Fleas!!!

[babsrocks]

OK, here's my problem. I have 3 dogs and 4 cats and my best efforts to keep them flea free have failed. I've tied Frontline, Advantage, flea baths and nothing seems to work.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
My husband wants to do a flea bomb, but I'm worried about my fish tanks. Can you do a bomb without hurting the fish?
Thanks

 

[hattiesmum]

I have started to rely on collars for my 5 cats and two dogs

reasons (all personal)

charlie (gay ginger and white tom cat) allergic to frontline spray

peggy (black and white beauuuuutiful lady cat) alllergic to the drops

everyone hates the sprays, we hear kitty shouts of 'run, run like the wind' whenever we get home with spray in the shopping bags


i didn't like the idea of collars for the cat (dogs don't seem to have a problem with theres) and used to buy ones with elastic for safety, but just found a new one with a safety fastening that just pops open if enough pressure is put on. hopefully this will mean that thomas (grey11 year old tom who is the reincarnation of the dali lama) can carry on chasing squirels without the worry of hanging himself on a branch.

I wouldn't risk bombing who knows what it will do to the water and then the poor fish!!!


good luck with it

 

[Auratus]

You should put 7 Garden dust or some other kind of dust that will kill fleas outside, that's most likely where they are getting them from. Inside the house you could spray some flea killer that is made to be sprayed on dogs and cats. I know they sell a spray bottle of it at Petco... it's silver. Sorry I can't remember the name . As long as you crouch down and spray it right into the carpet/floor it shouldn't affect the tanks. There might also be a dust type product that you can vacume up.

Have you tried Advantex? That's like super powered Frontline and it keeps mosquitos from bitting too.

Good luck with the flea problem

 

[fraservet]

It is very important to treat your house as well as the animals.

Frontline is the best product and will work in conjunction with treating the house - as long as it is applied properly.
You must make sure it is applied directly onto the skin, not onto the hair (this refers to the "spot-on" version)

Reactions to frontline are uncommon. What usually happens if that cats groom some of the solution off either themselves or other cats in the house, which then can cause them to be unwell. Therefore it is important to apply it just behind the head on the neck where they can't lick, and also to separate cats for a while after treatment (same goes for dogs, although they tend not to groom as much).

For treating the house, I recommend a spray such as Acclaim, although there are many similar products. This will last for 12 months. It is also important to empty your hoover after every use, and to wash all bedding thoroughly.

Fish tanks are best covered while using these products, although there shouldn't be a problem once the spray has settled.

Treating your garden will have no effect, unless your cats never leave your garden, and no other animals enter. Most fleas are transferred to your pet by contact with other animals. After they have fleas, no treatment will be effective unless the source of re-infection (which will be fleas in your house) is dealt with.

Flea collars do not work.
They also tend to cause a lot more reactions than anything else.

It is also important to use only 1 flea treatment on your animals at a time.
So flea collars must be removed before any other treatment.

Hope this is useful.

 

[cichlidmommy]

I saw on TV last night where they put a flea collar in their vacuum. This will kill any fleas that may be alive that you vacuum from the carpet. They said the change the flea collar as often as you would if it was on the pet.