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Fleas!


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I just can't seem to get rid of them!

I have been treating all the animals regularly (Frontline for Patrick/Advantage for the cats). I've even bombed the house.

They just won't die! ;)

Help!!!!!! I just don't know what to do anymore.

And I'm mildly allergic to them. :thumbsup:

Kylie

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I have had great results with Revolution on cats - I picked up a rescue Persian girl that was so full of fleas I nearly had a pink fit! I popped on the Revolution and all fleas dead within a couple of hours! So maybe try that on the cats.

Probably a silly question but are you treating the yard, house bedding etc?

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i hope you didnt use the advantix on the cats.

Advantix - DO NOT USE ON CATS

Due to their unique physiology and inability to breakdown Permethrin, Advantix must not be used on cats as it may have serious harmful effects. Experience in the USA and Europe shows that the majority of cats exposed to Advantix fully recover after appropriate treatment.

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Shona, there is an Advantix for cats - covers fleas and worms. I thought I'd try it because McGuiness in particular hates being wormed with tablets and can become quite vicious about it (have the scar on both sides of my finger to prove it - now use a pill popper with two adults, one to hold her and one to administer the tablet).

I would never use a dog product on a cat, or vice versa. :thumbsup:

Akitaowner, what is ACV?

Poodlefan, I hadn't thought about wandering animals. We frequently have stray cats come through our yard. ;)

I don't think it's somewhere we're visiting because it's an ongoing thing and we don't go out regularly enough for the problem to be coming home from outings.

These are not little fleas either, so not a new hatching.

I really want to get a handle on this because we're planning a trip in September and I don't want to be sending flea-ridden creatures to a boarding kennel, not to mention the ongoing discomfort they're experiencing.

And I'd really like to have no splotchy insides of my forearms.

Kylie

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I know it might be expensive but you might have to resort to a professional to treat for the fleas. My sister had to after bombs were to no avail and her house was shockingly infestated

Her cats were apparently bringing them in.

She got the home professionally treated and worked very successfully

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A few suggestions:

Frontline spray rather than the applications can be very good - a freind of mine is a groomer and she recommends it to people who have simalar problems. I use Advantage Duo on my dogs and they never have fleas (hope I haven't just jinxed myself!).

When you wash your pet's bedding add a couple of drops of tea tree oil into the final rinse, or if it's not washable, add a couple of drops to a laundry squirt bottle and mist over all the beds - fleas HATE the smell of tea tree oil, it worked wonders when I had a problem about 15 years ago. I also added a drop or two to the final rinse when I washed the dogs. They didn't like the smell much either, but at least the fleas were gone!

Garlic as suggested in an above post is also great, add in a little every day, acts as a natural insect repellant.

Good luck!

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Bombs are useless for fleas IMO

My advice is to get some malawash or maldison based product, dilute it by about 3 tablespoons in a squirty bottle of water and start spraying your house. It is very effective. Spray everything, it kills the fleas and their eggs, very rarely need a second go. Smells abit but not for long. Can even put a bit in your wash. It is the same ingredient they use in headlice products.

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My advice is to get some malawash or maldison based product, dilute it by about 3 tablespoons in a squirty bottle of water and start spraying your house.

I don't think that using Malawash in your house would be a good idea.

I believe the safety directions are such that it should be used in a very well ventilated area- i.e. outside.

It is designed to be a pour over product, once you spray a chemical, it becomes airborne as well...not a good idea IMO.

It's an old organophosphate, whilst there is no restrictions on it at the moment, there are reviews going on as to it's safety...it's half life is something like 50 years, I would never spray it in my house.

Pesticides used incorrectly can be disasterous to our health as well as the animals....

Perhaps get a pest person out to assess the situation...I find that advantage works quicker in killing the fleas than frontline....I have the studies somewhere in my Vet Nursing notes, and that is true...they studied kill times of fleas after application of the various products.

Mel.

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I understood that fleas, like ticks, can be picked up anywhere in the garden.

My OH's father regularly sprays his garden as the area they are in is prone to fleas infesting - perhaps this may do the trick. Especially considering that you have 'bombed' the house and treated the animals.

I can ask OH what the product was if you like and PM you. Let me know :thumbsup:

Ange

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For a start, forget the Frontline and try something else - anything else!! I've had the same issue and been given the same advice as you've been given. Frontline is NOT working anymore. I changed to Advantage and the horrid fleas are gone. Apple Cider Vinegar is an oldie but a goodie - didn't know about the flea bit though.

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Thanks everyone!

And whoever said about the Advantix, you're righ! That's what we tried on Patrick. We had the cats on Advocate.

Revolution is next on the list for the cats and I have no clue where to go next with Patrick.

But I'm organising a full pest control of the entire property next week (don't you hate having to work witha budget), so hopefully that will help. And not set off the asthma.

Ange, I think for now I'll get a professional in to do it. Being asthmatic, the further I can stay away from where chemicals are being sprayed, the better.

I wonder if I sprayed the garden with teatree oil, whether that would work.

Kylie

Edited by McGuinessMagee
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I posted this natural Anti-Flea Recipe (for dogs) ages ago in this forum .... I got it from the internet somewhere ...

Recipe - One (1) big fat Lemon - slice it paper thin. Place the slices into a bowl add a tablespoon of crushed rosemary leaves (or a 6 inch sprig of fresh rosemary). Pour over a quart of boiling water - steep (soak/leave) overnight. Strain and put into a large spray bottle. Refrigerate - shake well before applying.

A GSD breeder in the US uses this recipe. The lemon and rosemary is meant to give the dog's coat a healthier shiny coat while keeping fleas & bugs away. A tablespoon of Aloe pulp can be added if the dog as a dry skin or allergies. You can use the spray twice a week to repel bugs and you can spray it around the house on carpets or around the doors. During "flea" time you can spray daily on the dog's belly and feet. It can even be used on humans! (according to the author).

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