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Posted By: Squirrelnut Fleas - 05/22/17
My dog is miserable and it doesn't seem to matter what we do we cannot rid him of fleas. He takes the Sentinel tabs for heartworms which are also supposed to kill fleas. We also use flea drops and he wears a flea collar and when we comb him nightly we get 8 to 10 fleas every night. Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if the fleas are resistant to the drugs and insecticides.
Posted By: milespatton Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
I have had good luck using NEXgard for both ticks and fleas. miles
Posted By: RoninPhx Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
talk to your vet, should be able to get a shot to keep them off.
Posted By: viking Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
We spent about a grand the last three months account of those stupid things. The dogs ingested larve I guess..equals the chits. Now they are on Trifexa?
Posted By: 12344mag Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.
Posted By: WhiteTail48 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Bravecto. It is an oral chew (to the dog it's a treat) that kills 98% of fleas for 12 weeks. Price is about $50 for the chewy tablet.
Began working immediately on a flea-infested rescue we got last year, and one dose was all it took.
Posted By: GeorgiaBoy Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by 12344mag
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.



+1
Posted By: Ranger99 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by Squirrelnut
My dog is miserable and it doesn't seem to matter what we do we cannot rid him of fleas. He takes the Sentinel tabs for heartworms which are also supposed to kill fleas. We also use flea drops and he wears a flea collar and when we comb him nightly we get 8 to 10 fleas every night. Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if the fleas are resistant to the drugs and insecticides.


you may be getting them from roaming pets in your area.
i have at least one neighbor that lets their cats run willy-nilly over the neighborhood and spreads them everywhere.
one has to have the exterminator over regularly to have the house sprayed. the same neighbor keeps cat food out
in a dish in their backyard 24/7 and draws all kinds of vermin including big rats. i'm the only one that will treat for
fire ants and rats and other undesirable pests. at one time, the neighbor's cat food was drawing possums regularly.
i caught one a night for 2 weeks in a row. i should also mention the loose cats would come here and sit on the front
porch and leave a deposit of fleas. when i'd walk outside to pick up the newspaper, i'd get fleas all over my legs.
a good regular spraying and other things took care of that. i really don't care to contract any vermin-borne illnesses.
Posted By: Wyogal Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by WhiteTail48
Bravecto. It is an oral chew (to the dog it's a treat) that kills 98% of fleas for 12 weeks. Price is about $50 for the chewy tablet.
Began working immediately on a flea-infested rescue we got last year, and one dose was all it took.


Yep. I put my dogs on it this year, as Wyoming is the wettest its been in 20 years. Expect a bumper crop of fleas and ticks this year. Well worth the $50.00 for 3 months.
Posted By: ShadeTree Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
What kind of flea collar? Is the dog inside or outside? If outside at a box you will also likely need to treat the dogs pen and box to get rid of them.

Up to you but I haven't ran into any of those nasty critters, ticks, fleas, mites, lice, mosquitos, that have a stomach for a good permethrin based product.

I use the Freedom Spot on 45 for direct use on the dog. You can get it packaged for dogs, or do like I do and buy the ones packaged for horses as it's cheaper per ounce, then I just dose at dog dose. But even buying it packaged for dogs it just cost a little over $2 per dose and it lasts for a month per dose. 1.5 cc's for a dog under 33 lbs. 3cc's will treat a dog 33-66lbs. Over 66lbs is 6 cc's. Put half of the dose between their shoulders, the other half from between their hips down to the base of the tail. Because I buy it packaged for horses I put 3cc's into a 3cc syringe without the needle of course, and use it as an applicator to get it down through the hair and on their skin. If you buy it packaged for dogs you of course just use the pre-packaged applicators.

If your dog has that many fleas, then the area it spends a lot of time at is probably infested and will need treated. You will want to look for something along the lines of this.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/pt-ultracide-20-oz-p-175.html
Posted By: las Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Alaska.... smile
Posted By: Sako76 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
I use Bravecto also, great stuff!
Posted By: JSTUART Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by 12344mag
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.



This is the answer, particularly if he is camping under the house during the day.
Posted By: uncle joe Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
If you have carpet in the house you need to kill the flees/eggs there or you will never get rid of them. I had a major flee problem when living in Florida and found a company called "PestX" their product has a high concentration of borax in it. the stuff worked wonders.. Some years later we bought a lake house in GA and the previous owners had a flee problem that they were kind enough to include with the house at no extra charge. PestX again and have been flee free for 10 years.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
just treating the dog won't get it, as others have noted... treat house, treat yard, etc...

I don't know what I'd do if I had to live in a city and small yards and walk the dog around others etc.... drive me nuts likely..

Diatomaceous earth dusted around the yard is "green" and works on them too...
Posted By: 10gaugemag Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by Ranger99
Originally Posted by Squirrelnut
My dog is miserable and it doesn't seem to matter what we do we cannot rid him of fleas. He takes the Sentinel tabs for heartworms which are also supposed to kill fleas. We also use flea drops and he wears a flea collar and when we comb him nightly we get 8 to 10 fleas every night. Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if the fleas are resistant to the drugs and insecticides.


you may be getting them from roaming pets in your area.
i have at least one neighbor that lets their cats run willy-nilly over the neighborhood and spreads them everywhere.
one has to have the exterminator over regularly to have the house sprayed. the same neighbor keeps cat food out
in a dish in their backyard 24/7 and draws all kinds of vermin including big rats. i'm the only one that will treat for
fire ants and rats and other undesirable pests. at one time, the neighbor's cat food was drawing possums regularly.
i caught one a night for 2 weeks in a row. i should also mention the loose cats would come here and sit on the front
porch and leave a deposit of fleas. when i'd walk outside to pick up the newspaper, i'd get fleas all over my legs.
a good regular spraying and other things took care of that. i really don't care to contract any vermin-borne illnesses.

This.

We have a neighbor that HAD quite a few cats, same thing, our dogs are on drops and it didn't matter.

Her daughter has been trapping them and taking them to a guy who wants barn cats so it got a little better ad then me spraying Permethrin in the yard helped to finish them off.

Permethrin is your friend.
Posted By: simonkenton7 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
I have been using food grade diatomaceous earth on my dogs for years. This stuff is the Hammer of Thor for fleas and ticks. Kills 'em all in about 30 seconds. I am out on the road right now so can't see which brand I have been using.
You dust the dog down with this stuff and it is goodbye to fleas.
I also use that revolution stuff, once every six weeks, but if I find a tick or a flea on the dog I dust 'em up with the diatomaceous.

For flea control in the house, I use a baking pan with water and oil.
Fleas are attracted to light. In a dark room, at night, they will jump towards a light.
So make your living room dark. Plug a little night light into a receptacle a foot off the floor.
Get one of those baking pans, about 15 inches long 10 inches wide, sides 2 inches high. Put it below the light, on the floor.
Put an inch of water in the pan. Put two tablespoons of oil into the water.

All night long the dumb fleas will jump to the light, bounce off and land in the water, and drown in the oil.

This also gives you a census of your flea population. First night you may get 10 fleas.
After a week, you are only getting 5 fleas, you know you are getting somewhere.

I don't like chemical pesticides, I was made sick by the use of pesticides in the house when I was a kid, not gonna spray any Raid inside my house.
Posted By: ShadeTree Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Originally Posted by Ranger99
Originally Posted by Squirrelnut
My dog is miserable and it doesn't seem to matter what we do we cannot rid him of fleas. He takes the Sentinel tabs for heartworms which are also supposed to kill fleas. We also use flea drops and he wears a flea collar and when we comb him nightly we get 8 to 10 fleas every night. Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if the fleas are resistant to the drugs and insecticides.


you may be getting them from roaming pets in your area.
i have at least one neighbor that lets their cats run willy-nilly over the neighborhood and spreads them everywhere.
one has to have the exterminator over regularly to have the house sprayed. the same neighbor keeps cat food out
in a dish in their backyard 24/7 and draws all kinds of vermin including big rats. i'm the only one that will treat for
fire ants and rats and other undesirable pests. at one time, the neighbor's cat food was drawing possums regularly.
i caught one a night for 2 weeks in a row. i should also mention the loose cats would come here and sit on the front
porch and leave a deposit of fleas. when i'd walk outside to pick up the newspaper, i'd get fleas all over my legs.
a good regular spraying and other things took care of that. i really don't care to contract any vermin-borne illnesses.

This.

We have a neighbor that HAD quite a few cats, same thing, our dogs are on drops and it didn't matter.

Her daughter has been trapping them and taking them to a guy who wants barn cats so it got a little better ad then me spraying Permethrin in the yard helped to finish them off.

Permethrin is your friend.


Yep! And it's cheap with no known toxicity affects for people or animals when given at recommended doses. Military has been using it for decades. Even considered safe for topical use on children over the age of 2 months. In my experience I've found that it just flat works for a whole host of bad bugs. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.

Here's a 36% concentrate for a little over $20 that will mix up 20-40 gallons depending on what you're treating for. Walmart and Tractor Supply also has concentrates cheap.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/permethrin-sfr-368-p-445.html
Posted By: rost495 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Permethrin is what I spray for scorpions with. Works a few months or so, and then we re treat.
Posted By: fish head Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
I am by no means an expert at controlling fleas but when I moved to Ca my dog and the other two dogs here had become INFESTED with fleas earlier this spring. A bath with flea shampoo killed the fleas but it only kept the little bastids off for a few days. I read the label on the flea shampoo and the active ingredient was Permethrin. What remedied the problem was vacuuming the carpet and spraying the carpet and yard with Permethrin. I used an industrial strength product (mixed per instructions) called Ten Guard but I'm sure the brand doesn't matter. We also applied K9 advantix II to the pups.

The added bonus to spraying Permethrin outside is it has helped control spiders and their webs on the patio. I sprayed the cement foundation and corners of the patio and there hasn't been any spiders to speak of.

It's been a little over a month and the fleas have started to reappear so it's time for another full treatment inside and out ... as before.
Posted By: Sasha_and_Abby Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by 12344mag
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.



THIS !!!!!
Posted By: Hogwild7 Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
I use Diatomaceous Earth in my garden and have dusted the cracks where ants were traveling to my house. It kills insects better than any chemical I can buy without a license. The tick granules they sell at walmart will kill fleas, ticks , and ants. Malathion will kill them if you can buy it. Boric Acid is safe for people and pets and you can use it inside.
Posted By: Sasha_and_Abby Re: Fleas - 05/22/17
Originally Posted by 12344mag
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.



THIS !!!!!
Posted By: Boogaloo Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Study up to understand the life cycle of fleas...

The Perm kills adults but not eggs...where they live the eggs hatch in a couple of days to two weeks.

Shampoo the dogs and directly spray every square inch of floor or anywhere the dog lays in or out doors every week for a month or two with a garden sprayer or more often if needed.

Whenever you see live adults you need to spray.

Two or three times will sometimes do it, then sprinkle 7 Garden dust or DE or Boraxo around the base board cracks and on the dogs once a week.

Fleas can also go dormant with the eggs living in the carpet or ground for years without hatching.

I used to use a product called Rid-A-Bug that would eliminate fleas in a house with one application of 100% floor areas if the animals were removed.

I think they changed the formula though as it used to have a room clearing smell for a couple of hours.
Posted By: Squirrelnut Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Thanks to you all for the help and suggestions. We live in a sub-division and treat the yard monthly and we spray the house but to no avail. He goes to the vet this week and I will ask about alternate medications as some have suggested. These fleas are demons.
Posted By: simonkenton7 Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
The vet won't suggest diatomaceous earth, or a water pan and a night light.
Vets make money off of prescriptions and no money off of home remedies.
Posted By: Boogaloo Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Originally Posted by Squirrelnut
We live in a sub-division and treat the yard monthly and we spray the house but to no avail.

Spraying monthly won't do it...You are not controlling the subsequent generations...it takes aggressive treatment at first. Any live adult fleas will lay more eggs and you will have to start all over again..

You are after total extermination, not control.

The eggs will hatch every 3 days to 2 weeks, so even spraying every week is minimum and may not be enough at first. I'd spray inside every 3 days for the first two weeks, then weekly for the next six weeks. Not necessarily the whole house, but common areas and any area that has fleas present or the dog has access to. That's for indoors, and any favorite spots the dog lays when outdoors.

Bathe or dip the animal every 3 days for the first two weeks and then weekly until you gain a flea free environment. Permethrin has no effect on dog physiology unless the dog has a sensitivity, but then it may be something else in the shampoo. I just mix a half teaspoon of Permethrin in a couple of gallons of water or shampoo and soak the dog's coat. It takes a surprisingly small concentration of Permethrin to kill a flea, but you want the shampoo to stay in the hair for 20 minutes.

I use a hose and nozzle to carefully wash all the shampoo out and make sure there is no residual detergent remaining. That can cause dry skin and hot spots. But I think that can also be bacterial.

With my big dogs with heavy coats towels don't work very well so I take them outside and blow their hair out with an air nozzle on my compressor. I wish I had thought of doing that 30 years ago. It blows any dead fleas and shedding hair off too, and leaves an awesome fluffy look. 10 minutes of 120 psi air with a compressor is better than 10 hours with a brush to remove hair when they are shedding.

Of course you have to be very careful of eyes and noses and ears, but using your hand as a shield and controlling air pressure those areas can be done as well.

Anyway, It takes aggressive treatment for the first month, then a lesser spraying regimen and then the topical monthly treatments will work.

Keep some Borax powder laying around in the baseboards to kill any occasional stragglers.
Posted By: ShadeTree Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Nut, a vet on a dog forum recommends NexGard for the fastest flea kill in a product sold at a vet. Says it isn't as fast a kill for ticks, so for that he recommends Simparica or Bravecto, with the nod going to Simparica for the fastest tick kill. About half the time to kill a tick compared to NexGard, but he seems pretty high on the NexGard for flea kills. Just thought I'd pass that along.
Posted By: Muffin Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Originally Posted by 12344mag
If you spray your yard with malathion you will kill the fleas in your yard, most likely were he is getting them unless you take him on runs in the woods and such. Malathion will also get rid of the other pests in your yard such as ticks, chiggers, and skeeters as well.



I also did this when I had a dog.

never wore a flea collar, never sprayed with flea spray, it just works.......

also works on army worms and chinch-bugs....
Posted By: TxHunter80 Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
We give our mutts trifexis for heartworms/fleas but also spray Bifen in the yard. It kills or keeps away pretty much all bugs and is approved to spray indoors. I've been using it about 5 years and everybody I've recommended it to uses it. It also keeps mosquitoes out of the yard, something tough to do on the coast The guy that sprays at work said this is the same chemical they would use for monthly/quarterly treatments.
Posted By: Crow hunter Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Listen to Boogaloo. You've got the break the hatch cycle of the fleas or you'll never get rid of them. That means spraying the yard with your insecticide about every three days for several weeks as new fleas are constantly hatching. You can kill them all once and in a couple of weeks you'll have just as many as you did before as the new ones hatch. You can kill the fleas but you can't kill the eggs so you need to keep after them until all the eggs in your yard have hatched and you've killed the resulting adults. Only then will you get a handle on them.
Posted By: stxhunter Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
i just pick them off.
Posted By: Boogaloo Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
Originally Posted by stxhunter
i just pick them off.

What Caliber?? Range??
Posted By: stxhunter Re: Fleas - 05/23/17
long fingernails
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