Re: Flea prevention As Stacia says, I'm not convinced flea treatment is always necessary. With my last dog I only treated for fleas once in his entire life - when he actually had them. Having said that,with Molly I am currently giving her Advocate (from vet) monthly, but I'm doing that because she does eat snails and the vet says there is lung worm locally, so I'm using it for that and the flea thing comes bundled with it. However I doubt if I'll continue next winter.
Re: Flea prevention [quote author=Stacia link=topic=5515.msg70265#msg70265 date=1398188718] teapot57, why do you need to use flea prevention? I don't and have no need either so far. I don't like the idea of filling a dog with chemicals that it doesn't need. (Sorry, to many 'needs')! [/quote] The chemicals do bother me, but I live in North Wales surrounded by sheep, and a high area for ticks. They are a concern. Have been reading about Billy no mates, which is a natural product you put in their food, but prob won't do anything for ticks.
Re: Flea prevention I use treatments to prevent a flea infestation - I don't want my dog to get fleas, and I don't want them in the house. I view fleas as very undesirable, disease carrying horrors, for my dog and my family and my home that can create all sorts of illnesses, allergies and skin complaints (even if the fleas are later dealt with). I'm not sure this is a logical view though (will do some research when I get chance).
Re: Flea prevention I stopped using chemical treatments for fleas and ticks on my dogs 2 years ago. I strongly believe that the chemicals in flea treatments made Ruby's skin condition much worse. Whilst on Stronghold, suggested by my vet, her scratching and licking got so much worse to the point where she had very little hair from her chest to her groin. I would only ever use a chemical treatment IF my dogs had fleas and then it would only be to get rid of them. My dogs have never had fleas but do get the occasional tick. I use Billy no Mates and other natural preventatives, including spraying them with dilute Apple cider vinegar if going to heavily invested tick area. I check mine over for ticks after every walk and just use a tick remover to get them off, it's no big deal! We have just been away for a week and mine have been running around in forests, amongst bracken in areas full of deer. I found 1 tick on my spaniel, and she spends all her time in the undergrowth!! I don't put chemical headlice treatment on my childrens head or get them to take a worm tablet every month as a preventative, so why would I do the same with my dogs ? Chloe
Re: Flea prevention Hmm, well, food for thought. I'll look into whether less often is still ok. The only treatment I delay is tapeworm, 6 months rather than 3, and that's after quite a considered risk assessment by the vet. I'll grill them next time I'm there (got to take him for his kennel cough booster). [quote author=rubyrubyruby link=topic=5515.msg70435#msg70435 date=1398254179] I don't put chemical headlice treatment on my childrens head or get them to take a worm tablet every month as a preventative, so why would I do the same with my dogs ? [/quote] Well....I reckon my rolling in dead seagulls, fox poo addicted, rabbit and horse poo eating, put everything-you-come-across-on-a-filthy-London-street-in-your-mouth, wee covered lamp post licking, puppy might have a different risk profile than the average child...
Re: Flea prevention The DivaDog only rarely goes in tick country or where there are many other dogs so has no regular flea treatment but I do give her a Johnson's 4Fleas tablet if I feel she may have come across any fleas. These work for 24 hours and are fine for knocking off a few just-jumped-on critters and, I feel, keep her chemical free between treatments ..... on average 4 times per year.
Re: Flea prevention [quote author=JulieT link=topic=5515.msg70441#msg70441 date=1398255629] Well....I reckon my rolling in dead seagulls, fox poo addicted, rabbit and horse poo eating, put everything-you-come-across-on-a-filthy-London-street-in-your-mouth, wee covered lamp post licking, puppy might have a different risk profile than the average child... [/quote] Well said!
Re: Flea prevention But you don't get fleas in those! JulieT you must have a flea dread, cannot say I have seen more than a couple of fleas in 40 years. Yes, if a dog catches a rabbit and it dies, then the fleas leave the ship, all over me once as I was so sad about the rabbit I was cuddling it, dog didn't get fleas and neither did I ;D Oh well then yes I did see more fleas, but at home and at vet's only two! I don't worm for tapeworm specifically as you can tell when a dog is infested, little grains of rice appear at the rear end! I do worm once a year against roundworm and tapeworm just in case, don't want to infect the environment. Fleas do not arrive automatically from dog owning ;D
Re: Flea prevention [quote author=Stacia link=topic=5515.msg70445#msg70445 date=1398258234] But you don't get fleas in those! JulieT you must have a flea dread. [/quote] Really? I thought that there would be fleas on just about every wild animal, and definitely on the horrible dead things Charlie seems to find at every possible opportunity. Well, you might be right. I honestly don't know. Everyone I know applies flea preventative treatments to their dog...I thought it was normal, and not to do so was really odd. Honestly, I thought to not take precautions against fleas infesting a home was...er...a bit mad. I'll have to go investigate. Supposed to be working now though!
Re: Flea prevention The fleas will have left the horrible dead things ;D I just don't fancy unnecessary chemicals in my dogs' blood. However, if lung worm came to this area then I would have to use Advocate, but until then, would not want to 'poison' my dogs
Re: Flea prevention Some children come to school (I'm a teacher) covered in flea bites. They are dog flea bites, not human. Social services go round, on our behalf, and get the fleas treated (and the house treated too). But, last year, two of our classrooms got infested. I sat on the teacher's chair and was bitten all across my back. Many of the kids were bitten too. Not nice. So I brought fleas into our house! I don't routinely get my dogs flea'd but do I get Advocate once a year from the vet, at the same time as their vaccination booster and worm treatment. Then I keep a close eye out for fleas/ticks. Gavin was a terror for picking up ticks 'tho none of my other dogs have ever had them! It's a case of balance IMO. We need to do what's right for our dogs and for other people. Having flea ridden dogs isn't fair on either.
Re: Flea prevention I somehow don't think JulietT lives in that environment! I also guess those that do, never use flea prevention or even vacuum their houses properly! Of course I wouldn't let my dogs be flea infested, but the present two are 8 and 2 and so far, nary a flea
Re: Flea prevention [quote author=Stacia link=topic=5515.msg70456#msg70456 date=1398260983] Of course I wouldn't let my dogs be flea infested ... [/quote] Of course you wouldn't! But - in the case of dogs which are constantly getting fleas, would you use it - and, if so, would you think the dogs were being harmed?
Re: Flea prevention A woman I used to see regularly at shows swore by garlic. She always thought her dogs were flea free as the critters never bit her but we used to dread her dogs getting close to ours coz, yep, they had fleas. Mosquitos and fleas make a beeline for me so I'm well aware if there are any around.
Re: Flea prevention Isn't garlic poison to dogs? Even small doses given regularly would build up toxicity, surely? ???
Re: Flea prevention My understanding (which may be wrong) is that garlic is like grapes and chocolate in that it only badly affects some dogs?
Re: Flea prevention I live in rural Alberta, and have raised two dogs from puppyhood. Both those dogs spent a considerable amount of time running around off-leash in the countryside and trees around here. I never used preventative flea treatment on them as a regular course of treatment, neither of them ever had a flea or tick, although the deer around here certainly are carriers for ticks, and dogs can get fleas from areas where there are coyotes around (which is basically everywhere around here :). Have not given Simba any preventative flea treatment yet, but am thinking about it for the spring. He will likely be kennelled a time to two over the summer and I hope to get him off-leash this summer, so, might give him some treatment. When I spoke to the vet in the fall he thought if Simba was going to be running around out of town for any length of time he should probably be treated. But I don't like the idea of the chemicals either. And as an aside, my sister-in-law in the city is battling a case of dog lice on her Border Collie, probably picked up at the off-leash walking areas she goes to frequently. Ewwww....
Re: Flea prevention Found this on good old Google ... https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
Re: Flea prevention I use advocate because it also protects against lungworm - judged a high risk for Charlie - and ear mites, which given the ongoing ear trouble, we value. And all worms, apart from tape, of course. I'm convinced allowing a significant worm load to build up is not a good thing... I apply it religiously, every 4 weeks. Plus advantix in the summer. Hmmm...will definitely look at whether this is right.
Re: Flea prevention [quote author=MadMudMob link=topic=5515.msg70466#msg70466 date=1398262867] Found this on good old Google ... https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/ [/quote] Here is the other side - http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/garlic/
