Hi all. Ziggy is nine weeks old. Should I be treating him with a flea preventative? Which is the best treatment?
Hey Lozz, I would say "it depends"! Do you have fleas or ticks where you are? Some people just use treatments if they see fleas, which is understandable. I did the same with my cats when I was younger. Where I live now, however, is prime tick country, and ticks are far more dangerous than fleas, so if this could be a problem for you, I would recommend using a tick treatment. Generally tick and flea treatment are "in one".
I guess it depends where you live what the extent of the problem is. I have had 5 dogs and umpteen cats and only seen fleas twice..which were treated. I don't do it routinely . I have never seen a tick ! If I lived where it was more of a problem...I would defiantly be preventative ...fleas are horrid. Have a chat to your vet .
When I still lived in Sussex lungworm was a much bigger problem than ticks. I used Advocate to protect against lungworm and prevent fleas. Where I live now doesn't have such a high number of lungworm reports but ticks are a huge problem so I use something different. I would speak to your vet and see what they recommend.
I wouldn't use any preventative flea control unless you have to. Obviously in a tick area you would need to use something. I have owned dogs for 45 years and have never used preventative treatment. Why put unnecessary chemicals into your dog's body unless you have to do so.
As Heidrun says, I also use Advocate because of the lungworm locally -when Molly was younger it was hard to stop her eating snails -and it controls fleas too. I used not to bother until the warnings about lungworms. I'd ask your vet.
Hi @Lozzz31 the best person to advise you on flea treatment, or for ticks, lungworm and lots of other nasties and also worming, is your vet. Your vet is aware of the particular risks in your area and can advise on the best product for your puppy. What is appropriate for one puppy/dog is not necesarily so for another.
We've had good results with Bayvantic (made by Bayer). The same product is sold under different names in different countries. Multiple names internationally are listed here (Look for a product from the list that has both Imidacloprid and Permethrin) https://www.drugs.com/international/imidacloprid.html
I'm not sure what it's called where you live, but we use Comfortis for Honey (and our cats), a chewable, once-monthly pill, and it works very well for us. Where we live, if we don't use preventative, flea problems develop quickly, so going without here isn't really an option.
I fully agree with your vet being the right person to advise you on what your pup needs. We used "top spot/frontline" type of products that are applied on the nape of the neck for Harls until she was above 25kgs (I think that was the weight) and the treatment was for both fleas and ticks. We don't have a flea problem in our house because we treat the entire cycle in Harley and the cats but our city is known for severe flea and tick issues. Now that Harls is larger she gets Bravecto for fleas and ticks. It is a edible tablet that she has every three months. I am proud to say that Harls has been flea and tick free since the day we got her. (She had STACKS of fleas when we brought her home).
