What are your results from flea meds?

[FreakyCola]

I tried Advantage 2 years ago & put one application on at the start of summer & didn't have flea problems all summer.
(Uh, on my cats, not me!!!)

The next year the vet talked me into trying Revolution since it's supposed to kill ear mites and some worms too. I had to reapply it & should have applied it a third time, but did a flea dip instead.

This year the vet talked me into Revolution again by saying last year was a terrible year for fleas & I would have had to apply more Advantage too. But I just don't feel it works as well. Today we found a live flea!

Have you guys tried different meds & if so what's your opinions?

[wingnut]

I think ?? with revolution the flea bites the dog and becomes sterile where advantage the flea bites and dies. I groom dogs and have seen dogs on rev.loaded with fleas and not with advantage. I only use advantage on my pets for that reason. Are your cats indoors/outdoors? Do they normally have problems with mites? Sometimes I think they combine too much into one medicine and forget that they are treating a living thing. Also read the precautions on the meds before you give a flea bath. Sometimes it can overload the dogs system with poisons and accidently sicken or kill the animal.

[Old earth dog]

I've had great luck with Frontline Pluss. I've been in some heavily infested wooded areas with my GSD and he's only had one tick and no fleas. The tick was dead when I found it on him.
Be VERY careful using these applied flea/tick remadies along with dips. The furkids can have some serious reactions if one or the other remain in their system.
I don't like the idea of "chemically treating" my dogs, but is't unavoidable in my circumstances. My JRT will scratch himself bloody with just one or two fleas.

[newtohosta-no more]

I use Advantage and treat all the indoor and the outdoor cats. I do it once a month all summer. I've had good results, but I did notice one of the outdoor cats scratching the other day. They are due for a treatment this week.

[caliloo]

I would talk to the vet about going back to Advantage. We just got our new puppy yesterday and the breeder recommended Advantage.

She is a vet tech and cautioned against using frontline on any shortcoated animals. It seems they are getting a lot of reactions that look like burns on Dobies, GSPs, Boxers, Weims, etc. If the dog has a longer double coat then there doesn't seem to be a problem.

Alexa

[Annie]

I like Advantage. I've used it 2 times in the last 5 years. The last time being last summer.
For some reason it kills them and they don't come back, at least to my critters anyway

[jmboyer]

Ellen, I swear by Frontline Plus. I've used every product on the market and nothing has worked as well as this one on my four girls.

[FreakyCola]

I'm definitly trying Advantage next time. Three of the cats had reactions on the spot where I applied the Revolution. Some are still scratching but I don't see any fleas, so I wonder if they're itching coz of the med. The vet said not to worry unless they have swelling or puke. The fleas are dead that I see on their coats so that part worked.

The day after I applied it one had worms in his feces & I didn't even know he had them, so I don't know if it was killing them or not. I haven't seen any worms since.

Thanks everyone for your stories.

[Annie]

How does it kill worms? Never heard of that. They prob have tape worms as these are what comes from infected fleas.

I just use the Advantage and then get some wormer from the vet (NEVER OVER THE COUNTER KIND).

[newtohosta-no more]

Good advice , Annie. I was going to suggest worm meds from the vet also. I'm currently worming two of the outdoor cats. (already did the other one)
I order my Advantage online .....it's too expensive at the vets.

[FreakyCola]

It's supposed to kill roundworms and two others, hookworms I think & heartworms maybe? Also ear mites. It didn't do a thing for the ear mites last year. This year no one had them.

Just saw two of the cats feces that had worms so it definitly doesn't work on that!

[flowerchild59]

I use frontline plus only.
For worms, I use a cattle wormer, fenbenazole. You can read about this on http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth.htm

I have saved myself a ton of money on my four dogs using some of these ideas.
And so far, all have proven safe and effective.
Read for yourself.

[mooie]

I've always used Revolution on my two girls. I can't argue against it as I've never tried another product. This has always worked for me and my two cats are inside/outside. Just picked up a dose yesterday for them, and it's like they aready know I'm waiting to grab them. They're nervous and avoiding me.. This picture isn't my cats, but a good idea of what it looks like come 'flea med time'.

[Spider]

I've used Program (flea birth control), Advantage (once that became available), Revolution (fleas, heartworms, roundworms, and ear mites), and now Advantage Multi (fleas, heartworms, roundworms, ear mites). I have never had flea problems while using these products. I prefer Revolution over advantage because it doesent leave a grease spot for as long as Advantage. My cat is indoor only, but has lived with dogs that have had inconsistant flea control (housemates). (I will say I'm using Adv. Multi because I work at a vet and got it for free otherwise I'd get Revolution because of the grease spot. I use the flea/heartworm control year round (I've had pets in several states - NC, VA, MN, NH, GA, PA, FL).

PLEASE have your cats on as stringent a scedule of heartworm control as your dog - if not more! You can treat a dog for heartworm (though it is risky), a cat can just drop dead on you with no outward signs with just one worm. We had a cat come in for the 6 month checkup (very thorough) and three days later the cat was found on the front step at home dead. We necropsied and found one heartworm. Cats can't be treated for heartworms even if they are detected, they are too sensetive to the treatment.

Basically if one product doesn't work for you then switch to a different product. Your vet can recommend one over the other, but if it doesn't work for you and you want to try the other you have the final say so. Also if your infestation is real bad don't forget treating the house and yard. The eggs and larva are in the environment.