# Flea and Tick Preventatives



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Who has their dogs on a flea and tick preventative and who doesn't? If you DON'T, why? Just looking for the pros/cons etc, as I don't think my parents ever used it on our dogs while I was growing up. What brands do you use and why? Looking for the best one for my money...at my vet, k9 Advantix and frontline are buy 6, get two free. I think 6 doses is about 90-100 bucks here. Thoughts??


----------



## ankittanna87 (Nov 20, 2012)

how old is the pup? advantix & other solutions are recommended on pups over 4-5 months of age.. I don't know if you have these injections in the US but here in India we have this all-in-one kind of injection (fleas, ticks, de-worming, anti-fungal).. works for about 6 months & to be given to pups over 6 months of age.. u can check with your vet if that is available.. 

Kaiser's only 8 weeks old hence I only use a powder.. Also, a suggestion, if possible, wash his paws after coming back from outside.. ticks usually start at the paws (if he's not been sitting).. hope this helps


----------



## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

I usually use either Trifexis or Heartguard and Comfortis, depending. It's cheaper to buy Trifexis because it takes care of internal parasites, fleas and ticks. If you buy a year supply at the office I work at, you get 10% off. Since I work there I also have a 50% employee discount.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I live in muggy hot SC and my dogs are in the woods a lot and my working dog spends a lot of time outside. Other than occasional diatomaceious earth, I did nothing last summer and had a good year. I will assess this coming year and dose if I find any evidence of fleas or ticks.

I do give ivermectin to prevent heartworms.


----------



## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I use the Australian version of Trifexis (Panoramis) for Bruiser and Faith, Heartgard Plus and Frontline for Slider. If I'm havin a serious problem, I also use Frontline on Bruiser and Faith.


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

You can get Advantage II (for fleas, not ticks) for around $10/month through the big online retailers on sale. Watch for sales that can be combined with coupon codes at KV Supply, PetcareRX, etc. It works.

I do not use Frontline, as I'm not impressed with its efficacy at the shelter where I volunteer -- it could be they aren't using it right (they use the spray from Frontline, not the tubes), but I have found fleas on dogs treated with it. 

In the South, even though my house and yard don't have fleas, they are in the environment -- in my neighbors' yards as we walk past, in parks we visit, etc. Fleas are miserable for dogs and carry diseases. In this climate, the dogs get devoured by bugs. When I lived in California, many years we could go without a flea preventative because I hardly ever saw a flea, anywhere. It all depends on your climate.

ETA: I recently re-priced Advantage Multi, which is _both _a flea preventative and HW preventative, and it comes out cheaper for me than separate HW and flea meds. It's around $90 per 6 tubes in KV Supply's latest catalog. I'm likely switching once I use up my currently supply. Also, for the sake of comparison, Advantix (the one you priced at your vet) is around $70 per 6 for the large size.


----------



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Magwart said:


> You can get Advantage II (for fleas, not ticks) for around $10/month through the big online retailers on sale. Watch for sales that can be combined with coupon codes at KV Supply, PetcareRX, etc. It works.
> 
> *Ill have to check those online stores, thanks! *
> 
> ...


*Thanks! Ill have the check that out *



ankittanna87 said:


> how old is the pup? advantix & other solutions are recommended on pups over 4-5 months of age.. I don't know if you have these injections in the US but here in India we have this all-in-one kind of injection (fleas, ticks, de-worming, anti-fungal).. works for about 6 months & to be given to pups over 6 months of age.. u can check with your vet if that is available..
> 
> *He is 6.5 months old. I haven't heard of the injections, but I'll ask my vet about them...seems alot easier than the topical stuff, haha*
> 
> Kaiser's only 8 weeks old hence I only use a powder.. Also, a suggestion, if possible, wash his paws after coming back from outside.. ticks usually start at the paws (if he's not been sitting).. hope this helps


*Thanks, i'll be sure to do that! *



GsdLoverr729 said:


> I usually use either Trifexis or Heartguard and Comfortis, depending. It's cheaper to buy Trifexis because it takes care of internal parasites, fleas and ticks. If you buy a year supply at the office I work at, you get 10% off. Since I work there I also have a 50% employee discount.


I havent heard of Triflexis, i'll research it though. He is on heart guard also. 



jocoyn said:


> I live in muggy hot SC and my dogs are in the woods a lot and my working dog spends a lot of time outside. Other than occasional diatomaceious earth, I did nothing last summer and had a good year. I will assess this coming year and dose if I find any evidence of fleas or ticks.
> 
> I do give ivermectin to prevent heartworms.


So you dont use any flea and tick stuff? If a tick was on my dog, would it be easy to find?? He is a longcoat lol. I dont know if where I live is bad with fleas/ticks...I live in Chicago. I mean, I dont live by any woods really, but I do plan on taking him running with me in the forest preserve when it is warmer. I also give the ivermectin to Berlin. 


Thanks for the help


----------



## harmony (May 30, 2002)

revolution. I was mad one time I got talked into a $35.00 dollar flea collar


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

gsdlover91 said:


> So you dont use any flea and tick stuff? If a tick was on my dog, would it be easy to find?? He is a longcoat lol. I dont know if where I live is bad with fleas/ticks...I live in Chicago. I mean, I dont live by any woods really, but I do plan on taking him running with me in the forest preserve when it is warmer. I also give the ivermectin to Berlin.
> 
> 
> Thanks for the help


I just do a daily tick check - run my fingers over them just like I check myself. I guess the idea of tick and flea checks is not foreign to me because I had my first dogs when all we had was flea powder and organophosphate dips but I did not want that stuff on my dogs as we had small children who tend to touch everything and not wash hands.

If my dogs pick up fleas this year I will reconsider.


----------



## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I use Neem oil mixed with olive oil on my dogs to prevent fleas

I've had an infested dog mix with my dogs recently and my dogs picked up the fleas. They were flea free within a week of using Neem. I just rub on coat every second day. It is cheap and non toxic.


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

gsdlover91 said:


> Who has their dogs on a flea and tick preventative and who doesn't? If you DON'T, why?


I never use flea stuff. The only time my guys get fleas is when they catch the wild rabbits. Then it's just a couple and I can pick them off when I see them.

In the 10 years we've lived here I've only used tick chemicals twice. Last year was AWFUL in regards to ticks. I was picking multiple ticks off each dog every time they came back inside. The dogs basically learned to line up next to the grooming table for their Tick Checks (that was the command I made up). Found some on us, also - from the dogs laying next to us. Ugh.

This year I plan to start using garlic early in the season so the dogs have some built up in their system BEFORE the ticks come out.

That and trying to talk the husband into letting me get some guineafowl. They are awesome at hunting ticks!!

That or a monkey to groom the dogs.


----------



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> I never use flea stuff. The only time my guys get fleas is when they catch the wild rabbits. Then it's just a couple and I can pick them off when I see them.
> 
> In the 10 years we've lived here I've only used tick chemicals twice. Last year was AWFUL in regards to ticks. I was picking multiple ticks off each dog every time they came back inside. The dogs basically learned to line up next to the grooming table for their Tick Checks (that was the command I made up). Found some on us, also - from the dogs laying next to us. Ugh.
> 
> ...


Lauri, you are in the same area of the US as me. Fleas arent bad here generally then? I would rather SAVE the money than use a product i dont necessarily need...as for the ticks, what do I do if he gets one on him? Besides throw up, YUCK  What does the garlic do? Repel them? Do you give it in their food? Any advice on this I would appreciate because I am interested in doing that! Or is there just a chemical for ticks and not fleas?? Like I said, I have never used any flea/tick stuff so i really have no idea about it. Hahaha a monkey to groom the dogs...wouldnt that be nice !:wild:

Im located in the northern suburbs of Chicago, not far from the IL-WI border actually. Not sure if you know where antioch, IL is? But I'm about 15 minutes south of Antioch - hope that gives you a general idea of the area i'm in, not sure if flea/tick heavy or not! But i have never seen a flea, and Ive only seen ONE tick, and only this past summer on my dads dog...



MadLab said:


> I use Neem oil mixed with olive oil on my dogs to prevent fleas
> 
> I've had an infested dog mix with my dogs recently and my dogs picked up the fleas. They were flea free within a week of using Neem. I just rub on coat every second day. It is cheap and non toxic.


What is neem oil? You rub this on their coat? Doesnt it make them oily?! LOL! Berlin would get oil EVERYWHERE!



jocoyn said:


> I just do a daily tick check - run my fingers over them just like I check myself. I guess the idea of tick and flea checks is not foreign to me because I had my first dogs when all we had was flea powder and organophosphate dips but I did not want that stuff on my dogs as we had small children who tend to touch everything and not wash hands.
> 
> If my dogs pick up fleas this year I will reconsider.


Oh wow, yeah I have never searched for either...I guess I should learn how to do daily checks!


----------



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

I live in a great place, perfect weather, perfect everything... Well except for the million billion people who live here for the same reasons.

I rarely use anything like that for my dogs... We don't have near the amount of bugs you see on the other side of the country(especially the south *shudder*) even though we do not get winter here, possibly because its a desert environment.

The only time I might use something would be in the late summer, last summer being as hot as it was I was seeing more fleas on the dogs then we've ever seen before. Never found any ticks or seen any except once on a hike up in the mountains.

We check for heart worms yearly but we are not in a high risk zone, in fact I don't think I've ever seen or been bitten by a mosquito since I've lived here for the past 8 years.

I'm going to look into using garlic too since its not a huge issue for us... Probably a lot cheaper and safer!


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

My animals haven't had a flea on them in years (knock on wood)

I don't want to put anything on them or in them that I don't have to.

With that, I do live in "tick" country, but his year wasn't bad. I do nightly tick checks and if I'm off to hike in the woods, I've been using a product called Natural Defense, (spray on)..Seems to work of for mine


----------



## MissLilyBean (Dec 22, 2012)

Since I'm in the Deep South, it's pretty much a given that you have to be vigilant about fleas year-round. We once took in a cat that brought fleas into the house in mid-January! Considering we have temperatures in the 70s today, it's easy to see why.

I use Advantix II and I think it works great. I used to buy it locally, but I just bought a 6 pack from 1-800-PetMeds for $66 (including shipping). I used a coupon code I found on Retail Me Not. You should definitely look there first if you're buying online!

I read something recently about using garlic. (Can't recall where.) There were studies that disproved it's significance. Not sure how valid they were. Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

I live in Southern California. I don't think Ive ever seen a flea or tick on a dog. I give my dog garlic and apple clear vinegar, just in case, but don't use the chemicals. I would if I saw some. I've also never done heart worm stuff. I don't think we really get that here, as I don't know anyone who's dog gets preventative or has ever had it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


----------



## MissLilyBean (Dec 22, 2012)

Yeah. Here in the southeast, heartworms are VERY prevalent. If a dog isn't on a preventative of some sort - even if they spend a lot of time inside - the odds are they are gonna get them.











Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

gsdlover91 said:


> Lauri, you are in the same area of the US as me. Fleas arent bad here generally then? I would rather SAVE the money than use a product i dont necessarily need...as for the ticks, what do I do if he gets one on him? Besides throw up, YUCK  What does the garlic do? Repel them? Do you give it in their food? Any advice on this I would appreciate because I am interested in doing that! Or is there just a chemical for ticks and not fleas?? Like I said, I have never used any flea/tick stuff so i really have no idea about it. Hahaha a monkey to groom the dogs...wouldnt that be nice !:wild:


The fleas can be bad but I have found that my dogs don't seem bothered by them. I attribute it to their natural diet (raw) and putting the least amount of chemicals IN and ON them as possible.

When I find a tick I pull it off. Trust me, after you pull off your 10th tick you lose that YUCK factor. Heck, Once when I would find a tick crawling on me I picked it off and held it until I was finished watching my movie.

I haven't found anything yet that kills ticks on contact. I tried the Diatomacious Earth. Put a teaspoon in a bottle with several ticks and they were still going strong after a week of crawling around in it.

I place the ticks I find on a piece of tape, fold it over, make sure they are sealed in and toss them in the garbage.

The garlic is supposed to repel fleas and ticks when fed to dogs. Google Springtime Garlic and you will find lots of info about it. And yes, I sprinkle it on their food.

When the ticks got so bad this past summer I ended up using Frontline spray on the dogs. I used it at about 1/10th the dosage they said on the bottle and it worked.

I wonder if I could RENT a monkey if the ticks get bad this year??? 



> Im located in the northern suburbs of Chicago, not far from the IL-WI border actually. Not sure if you know where antioch, IL is?


I lived in Round Lake Park, my brother lives in Ingleside, I used to train with Cheryl Carter at Candys Canines in downtown Antioch and I sometimes get stuff from the Antioch Packing House on Main St for my dogs. 

I'm in the Kenosha area.


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Forgot to add - I use a curved Jewlers tweezers for pulling off ticks. They look like this:










I found them much easier to use on my long haired boy Mauser than the tick keys that most places sell.

Tick Key Home - Why Tick Key?


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Capone22 said:


> I live in Southern California. I don't think Ive ever seen a flea or tick on a dog. I give my dog garlic and apple clear vinegar, just in case, but don't use the chemicals. I would if I saw some. I've also never done heart worm stuff. I don't think we really get that here, as I don't know anyone who's dog gets preventative or has ever had it. [/QUOTE]
> 
> Unfortunately, it's no longer true about HW not being in So Cal. I lived in Los Angeles for years, and HW _used to be _almost unheard of there -- that changed after the mass-influx of the "Katrina dogs" arriving in rescue, and then the cases of HW started rising, according to my old vet there. Once the infected dogs arrived, the local mosquitoes started spreading it. I think it depends how far into the desert you live too -- if you are in an area where you have mosquitoes, then there is now _some _risk of HW there, though it's still relatively low. Here's a map with HW incidence, and as you can see California is not a _heavy _HW area, but they are getting 1-5 cases per clinic:
> American Heartworm Society | What Is Heartworm Disease?


----------



## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

While I think it is not ideal to have to use pesticides on a dog, I will always go that route and use the best stuff out there, which in my experience is Advantix and a Preventix collar. After my dogs and my (personal) experience with debilitating tick illness, I would no longer take any chances with ticks. One of the reasons I live where I do is the absence of ticks and very few/no fleas.

Be careful. If you are not out in the woods with your dogs everyday you may be fine with natural remedies, but I gambled with the "natural" route and lost big time. Using what I've learned, I won't make that mistake again. I will pay what it takes to get the best anti-tick chemicals out there (Advantix II and Prenventix collar). 

And I would never hesitate to treat for heartworm year round. That is simply not something I'd risk.


----------



## lorihd (Nov 30, 2011)

i really didnt have a problem with ticks when we let our chickens out of the coop, they would eat all the bugs, but now with the foxes around, cant let them out anymore. i use certifect


----------



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies everyone, a wealth of information, just what I was looking for. 




Carriesue said:


> We check for heart worms yearly but we are not in a high risk zone, in fact I don't think I've ever seen or been bitten by a mosquito since I've lived here for the past 8 years.
> 
> I'm going to look into using garlic too since its not a huge issue for us... Probably a lot cheaper and safer!


Lucky you dont have to deal with all the grossness thats on this side of the US, LOL, luckily its VERY cold right now so there are no creepy crawlies. 



JakodaCD OA said:


> My animals haven't had a flea on them in years (knock on wood)
> 
> I don't want to put anything on them or in them that I don't have to.
> 
> With that, I do live in "tick" country, but his year wasn't bad. I do nightly tick checks and if I'm off to hike in the woods, I've been using a product called Natural Defense, (spray on)..Seems to work of for mine


Thanks! Ill check that out, I think ticks is the only thing I have to worry about here - so maybe that will work if I take him outside to the forest preserve or something. 



MissLilyBean said:


> I use Advantix II and I think it works great. I used to buy it locally, but I just bought a 6 pack from 1-800-PetMeds for $66 (including shipping). I used a coupon code I found on Retail Me Not. You should definitely look there first if you're buying online!
> 
> I read something recently about using garlic. (Can't recall where.) There were studies that disproved it's significance. Not sure how valid they were. Thoughts?
> 
> ...


Thank you, I will certainly look there first...WAY cheaper than at the vet. 




Lauri & The Gang said:


> The fleas can be bad but I have found that my dogs don't seem bothered by them. I attribute it to their natural diet (raw) and putting the least amount of chemicals IN and ON them as possible.
> 
> When I find a tick I pull it off. Trust me, after you pull off your 10th tick you lose that YUCK factor. Heck, Once when I would find a tick crawling on me I picked it off and held it until I was finished watching my movie.
> 
> ...


Kenosha is only about 30 minutes from me, lol small world, I actually live in Ingleside/Volo! 

I am interested in a spray for ticks, Ill have to look for that...I will google the garlic also, thanks for the info about that! Where would a dog acquire fleas any who? (besides from another dog)

haha and...I actually think you CAN rent a monkey :wild:..I saw it on a show once, they rented a chimp, craziest thing ever. 




Muskeg said:


> While I think it is not ideal to have to use pesticides on a dog, I will always go that route and use the best stuff out there, which in my experience is Advantix and a Preventix collar. After my dogs and my (personal) experience with debilitating tick illness, I would no longer take any chances with ticks. One of the reasons I live where I do is the absence of ticks and very few/no fleas.
> 
> Be careful. If you are not out in the woods with your dogs everyday you may be fine with natural remedies, but I gambled with the "natural" route and lost big time. Using what I've learned, I won't make that mistake again. I will pay what it takes to get the best anti-tick chemicals out there (Advantix II and Prenventix collar).
> 
> And I would never hesitate to treat for heartworm year round. That is simply not something I'd risk.


I use heartguard year round - def not taking any chances with that! I'm thinking I may want to use a spray or something for ticks, but during the warmer months. I dont want my dog getting lyme disease or anything..


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

This thread is 9 years old now, no worries though, I still find myself not noticing and posting.


----------



## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Saphire said:


> This thread is 9 years old now, no worries though, I still find myself not noticing and posting.


I don't think we get Nexgard in Canada unless it's under another name. And expensive although I do like the beefy edible for them over the liquid oily topicals


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

WNGD said:


> I don't think we get Nexgard in Canada unless it's under another name. And expensive although I do like the beefy edible for them over the liquid oily topicals


I don’t use anything on my dogs. Heartworm is not much of an issue in my area and I’ve yet to find a tick on any of my dogs. Yearly testing is always negative for both


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Saphire said:


> I don’t use anything on my dogs. Heartworm is not much of an issue in my area and I’ve yet to find a tick on any of my dogs. Yearly testing is always negative for both


I use Simparica trio for the Punk. With her other health issues I can't risk her getting a tick bite and here it's year round due to milder temps.


----------



## Rionel (Jun 17, 2020)

My father in law swears by Trifexis and so does my vet, but we used it for one cycle without seeing any difference in fleas - no better or worse. (Plus the company didn’t honor its rebate) I stopped using topical flea meds last year because of my Collie’s massive coat and the tendency for the oil to gather dirt and irritate his skin. What seems to be working well now is a flea shampoo I found that has botanical oils. We have just enough consecutive hot days that we use a heart wormer, but also because it works on other worms like whip worms.


----------

