Capstar And Epileptic Dogs

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

So when I moved my dogs here there were fleas...property manager and landlady won't spray and it's been so wet that I've been unable to get someone in. I was hoping to avoid this due to the cost. BUT my dogs all have fleas and despite using frontline spot-on and daily flea combing, plus baths, the dogs still have fleas. I've also washed their bedding and vacuumed the house (I have a Dyson) without making any real dent in the flea population to date.

I'm happy to buy Capstar and give it a try. BUT with Molly being epileptic I don't know if it's safe with her condition or the medication she's on (phenobarb 30 mg which is dosed at 1/4 tablet twice daily).

I've searched here and have looked at the Capstar product info, but can't find anything specifically about epilepsy and Capstar.

Anyone?

I've also bought an inexpensive flea collar and am going to try it on either Ruby or Lilly...it's suposed to work for 5 mths on fleas and ticks. I am guessing I wouldn't use frontline in that time? But the collar doesn't work against paralysis tick and the packaging indicates it only "aids" in the control of ticks which would be brown dog/cattle tick.

Help! I'm a bit confused, can you tell? :D

I've never had a flea problem this bad...frontline has finally let me down.

Oh, I also don't have a vet here yet. It's on my to-do list.

[cowanbree]

You need to bomb the house, only about 1% is on the dogs at any one time. I just did mine today. Not hard or overly expensive - under $60. I just brought the canisters, removed all pets and went out for a few hours. Come back and aired the house for an hour before the dogs were allowed back in.

Edited December 31, 2010 by cowanbree

[Clyde]

I'm a huge convert to Comfortis!

Ring your vet and ask if it's okay.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

You need to bomb the house, only about 1% is on the dogs at any one time. I just did mine today. Not hard or overly expensive - under $60. I just brought the canisters, removed all pets and went out for a few hours. Come back and aired the house for an hour before the dogs were allowed back in.

Yeah, I keep looking at the flea bomb products BUT I don't like having to leave the house for at least 2 hours. I'd have to take the dogs somewhere...and all three together for 2 hours or more would be interesting at best. :D

How safe are these things really? Does anyone know? Why do you have to leave the house at all? That's my real worry, that there is a real problem with toxicity that they don't advertise?

[Teebs]

I have had a lot of people not happy with frontline this year!

I frontlined my guys this morning, we dont have fleas, but i am paranoid, as i feel i am the only one in town who does not have them!

I only used frontline cause i had some here, once i have used it all, i will most probably be going to Comfortis

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I'm a huge convert to Comfortis!

Ring your vet and ask if it's okay.

Just looking at the product info, it can cause seizures...not good. :D

I wouldn't risk inducing a seizure in my other two (non epileptic) dogs because I know how devastating it is already.

ETA - I don't yet have a vet here...it's on my to-do list...as soon as I get work.

Edited December 31, 2010 by lillysmum

[frufru]

From memory the pamphlet for Comfortis says it is not suitable for dogs who have seizures.

What about advantix?

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Well, I've just proven that the fleas are coming from the yard. This afternoon I gave Molly a bath and combed her with the flea comb before and after. No fleas on her at all. I also flea combed the other two but didn't bathe them.

I let Molly out after dinner and she came inside with a flea on her. So bombing the house won't effect the fleas outside. Sigh...that means I have to get a professional in to do the yard...which is money I don't have lying around. :D

I'll keep using frontline in the meantime of course. But until I get work, I have to be so careful with the savings I have left. I'm also going to apply for income support next week. I have to get some money coming in...I hate this uncertainty.

[Crisovar]

Well, I've just proven that the fleas are coming from the yard. This afternoon I gave Molly a bath and combed her with the flea comb before and after. No fleas on her at all. I also flea combed the other two but didn't bathe them.

I let Molly out after dinner and she came inside with a flea on her. So bombing the house won't effect the fleas outside. Sigh...that means I have to get a professional in to do the yard...which is money I don't have lying around. :D

I'll keep using frontline in the meantime of course. But until I get work, I have to be so careful with the savings I have left. I'm also going to apply for income support next week. I have to get some money coming in...I hate this uncertainty.

If your dogs come inside the house then you have fleas in the house, same goes for the yard, unless you bomb, or spray you will not get rid of the eggs and larvae that will be in your house and yard. You need to treat house, yard and pets to fix it.

Getting rid of a flea infestation is not easy, it is also not cheap. Simply using products that kill the adults will not work you need to use products with IGRs. Advantage sheds off the animals into the areas they frequent, it works well in some areas, Sentinel works well too on all stages of flea cycle,ask a local Vet what is working in your area.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I'm not hoping for complete removal of fleas at this point in time, just some relief until I can get a job and therefore have the money to have the inside and outside of the house professionally treated. I know from experience that this is the most effective way to treat an infestation. And my next door neighbours have cats which roam...so they just keep bringing the fleas back into my yard...

I'm looking for low-cost ideas just to help my dogs in the meantime because frontline (which I have a supply of already) is not working.

I don't have a vet here. I can't afford a consult fee at the moment so I'm not able to shop around for a vet...and there's only two that I know of in town. There might be others, but I've only seen two in my travels.

I was hoping that someone here on DOL would know whether Capstar is safe to administer to a dog with epilepsy. If I can find out that it is, it's cheap enough to get me through for a month or so for each dog. I know it only kills active adult fleas which are physically on the dog at the time, but that will help because every time the dogs go outside, they come back inside with more fleas. I can't keep them inside 24/7 either...but I have considered the possibility and I know it won't work.

I'll keep looking for info on Capstar. I just don't have spare cash to do what I know will work...to get a professional in will cost me half a week's rent or more - money I don't have to spare just now. :D

[Danois]

Why not phone your vet for advice? Better to hear it from an expert than overdose your dog or give it something that's dangerous.

Your own advice in another thread yesterday is perhaps the best...

[GoldD]

Checked the packaging and it doesnt say....perhaps look on the exelpet website?

[TangerineDream]

I've always used a combination of flea powder (from Woolworths/Coles) and the purple Mortein flea and egg spray killer and hand picking fleas ever day off my dogs.....hot water in a bowl with some eucalyptus disinfectant in it...lie dog between your legs, roll them onto their backs and pick fleas out either by fingers or with a flea comb, drop into water and watch them die instantly!!!! I've always done this because I was paranoid about bombs (being concentrated chemical) - in a month I cleared a unit that was flea infested in Melbourne......I've also sprayed parts of the yard with the same Mortein spray...no fleas anywhere......

[AmandaJ]

I'm happy to buy Capstar and give it a try. BUT with Molly being epileptic I don't know if it's safe with her condition or the medication she's on (phenobarb 30 mg which is dosed at 1/4 tablet twice daily).

Just a side issue - what is the diagnosis for the seziures - was it proven to be epilepsy - a lot of vets miss seizures due to toxoplasma gondii infection and just call it epilepsy. My neuter was seizing from toxo 2 years ago but our vet was very up to date and tested for it - then treated for it. We have now got him off the phenobarb and no more seizures. If toxo goes untreated they will continue to seize. Has Molly ever been a bird or mouse catcher - or even eat cat poo?

[~Anne~]

LM - I give Monte Capstar and have never had any issues. My Vets have never told me to be careful with either it. It seems to be a relatively harmless drug I beleive.

AmandaJ - an epilpesy diagnoses is determined when all other seizure related disorders are ruled out. I don't know a lot about toxoplasma gondii but I believe that infection in dogs in Australia is not overly common.

Edited January 1, 2011 by ~Anne~

[Staranais]

I'm happy to buy Capstar and give it a try. BUT with Molly being epileptic I don't know if it's safe with her condition or the medication she's on (phenobarb 30 mg which is dosed at 1/4 tablet twice daily).

... Oh, I also don't have a vet here yet. It's on my to-do list.

Ring your old vet (the one that diagnosed or treated the epilepsy) and ask them if Capstar is safe to use with the medications that your dog is currently on.

I haven't heard of any specific contraindications for Capstar in adult dogs, but best to check.

[Greytmate]

Don't use a flea collar on a greyhound.

[sheena]

Does Capstar have any effect on ticks

[Guest Ams]

No capstar will have no effect on ticks. All it does is kill the adult fleas on the dog at the time the tablet is given.

[Kaleb]

The fleas are terrible this year! I feel your pain!

they can be very hard to get rid of once you have an active infestation going - they are also carried by all mammals - so the current rabbit plague is not helping the problem.

95% of their life is spent in the environment, they hatch out and jump onto the animal to feed and then lay eggs (they remain there for their whole lives, they do not jump on and off their host - and can live for up to 4.5 months on a host!), up to 50 eggs a day are laid by each flea, so you can see how quickly an infestation can snowball!

All of the products that have been mentioned (for application on the pet) require the flea to jump onto the pet and get a dose of the chemical and die. None of them create a magical barrier on the pet to stop fleas jumping onto the pet. every time your pet goes into an infested environment, wether it is your yard, the dog park or the beach, fleas are going to jump on. If you are using a treatment these fleas will die (and dependent on product be sterilised too) in under 12 hours, but you will see fleas a lot on your pet during an active infestation - they are all new fleas jumping on from the environment.

when you have an infestation you are going to keep seeing fleas on your pet until they have all hatched out, jumped onto your pet, received a dose of the chemical and died. This could take up to a couple of months, as the little buggers can pupate for up to 6 months in the environment!

Best to use a product that has an IGR as well as an adulticide, this will ensure no eggs can be laid - which prevents problems further down the track, also some IGR's can last for several months - meaning you have a buffer to avoid eggs being laid in your house if you forget a treatment.

In order to get rid of the infestation, you really need to treat every month with a flea product of your choice, if you do this every month all year round, you won't have a flea problem.

Unfortunately, too many people see flea products as a quick fix, they are in fact a prevention - a bit like vaccination, you don't vac to treat your dog for parvo, you vax to prevent it! Same with fleas monthly application prevents a problem.

As prevoiusly mentioned, Comfortis is contraindicated in epileptic dogs.

Sentinel was also mentioned as treating all of the lifecycle - it will actually only sterilise the fleas, not kill them - so they won't lay eggs which is great for the future, but htey are still on the dog - you need to use an adulticide with it to kill the little black s***s!

As far as product choice, all of the modern flea products available at your vet/petstore do work - there is no resistance to any of them - you need to make your choice dependant on your needs. Make sure you do read the label, as there can be things you need to consider such as bathing and so on.

Most important thing, sadly - keep treating year round to avoid the prob next year - and good luck!