Ahhh Fleas!

[Rysup]

Well we normally get the odd few fleas as the weather warms up but the last few weeks has seen an explosion.

We have sprayed the yards and kennels twice, with no effect.

Any suggestions anyone?

I used some Frontline I had, but that lasts all of 2 weeks at the most, so I have ordered some Advantage online. But wondered if there were any other remedies people use. I have never had fleas this bad ever. I am also going to bomb the house even though we only have a litter inside at the moment, but I want to treat all the dogs first. I thought spraying the yards would help but thats made no difference what so ever.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Capstar, here is a recent post. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=117776

[ruthless]

We use Spectrum, Advantix and Permoxin. She the pinned thread at the top, lots of good advice in there.

[witheverythingiam]

I would give all the adult dogs in the place a capstar once every 2nd day for a week. That should get rid of all the adult fleas on the animals. Then when the advantage arrives, start on that.

One thing you have to think of is, if you're going a place with the dogs which you're likely to pick up fleas eg, going for walk, dog parks, dog shows, or even if you have cats in the house/yard that have free range the place, they will bring back fleas each time.

-WithEverythingIAm

[sheree_e4]

Fleas at the moment are really bad due to the weather.keep up the frontline as it will be working,however the problem you will be have is re emergance.

the actual flea population is as follows

50% eggs......30% larvae....... 15% pupae.......5% biting adults

an adult flea lays around 20 eggs a day and 600 in her life so while you have not seen adult fleas,the eggs wait for the optimum time to emmerge which is why you now have fleas.Keep using frontline as it will kill the adult fleas and any eggs laid will not hatch.

A excellent product for getting rid of fleas is KO it comes in a tablet and you mix with water and apply everwhere you get 2 tabs that make up 5L of spray.

You can also spray the dogs with permoxin to repel the fleas

FRONTLINE spray can be used on puppies from 2 days of age.

If you are washing bedding in order to kill eggs etc it must be a HOT wash,it is better just to put the bedding out in the sun as the eggs,larvae and pupae die in bright light.

eta DO NOT use KO on the dogs ONLY in the environment.

Edited November 3, 2007 by sheree_e4

[spoiltlabs]

The following information was posted on another forum.

Why not make your own safe, non toxic flea repellents?

CITRUS REPELLENT:

Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog’s ‘armpits’.

Aromatherapy repellent:

Using 10 ml. of sweet almond oil as your base, add 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of cedarwood. Shake well and use 1 or 2 drops spread over the skin at least twice a week to keep the fleas away.

A flea collar

can be made by rubbing a few drops of one of the following into an ordinary webbing or rope collar or even a doggy bandanna: eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, citronella, lavender or geranium. Don’t forget to do this weekly.

:YOUR HOME

Fleas spend most of their time in your furnishings and only hop onto your dog or you for their next meal. Make sure you wash your dog’s bedding regularly because no flea ever survived a hot wash cycle. If you add eucalyptus oil to the final rinse it will also kill 99% of house dust mites according to research from the University of Sydney, Australia

Vacuum

your home very thoroughly and sprinkle a fine layer of ordinary table salt over your upholstery and carpets and leave overnight before vacuuming again to evict your unwelcome guests safely but don’t forget to empty your vacuum bag.

BATHING:

A badly infested dog really needs to be bathed so use your favourite dog shampoo. Rinse the dog off very thoroughly and in the final rinse add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil or Lavender oil. An alternative is to make your own herbal flea dip which will also work on ticks. Steep two cups of fresh rosemary in two pints of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves and make it up to one gallon ( 8 pints) with warm water. Pour this mixture over the dog until it’s saturated. Do not rinse off and allow the dog to dry naturally so this is a remedy to use on hot summer days.

INTERNAL FLEA REPELLENTS:

Garlic may not be your favourite cologne and it’s not the flea’s favourite smell either. When your dog eats garlic, the smell is excreted through the dog’s skin making your dog less likely to be the flea’s next meal.

Brewer’s yeast tablets

will also help to make your dog less attractive to fleas because once again the smell is excreted through the skin.

Adding a dessertspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water bowl will make the skin more acidic and unpleasant to fleas and ticks. If your dogs don’t fancy apple cider vinegar in the water bowl, dilute it 50/50 with water and use in a spray bottle instead of the citrus repellent

[jillybean]

There's a great thread "What my vet said about fleas" that's pinned at the top.

My puppy picked up fleas last week. I treated her with Capstar and a dose of Revolution. I also washed all her bedding and brushed her a few times a day to pick out all the fleas. I made up some of the lemon & rosemary solution (think the instructions are in the pinned thread too) and sprayed my pup and all around her kennel and food areas. As far as I can tell she's flea free now - she's not scratching anywhere near as much and I haven't seen any fall off whilst I've been brushing her.

[Rysup]

Thanks everyone for your advice, I actually went to the supermarket and bought some Capstar last night.

All the young dogs have been treated with the Frontline spray, but I have found fleas back on them after 2 weeks, it has been very frustrating.

We dont have carpet, so I am assuming the fleas are living in the lounge and the one rug we have, so I will try the salt thing, see if that helps.

Sheree where would I find the KO?

[dogcop]

We regularly spray around the yard with phenol mixed five litres of water to one litre of phenol.It can be bought at the supermarket but its probably called Wheelie Bin Cleaner.

It also discourages snakes too if your yard is not too inviting.

Chris

[sheree_e4]

Sheree where would I find the KO?

you can order it online HERE or should be able to get it at a local produce store and some vets have it aswell.

I have used it myself and find it is great.

[Rysup]

Thanks Sheree!

Cool Dogcop, I was looking at the Wheelie Bin stuff the other day - is it the cleaner or the fly repellant one?