Dog owners - what flea/tick product do you use?

[halfpint]

We've been using Vectra 3D for a few years, but our new vet doesn't carry it.  I've also seen some reviews online about it causing illness in dogs (though I feel like you can scare those up with almost any product, right?)  

I'm more worried about ticks than fleas (though obviously I don't want either), as we're in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent.  We did find a tick on one of our dogs last night

[orangeblossom]

Frontline Plus. We haven't had any issues with it.

[Deleted]

We use Frontline & we got Pel the Lyme vaccine.

[zarapipe]

www.trifexis.com/ for fleas and heartworm

www.scalibor.com/ for ticks

We were using the liquid you put on their neck, forget which one but I was sick of the mess and having them rub all over me, the carpet, DD haha to get the stuff off.

[Deleted]

Frontline but I'm looking at switching. I'd love to find a pill instead of that messy liquid.

[hamster]

There's a thread on Pets right now, and a similar thread here a week or so ago.

pandce.proboards.com/thread/180834/frontline-k9-advantix

[hellonurse]

Another vote for Trifexis! The only thing that worked for our pup, who is allergic to fleas.

[RoxMonster]

We use Frontline.

[Kore]

This may be a good question to pose on FB or to a local board, too. The fleas in my area seem to be immune to Frontline. I've been using Advantage II with moderate success. Trifexis is supposed to work the best around here, though.

I buy the largest doses I can find & administer it myself by weight to make it more MM.

[Susie]

We use Vectra right now, because our vet sells it in single doses, and Puppy D is still growing, so we can buy one dose at a time based on her weight that month.  We also have some in Doggie D's size from a rebate offer.  Honestly I hate it.  I think it's so messy to use.  I so much prefer K9 Advantix.  You shouldn't use that if your dogs cohabitate with cats, but ours don't.  We have never found a tick.

Both our dogs also get Lyme vaccines annually.  Our vet has us come in specially for that in Feb., because apparently the vaccine is fully effective/at full strength only for 10 or so months, and he wants Dec/Jan to be the months when it's least effective.

[njohnson1972]

Trifexis.

[hbomdiggity]

Trifexis (heart worm and flea). It knocks him out for a day or two but other than that it seems to work fine.

[Deleted]

I have always used Frontline. I also get both dogs the Lyme vaccine. It's fairly cheap and I would absolutely recommend it!

[Norticprincess]

Advantix 2. The pup isn't allowed near the cat until the stuff is dry, I usually keep them apart for 24 hours. It works out now that she usually gets it on the day the she (dog) is out of the house I drop her with a friend on days I have all day appointments. We used to use frontline, but it wasn't working in our area.

[jerseyjaybird]

I use Revolution, primarily because one of my dogs is a sheltie and some shelties are allergic to ivermectin, which is the active ingredient in many flea/tick preventatives. I also get the lyme vaccine, but one of my dogs recently had a positive lyme exposure text regardless. : (

[mrswineo]

Parastar Plus.  My vet recommended this product over Frontline.

[whiskeytails]

Alzoo. All natural. No chemicals. You could put it on your or your kids and be effective.

Please don't put a chemical on your dog that you wouldn't put on yourself.

[Deleted]

Trifexis for fleas and heartworm.

[pitterwoo]

just neem oil now. Adavantage and Frontline were giving him side effects that were getting more severe each time so I stopped using it. The neem oil doesn't work as well and he doesn't really like me putting it on him. But better that then nausea/panting/dizziness

[blueshirt2003]

I use Revolution. .

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2013 8:56:40 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

We use Frontline & we got Pel the Lyme vaccine.

This.  There is some controversy over the vaccine, but we figured it can't hurt and we live in a heavily wooded area.

[Deleted]

Advantix. Frontline didn't work for us. I need to look up Triflexis (sp?) though.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2013 6:24:41 GMT -5 @bonsoirlune said:

Jun 4, 2013 8:56:40 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

We use Frontline & we got Pel the Lyme vaccine.

This.  There is some controversy over the vaccine, but we figured it can't hurt and we live in a heavily wooded area.

What's the controversy? Whether or not it works? Or something else?

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2013 7:23:10 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Jun 5, 2013 6:24:41 GMT -5 @bonsoirlune said:

This.  There is some controversy over the vaccine, but we figured it can't hurt and we live in a heavily wooded area.

What's the controversy? Whether or not it works? Or something else?

Our vet explained the controversy amongst vets as whether it's necessary when you also use a preventative treatment. To us the risks were low, the vaccine is inexpensive, and if we could offer our dog another layer of prevention, we're all for it.  

[hyacinthgirl]

We use Trifexis. It has a weird smell and our dog would not eat it straight up (despite its claims to be beef flavored), so we have to cut it up into little chunks and mix it up with peanut butter, which he then licks up no prob. I prefer giving him one pill a month instead of one pill and one oily liquid which would end up leaving a slick on his back and get rubbed off on everything. It is a little pricey though.

[hurricanedrunk]

We use Frontline Plus. I still need to get this years supply. We already had one tick this year but my dogs have short red fur so they're easy to see. I usually do a check after we've been in a woody area.

I will admit that I've considered not doing anything this year and being vigilant about checking instead to avoid the chemicals. I'll have to check out some of the other options posters suggested.

[patches31709]

Jun 5, 2013 22:11:40 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Jun 4, 2013 11:12:43 GMT -5 jerseyjaybird said:

I use Revolution, primarily because one of my dogs is a sheltie and some shelties are allergic to ivermectin, which is the active ingredient in many flea/tick preventatives. I also get the lyme vaccine, but one of my dogs recently had a positive lyme exposure text regardless. : (

Ivermectin is the active ingredient in many heartworm preventatives, not flea/tick preventatives (it has no efficacy against fleas/ticks).  You use Revolution because it is one of the HW preventatives without ivermectin as the active ingredient.  It also has the added bonus that it is a flea/tick preventative.  Frontline/Advantix/etc. are not ivermectin.  Also, it's not an allergy to ivermectin - it's that some herding dogs carry a mutation in the MDR1 gene that makes them unable to pump out certain drugs from the brain.  You can have your dog tested for this mutation, but ivermectin in the dosage used for HW prevention is not problematic.  It's usually when they use it to treat for mange that it can be problematic (50-100x higher doses).  I just wanted to let you know in case you ever have to stop using Revolution (like if there is a shortage similar to the Interceptor shortage).  

www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ivermectin.html
www.marvistavet.com/html/body_heartworm_prevention.html
www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-vcpl/drugs.aspx

Thanks for saying what I was about to, but 10x better. If you have a dog that has the potential to have the mutation, I highly suggest having the test done. In addition to Ivermectin, dogs with the mutation are also affected by chemo drugs, Imodium, and a number of pre-anesthetics.



All that said, we mainly use neem for flea/tick prevention, and another spray that's a mix of natural oils.

[hurricanedrunk]

Jun 6, 2013 7:18:34 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Jun 6, 2013 5:12:16 GMT -5 hurricanedrunk said:

We use Frontline Plus. I still need to get this years supply. We already had one tick this year but my dogs have short red fur so they're easy to see. I usually do a check after we've been in a woody area.

I will admit that I've considered not doing anything this year and being vigilant about checking instead to avoid the chemicals. I'll have to check out some of the other options posters suggested.

Depending on where you are, I'd consider buying in smaller quantities.  I bought Frontline last year (thankfully not a whole year's supply x 5), and apparently now the resistant fleas are in our area and my dogs got them.  So then I had to get Advantix (plus Capstar and do 12 loads of laundry).  So now I have Frontline that I am hesitant to use because although it sucks to waste it, it sucks more to get fleas.

That sucks you had to deal with that but thank you for the great advice. I'm a buy in bulk type to save $$$.

[M]

Frontline Plus.