Flea season?

Dunny

Is there one? Read in a local paper there is. Can they be caught anywhere else other than other dogs/animals?

n00b alert

boomerang

They are certainly more prevalent in the summer. Came across this yesterday - it's a very useful read:

http://dogsfirst.ie/best-natural-flea-control/

tk123

boomerang wrote: »

They are certainly more prevalent in the summer. Came across this yesterday - it's a very useful read:

http://dogsfirst.ie/best-natural-flea-control/

I read that earlier and found it to be a bit scaremongery tbh with worse case scenarios in bold etc? There's possible side affects to everything when you think about it - if I followed that rule of thumb I wouldn't take my own medicine every day let alone give stuff to the madra!

anniehoo

tk123 wrote: »

I read that earlier and found it to be a bit scaremongery tbh with worse case scenarios in bold etc? There's possible side affects to everything when you think about it - if I followed that rule of thumb I wouldn't take my own medicine every day let alone give stuff to the madra!

I actually thought the opposite tbh and is pretty much exactly what i think when it comes to flea prevention. I dont and never have flea treated my cat with chemicals and only twice in my last dog in her whole life. I dont think people do enough research into why they should or shouldn't give certain things to their pets, instead just over medicating for the sake of it, which is a waste of time and money and potentially (albeit a low risk) harmful in the long run.

DBB

I'm soooo hit and miss when it comes to flea-treating, and always have been... purely because I kept forgetting, it wasn't planned!
But more recently, I've pretty much made the decision not to treat at all until I'm given a reason to. The last time any of my dogs had fleas was when I moved into my new-build home 9 years ago, the place was walking with fleas the day I moved in, and my dogs got them!
They pick up a very occasional tick, which I coat with Frontline spray using a cotton bud.

Edited to add: I see Dogs First have recommended a twice daily herbally bath for a week, for dogs that have fleas... Two baths a day?! I can see that going down a storm here :-O

boomerang

I'm with you, anniehoo.

Scaremongering aside, one problem with giving a parasite treatment monthly is that the parasites become more and more resistant to the product. That is a big concern. It has already happened with certain worming treatments.

Besides, these products don't *prevent* fleas or ticks - they just kill them within 24 hours should they hop on your dog for a ride. Personally I'd have the flea comb or the tick remover out straight away - I wouldn't be waiting the 24 hours for the spot-on to kill the buggers. Both fleas and ticks carry other diseases, some of them very serious. Cat fleas can carry feline leukaemia, for example.

DBB I'm with you too - Boo's eleven now, Amber was turning nine and neither of them ever had fleas. Not once in their whole lives. Can you imagine the cumulative effect of giving Boo what would be 130 spot-on treatments by now?

boomerang

DBB wrote: »

Edited to add: I see Dogs First have recommended a twice daily herbally bath for a week, for dogs that have fleas... Two baths a day?! I can see that going down a storm here :-O

I thought that was overkill too DBB, but in fairness it also occured to me that the reason is to wash any flea eggs out of the coat, and drown a few fleas too. Not a bad idea, in the short term!

DBB

boomerang wrote: »

I thought that was overkill too DBB, but in fairness it also occured to me that the reason is to wash any flea eggs out of the coat, and drown a few fleas too. Not a bad idea, in the short term!

I can see the merits alright, but I'm just thinking how the crew here would be reacting by Day 3 or 4 when they see me coming with the herbally basin of water! Lol!
Re your above post, jayney, when you look at it from the point of view of how many doses we're advised to give our pets over a lifetime, it's a bit scary!

tk123

Funny Advantage is mentioned in the article because I just saw the best (american) ad ever and it was for some variety Advantage - it had a talking puppy lol

Anyhoos I don't know how we'd manage 2 baths a day either - every towel in the house would be used for the 1 bath as well as the blaster!

My guy swims (actual swimming with just his head sticking out of the water) most days so I don't see how a spot on would even work like they claim - they say they can get wet and it'll still work ...then further down in the instructions they'll say getting wet does diminish it.. Then like DBB I'll forget - sticker on the calendar and I'll have forgotten and he's asleep by the time I remember, then it's raining or he'll have hydro in 2 days so wait until after, then the weekend is coming and you're not meant to let them into water for so many days after etc which ruins our plans then months have gone by so I don't see the point anymore either?!

mymo

We only use a flea treatment if we suspect fleas, twice last year, and not yet this year.
I did use tea tree oil collars on the cats in the summer as a preventative measure and they didn't get fleas for 5 years, but I can't seem to get them now (also Toby can take his collar off).
I am checking everyone this weekend as I got a bite yesterday, not sure if its a flea though, if it is I'll get a spot on, but I don't believe in using them monthly! Even my vet says only use if you need them, 6 or 8 weeks he told my friend who's convinced a flea would kill her tiny yorkie

tk123

I wonder would tea-tree oil be too perfumey for my boy - he's a poopoo roller so may want to mask it? :rolleyes:

I spent ages last time I was getting spot-ons online thrawling throught them all to find one that had a smaller dose that the bayer ones and that didn't need to be done that often. The Bayer ones just seemed to spill all over the place and imo 25-45kg is a pretty big difference in size depending on the dog so it seemed like the dose was too much? I settled from some generic version of Frontline (patent has run out so loads of generics available - parcel motel if they won't ship to ROI ) that only needed to be done every 6-8 weeks but still don't think I'll bother. He's spotless from all his swimming and emergency hosepipe showers after the aforementioned poo rolling! :P

jsabina

Auhm,
I've just bought advocate for jago and put advantix or how is called last month.
Do you really don't use anything?
I remember when I was in Italy it was highly reccomended.. I know of people (strict friends) that had problems (back in italy)... huge problems to get rid of them from the house..
maybe Ireland is different? because less warm?

Just asking, not polemic..
thanks