type of chemical treatment can trigger auto immune based problems which are becoming more and more prevalent in our breed.

I have to say I agree, I have used them occasionally in the past (when they were picking them up from a friend's heavily infested house and from the chickens on the farm) but I wouldn't use them again unless there really was no other option. Since sorting out these external sources of infestations we haven't seen a single flea on cat or dog for quite a few years.

The last time I used one, the cat had a bad and prolonged skin reaction on her neck where the treatment was applied; a couple of months later she started having partial seizures, for which no cause has ever found and I do wonder if the bad reaction might have been a contributing factor.

Individuals who have a predisposition to autoimmune conditions usually are highly chemically sensitive ( I know from personal experience, as all my family and I have the same problems), and reactions will be more extreme if the autoimmune disease is active/flaring.

However, there are many other 'environmental' triggers for autoimmune diseases, including virus and bacterial infections, it's not solely triggered by chemical reactions.

Generally, if you have not had any previous problems with flea infestation I'd say the best prevention is good hygiene; do away with carpets and places where flea larvae can feed on dust and detritis, wash pet bedding regularly, check fur regularly for signs of fleas or dirt, and step up cleaning if you do find the odd one, just to be safe.

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got to agree with you elizabeth,i dont treat with any treatment either unless i see a flea then i would,we have got all wooden floors now and bedding is washed once a fortnight usually,but more in this wet weather.

we also put garlic powder in their food.

dont remember the last time i saw a flea must be over three years ago.

 

[jok]

I've never used any flea treatment on any of mine and never seen a flea.

I personally would not put unnecessary chemicals into them.

Obviously if they did ever get fleas i would have to treat them but i think preventative treatment is not necessary.

My mum does the same - no flea treatment. Her old dog is 15 and never had a flea on him.

 

[~elizabeth~]

I think they use is occasionally justified - an elderly friend of ours had huge infestation problem, many generations of dogs with no changes of carpet or any sort of adequate flea treatment. She realised the extent of her problem when a man came to repair something, and got a huge number of bites; he was so badly bitten he went to casualty for treatment as he had no idea what could have caused such sudden, extensive skin irritation. This is also where our dogs had been picking them up from too. We persuaded her to remove all her carpets, old dog beds etc and put down wooden flooring, and treat her dog for fleas with Frontline.

Having done all of this, she is still having problems with fleas. I suspect they may now be coming from the nearby stables, as someone keeps a large flock of chickens there, in rather unsanitory conditions, with a big rat problem as well :x . This is a very extreme circumstance, and I don't blame our friend for using Frontline to try to keep on top of it, but personally I'd be having words with the neighbour to sort out the root cause of the infestations. Most people will not have problems of this kind which need aggressive prevention, just normal good housekeeping is fine.

 

[Janimal]

Im sorry the hear that some of your animals have had an adverse reaction to Frontline.

But I for one will still use it - I think its a brilliant and very safe product. :thumbsup: It is very different too in a household - like mine with 3 cats and more than 1 dog. Its really a question of not overdoing it too often that is in my opinion.

A few years ago I had a really bad flea infestation in the house even though I had previously treated my animals regularly (though then not with Frontline) and am a really clean person - or so Id like to think (this is pre- Oscar and Kobi times I might add) and no amount of cleaning and using natural products will ever kill off the flea eggs - they can and will still hatch out after an incubation period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea

 

[Whippets Rule]

I use Frontline Combo once a month on my dogs and flea spray the house every six months to be on the safe side but i only worm them once every three months.

 

[fallenangel]

I ues garlic and ande herbel flea repelants all the time. I dont have carpet and all soft furnishind are very regualy cleans or i use vacum pouches and freeze things for 48 hours you have to be quiet maticulas about hovering in coners and stuff but its better then monthy chemical dosing. In 20 year of having dogs I have only ever seen fleas 4 times on mine. even when i did a lot of doggy fostering as the foster ws allways checked and treeted on arival.

I would use frontline to shift them though if we did get infested the quicker they are gone the better and I allso worm if there qany signe of fleas aswell.

Just do what you think is right for you and your dog

 

[alfyn]

Fortunately,it's very rare for any of mine to get a flea or 3,but if they do,i quite simply go over them with a flea comb........Safe & cheap!!! :thumbsup:

I wouldn't even think of putting potentially dangerous,poisonous chemicals on them (w00t)

 

[Seraphina]

Fleas breed in undisturbed dust, and need certain warms and humidity to hatch. Making sure there is no dust on skirting boards and vacuuming behind and under cushions in sofas and armchairs goes a long way in flea prevention. In winter in UK you should not have to worry about fleas. Even here in OZ in Victoria, I do not need to treat my dogs during the winter. I use Revolution (selamectin) or one of the others, but only if I spot a flea or flea dirt. Generally I only treat less than 6 months of each year. I would definitely not use any chemicals or medication unless it is necessary.

 

[Jillb]

Thank you everyone for your replies and your advice. That has helped me make up my mind - I will try more natural methods to control fleas in future and only use something like Frontline as a last resort.

It's tricky getting it right sometimes between what the vet tells you to do and what you feel right doing, especially as I have no previous experience of owning a dog (or should I say being owned 'by' a dog). The K9 site has been invaluable to me, thanks again.

Jill

 

[Joanna]

Due to the mild winter, we seem to have ongoing flea problems. We have a long haired cat who is always out and about, and i think she brings them in and they jump onto the dogs. I regularly deflea the cat as she is culprit no.1, and I do the dogs if I see one on them with Frontline. I haven't had an adverse reaction to it, but I try to keep it to a minimum

 

[~elizabeth~]

I think weather probably is an issue, we've had no prolonged frost for many years now and personally I have found it's had a big impact on the persistence of wild bird/poultry fleas (which can find their way onto cats and dogs as well).

The only big flea infestation I've ever experienced personally was the one we had at home in 1977, the year of the heatwave and drought, following on from a mild winter. Even people who didn't have pets had flea problems in that year.

When I worked for OUP, I was surprised to find how often a man with a spray pack came round after hours to spray for fleas, not something that was made widely known. There had been problems with infestations, and not a furry in the whole building; people were bringing them in on their clothes and they were continuing to breed in the building. I wasn't terribly happy at the thought of the amount of pesticide being sprayed around, even though the chap himself was completely unworried as it was 'only herbal stuff' (I'm guessing it was some sort of Permethrin preparation, which has some rather unwholesome health effects on animals and people).

 

[kirsty]

I use Frontline and only 1 of my four cats (Rinda) scratches the back of her neck for a while afterwards the other three are fine. Saying that Rinda has a very sensitive skin so anything triggers her off. I also use Frontline on the dog. I usually give November, December, January, February a miss unless the cats are going to a show then everyone gets done incase a flea gets picked up at a cat show. I did try the Frontline Combo once on the cats and everyone of them took a bad reaction to it and the vet prescribed Prednisolone steroid for it and I would never use it again. I would always stick to the normal Frontline.

 

[~elizabeth~]

I did try the Frontline Combo once on the cats and everyone of them took a bad reaction to it and the vet prescribed Prednisolone steroid for it and I would never use it again.  I would always stick to the normal Frontline.

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You might find the parallel thread on General Dog discussion interesting:

Adverse effects of Frontline Combo...