# FLEAS!



## Brimauster (Dec 9, 2007)

I've given Riley her first dose of Frontline a little more than a week ago, but yesterday noticed two fleas on her paw while we were playing. I was able to catch them and squashed them, but where there's one, there's more. 

I was thinking about a flea collar (Hartz 3-in-1 Flea and Tick), but although the package says it's okay after 8 weeks, I was wondering if she is still too young... (11 weeks).

Anyone else use a flea collar as well as a liquid flea control? What brand would you suggest? Thanks


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## workingdawgs (Jul 18, 2005)

I've never bothered with flea collars because while they are great for keeping fleas off the actual collar, they are not so good at keeping fleas off the dog. I would suggest calling your vet and asking what is safe to use with the Frontline as you have found fresh fleas on your puppy. Perhaps something like diatomaceous earth rubbed into her coat then brushed out after an hour or so might help out because the DE dehydrates the fleas (thus killing them).

Your best bet is to make sure you vacuum thoroughlly(sp?) every day and keep that up in case there are flea eggs that are still in cracks/crevices of your flooring/carpet.

Good luck! 
Michelle


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## dogs_dolls (Apr 27, 2001)

you should not use a flea collar with the treatment,most esp with a puppy!!! Even for an adult dog you are dosing them with dangerous chemicals that can interact and affect their nervous system. Only one sort of flea treatment at a time please. 
Frontline kill fleas on contact. That means the fleas have to be on the dog for a bit before they die. There are other treatments that kill flea, egg, larvae etc. BUT.....you have to wait the 30 days before applying some other treatment. Do not overdose your guy. Work on treating your house, rugs, bedding etc. BE vigilent with vacuuming and laundry.


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## Brimauster (Dec 9, 2007)

I kind of figured that it would be too many chemicals, but it was worth asking about. Thanks for the input!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I don't use flea collars, I think they are dangerous.

Before I got Kenya, I had my three house cats, strictly indoor, and never put flea treatment on them. I'd never even see a flea. Then, months after I got Kenya, I found 5 fleas on her and some flea dirt. I also noticed she was itching. She did not have fleas when I got her b/c she had none of these symptoms for a long time. I think that when we moved, our new yard gave her fleas. A lot of the grass is long and there are rabbits and other dogs and wild animals all around.

Anyway, I put a flea treatment on her, gave her a flea stunning bath, brushed her out real good....but she still was itching. Since I already put a flea treatment on her, I didn't want to overdue it so I waited until it was safe to treat her again and got a better quality one from the vet. I put that (Frontline Plus) on ALL of my animals, cats and dogs. I gave Kenya a Capstar treatment (a pill that actually KILLS fleas) and gave her another one two days later for good measure. Those treatments only took care of the fleas on the dog. 

I took ALL of my bedding, upholstery, rugs, dog bedding, curtains...everything...and washed it with HOT water (even poured in boiling water), a tiny bit of bleach, and salt b/c I read it kills the fleas and dries out eggs. I got flea treatments for the floors from my vet and I treat every inch of the house. The treatments have to have an insect growth regulator (IGR) or they just plain to not work. You cannot kill flea eggs per se, only stunt them from maturing by interrupting their growth cycle, and then they die off. Many topical flea treatments or flea preventatives for animals only treat adult fleas. It's the eggs you have to target, and they fall off the dog. Where there are fleas, there are eggs! I KNEW they were in the carpet b/c I saw one jump off of Kenya and when I chased it it was too fast and burrowed into the carpet.

I just went all out with it and am happy to say I have not seen a flea or flea dirt on any of my five animals since. After I treated all of the carpets, floors, rugs, and furniture with the IGR powder and spray, I found many dead spiders and centipedes, so I know that worked. The products I used are supposed to protect the house for 365 days.

You can also get a "bomb" or a "fogger", but I opted against that because we have a gas oven and stove and I did not know how to turn off all the pilot lights. When I treated the house, I put all the animals in the basement and opened all the windows. The powder goes on the carpet, you push it in with a broom, leave it for several hours, and then vacuum it up. The spray you just spray on, but man that stuff smelled and burned my sinuses!

I recommend just doing the whole house and everything. If the dog had fleas, there's eggs somewhere. Too many people say they just keep coming back. I spent a day just doing the entire house and now they are gone, for a year at least.


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