Flea problem.

The sprays are ok for getting rid of fleas in the house/animal beds but aren't much cop on the animals themselves. Basically, the sprays and powders just kill the fleas they come in contact with. It only takes one or two fleas to survive somewhere in the house for the problem to start all over again.

Your best bet is to go to the vet and get the drops you put on your animals neck/back. As well as getting rid of the fleas, they prevent them coming back for a few months (any that try to feed on them die quickly). These are way more effective than anything you can buy in a pet shop.

Best bet in summer, especially one like this, is to use the drops every few months, prevention is better than cure! I know they're expensive (and if your pets haven't been to the vet for a while they'll need a check-up before they'll prescribe the drops), but it really is worth every penny. I've used these drops for years and none of my dogs and cats have ever had fleas, even when one of my dogs was in close contact with a friends dog just after theirs had a flea problem.

Edit: I forgot to mention, the other reason the sprays and powders aren't effective is that only 5% of the fleas on your pet are alive at any one time, the others are at the egg/larvae stage which the sprays don't kill. So, you kill say 50 fleas with the spray but there are another 950 that aren't at the flea stage. Using the drops means that when the rest mature into fleas, they die immediately. Frontline is the one most vets recommend, there are others on the market that might be cheaper but I haven't tried those.

Would agree with Bannick - the drops I get from my vets (I think the brand is called Advocate or something on those lines) seem to be the only thing that is effective at keeping fleas on my cats at bay - there are expensive though; but stuff from ordinary shops is pretty useless.

Masha

Thankyou very much!! greatly appreciated1

Barb x

My male cat took an allergy to flea bites this year. So much so that I thought he'd been in a fight! The bites had swollen so much. A trip to the vets for Advocate sorted him out. My chemist sells frontline, cheaper than the vets, plus various online sites are cheaper again. First time he's had this problem, my female cat didn't re-act. I alway buy the house sprays from the vet as they are much more effective than shop bought ones. Dearer but worth it.

Frontline is what I get at the Vets, can also buy it in the chemist now (much less money than the vets) it suggests I use it every 5 weeks on my cat x

Would it be ok to put a dab of Tea Tree on the dog that has been scratching like mad, and has made herself sore? A friend mentioned it today, and I`m not sure about it!

Barb

I wouldn't put it on neat or near the break in the skin. I know some people put a couple of drops in a jug of tepid water to rinse the dog after a wash.

Dont forget to treat your house too, with something like Vetkem Acclaim or Staykill - available from the vets or some online vet supply shops.

This site does Frontline and the household sprays, it's where I used to get our dog food from (before our dane passed away recently) - service is very good.

You can use a drop neat for staph infections on rats, so I dont see why you cant use a bit neat on a dog. Or dilute it slightly and bathe. You can also get tea tree cream for pets, made by Johnsons (the one I have is for small animals, but I'm sure they'll do a cat/dog one too).

Just googled - and yes they do:
[DLMURL] http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/johnsons-tea-tree-skin-cream_1_156283.html [/DLMURL]

I put a drop neat on my cats when they've been in a fight - and they lick it too, which gets the tea trea fighting infection on the inside as well as the outside. They're fine with it ... although they don't like the smell.

If I remember when the poison is out, I'll put a drop of lavendar on the site to promote healing ... they're fine with that too.

Fx

Great! I will get to work with the Tea Tree!! I do treat the house, I use Johnsons Flea Fogger.
Thanks for all your advice!! :):)

Barb

One of our three cats suffers very badly from a flea allergy so would also recommend the above treatment. Also I use neem oil on the scabs as a healing agent although she hates the smell (also contains essential oils) and tried to head for the hills as soon as she sees the container.

Good luck!

'Bella

Choosing wisely

Pet owners must follow the detailed product instructions, as cats are potentially at risk of toxic effects from these older insecticides. It may be necessary to use a variety of flea control products, and these should be chosen carefully to avoid overdosing the cat.

In recent years compelling evidence has accumulated that essential oils can be toxic to cats, whether taken internally, applied to the skin, or simply inhaled.

The liver is most often the organ which is affected by essential oils. Cats' livers are simply not the same as humans' livers, and they lack the ability to properly metabolize the various compounds in essential oils.

Toxicity in cats can occur very quickly, through internal or external application, or over a longer period of time, through repeated or continuous inhalation of essential oils, but either way, it can lead to serious liver damage or even death.
As an aromatherapist I would never use any essential oils on my beloved moggy.

:cat:

How did people fight fleas on their animals in the old days? I have reservations against Frontline as its a pestacide you are putting on the animals skin, it may have contriuted to the passing of my last dog who was unable to walk a couple of days of application. This had happened before and she got over it but not the 2nd time. I do not have any proof it was caused by Frontline though.

Cedarwood Essential oil

Hi, I am a big ambassador of teatree to stop any nasty things. Cedarwood Atlas is the traditional essential oil though.

It is a dermal irritant so dilute in some carrier oil first and then rub on his ears to get into a good blood supply.

Get the chemical stuff on the carpets though otherwise you will get no-where.

I can give anyone details of an eco-friendly treatment for fleas, and one for worms come to that. Just message me and I will let you know. Also a complete range of chemical-free shampoos, etc., for your beloved pet.

so I have recently been reading about using these flea medincines and other chemical products to treat pets and it really makes sense what they are saying. basically that we would not use these chemicals on oueselves so why on our pets? it points out the reactions and side affects that we get and that pets can get too. this website has some fantastic alternatives that are naturally made and do work. I plan to try them as soon as I have the money, but the reviews are fantastic and alot of their products can be used on dogs,cats and people! and work for alot of related problems too. I think its definatly worth a try if it works and keeps my pets healther.

this is the link for flea products -

this is a link to a golden retriever rescue site thats policy is to vaccinate holistically and has good information on why we should and the alternatives with links and it also mentions some good points about feeding our pets,though im don't think I agree with the b.a.r.f. diet, I do agree that we should be feeding them better food and they have a link to burns pet food, which is organic and all Burns diets for dogs and cats are hypo-allergenic and free from artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives.they also have food for other pets.

Dog rescue link -

Burns pet food -

sorry to on so long but I think this is important to consider if everyone here is as much an animal lover as I am.:D thanks for reading

How did people fight fleas on their animals in the old days? I have reservations against Frontline as its a pestacide you are putting on the animals skin, it may have contriuted to the passing of my last dog who was unable to walk a couple of days of application. This had happened before and she got over it but not the 2nd time. I do not have any proof it was caused by Frontline though.

You have every right to be concerned. Applying pesticides to the skin of your animal where 60% of the product is absorbed by the body is not helping their long term health.

Many will argue with this, but honestly, we are talking about pesticides, you wouldn't apply them to your children so why do we think it's ok to apply them to our furry friends?

I was advised to use garlic powder in Myrtles food every 2 - 3 days, bought Frontline so have yet to try this method.

And can anyone reccomend anything else I can do?

We stopped using the topical pesticides about 5 years ago. Fleas can be terrible here. Mainly now, we use herbs in their bedding, make sure they're getting the right nutrition, and spritz them with a neem oil/essential oil spray.

Last year was the first time we've ever had an issue with fleas. We took a two week road trip to Florida with the dogs. They either picked them up in the grass or where we were staying. It took A LOT to get rid of them without using toxic chemicals. We used food-grade DE (diatomaceous earth) and immune-boosters in their food, spread DE around outside and inside, used Borax on the carpets and had to use one month application of Frontline Plus.

We are going to be spreading Nematodes around the property, as well. When the weather gets a bit cooler and not much chance of rain. Others who have used the Nematodes claim that it's effective for a couple of years.

P.S. There is also an effective organic spray made for horse flies that works for fleas (and ticks) on dogs...EquiSect. It contains pyrethrums...made from chrysanthimum flower. A little goes a very long way.

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