jad n rich

This is driving us nuts, I guess its the climate and the breeding cycle is speeded up or something but fleas seem to be in plague proportions on dogs and, cats and yet no one seems to know how to kill them off.

From supermarket tried

Flea soap
shampoo
collars
drops you put on the neck
powder
spray
tablets called capstar or similar

Plus flea eliminator for dog houses etc, they are not biting us and dogs dont come in house.

Dogs are bathed weekly
Dogs paddle out the back of the waves with us weekly, youd think that would kill anyting but it doesnt.

Dogs are cllipped to less than an inch of hair.

Tried dog wash at $17 a dog last week, no fleas today we have fleas again.

They do mix with other dogs , dog parks and beach so I guess they just keep picking it up,

From vet about $70 on advantix the new super dooper one and does not work either

You can stand in the dog park, supermarket whatever and everyone is saying the same thing , cant get rid of the damn things.

House and yard have been pest controlled just in case.

Someone must have a product that works or are they just superfleas this year, weve never had this problem before. Whats going on this year.

johanne

Hi
Why dont you try some fresh garlic in their food !!!
Dunno whether you feed em pet mince or dried but if you add garlic to their food it seems to keep the fleas at bay. Give it a try and also bathing with a rinse of lavender, tea tree and eucalyptos oil in the bath water and then let them dry off naturally..
Good luck

Linda Lushardi

A few weeks ago we left our dog with friends and she got a heavy infestation from their dog. We tried everything but in the end went to pet shop and paid around %50 odd dollars i think, for Advantage. You shampoo dog leave it for one day then squeeze it on back of dogs neck. I have not seen a single flea on her since

Ozzidoc

A few years ago I paid approx 30 bucks for a 2 or 3 week course of drugs for my flea-ridden moggy - it worked really well. The drug basically made the fleas sterile.

Britishaussie

Can't really offer any specific advice as you seem to have tried everything. Fleas are notoriously difficult to get rid of. They live everywhere including outside so all your dog has to do is go out for five minutes and they jump on and start breeding. Flea eggs can lie dormant in the house for years before hatching and if they're hidden in crevices they can hatch when conditions are right and the whole cycle will start again. We have the same problem here in England, this year seems to have been the worst we've ever seen. We have two cats and the one cat in particular is always crawling with the little buggers whatever we do. We've tried spraying them, using mega-death household spray, combing them, and every day they're back. The stuff you put on the back of their necks doesn't seem to work at all. However, we have relatives who've just got themselves a little puppy and got a product called Stronghold from their vet, and they swear by it. Maybe you can get it in Australia? Apparently it kills fleas on contact so they can't live on the animal but it won't stop the breeding cycle immediately, and because fleas lay thousands of eggs it could take a while to get rid of them. In fact the only thing that got rid of the little sods from the house permanently was to rip up all the carpets and tile the floors downstairs and laminate them upstairs. Oh, and banning the cats from going upstairs or in the living room. Sounds harsh but we don't get nearly so many fleas now. Maybe someone else will have some ideas?

woodyinoz

I can't belive that the stuff from the vets doesn't work. They made it seem 100% fool proof. Luckily I am a tight git so I just did the cheap worm tablet and said I would worry about flea's when they happen... Non so far - touch wood

OzSheila

Many moons ago we had a cat and used to feed it a yeast tablet daily (available at health food stores) and it was very successful at keeping fleas at bay. We dreaded having to get the tablets down the cat's throat but found that it actually took them off our hand! We were told that yeast changes the taste of the blood therefore the fleas stay well clear.

Didn't have a dog so can't comment on the likelihood of success with your canine friends.

HTH

dedrei

How much garlic would you put in their food, one clove or half? Do you cut it into smaller pieces?

menace

But how do they know what the blood tastes like before they bite?

OriginalSunshine

we just wash our cats once per week using tea tree oil shampoo

seems to work *shrug*

that & the whole house is tiled with only a few floor rugs, rather than carpets, and leather rather than fabric sofas.

and we live next to the jungle.

we have problems with mites, but nothing that the vet cant sort out.

biggy

try tea tree oil and lavender oil rub it on the nape of ther necks hope it works xxx

Bella Donna

I'm going to chuck my 2p's worth into the pot, although I'll probably get flamed for it.

Looking at most of these posts, it seems to me that all everyone is doing (apart from Ozsheila) is throwing chemicals, more chemicals and even more chemicals at them - the fleas and the dogs.

It's well known that fleas are getting resistant to these chemical cocktails, just as over-use of antibiotics is creating resistance in humans. Plus the more chemicals you put in or on the dog, the more you are lowering its immune system, and therefore the more you are making it susceptible to parasitic problems like fleas.

Which is the bottom line - whether or not your pet is susceptible. If you constantly wash a dog with flea shampoo you are inflicting a chemical assault on its skin, and the act of shampooing is also stripping the dog of the oils in its coat, which probably play a part in protecting it against fleas and many other skin problems. Diet is obviously going to play a big part too - we switched our dog over to a raw diet when we moved here, and we haven't been able to find a single flea on him, nor our cats. We've tried adding garlic to his diet but he won't eat it at all - although I have seen plenty of articles that say dogs shouldn't have garlic because it comes from the same botanical family as onions, which are toxic to dogs. I think the brewer's yeast is a good idea and probably has the same effect as eating marmite does to us with the mozzies - brewer's yeast is rich in thiamin, iirc.

I know vets sell enormous quantities of these flea products, but consider for a moment their commercial interest in them. Like it or not, medicine is big business these days, whether it is for humans or animals. Just because vets sell them doesn't mean they are good, and doesn't mean they work. I have read several articles over the past few years that condemn these *on the spot* flea treatments, and flea collars also have a bad reputation for being highly toxic. Have a look at http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/avictim.htm#flea - an american site but has some very good information. Also http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/homepest/Flea.htm for those in the UK - and this was from a quick google - there is an abundance of articles out there, many referenced for those who prefer *scientific studies*, outlining the toxic nature of flea products and treatments.

I don't have an answer for those of you who have infestations in your pets at the moment, except perhaps to use essential oil rinses when washing them, and perhaps shampoo with very mild detergent, if at all. Avoid tea tree - it is highly irritant to the skin. Rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and sweet thyme oil would all be helpful. Rose geranium is reputed to be a good oil for cats and dogs too. I know the cycle needs to be broken, but the only way to prevent further problems is to make the dog resistant to the fleas, not to add more chemicals which will make the fleas even more resistant!

Sue

biggy

well if tea
tree and lavendar r chemicals then I am on knees

Bella Donna

They aren't - I typed this before reading your post.

OriginalSunshine

for info - I dont use a tea tree oil rinse - that is far too harsh.

I use Exelpet (www.exelpet.com.au) Tea Tree oil cat shampoo. Very mild.

My cats coats are in fabulous condition - even the vet was impressed.