Flea & Tick prevention

Okay, the count down is about 2 weeks (I think). Until I head to Oregon with the muttley crew. I am, however, still a bit lost about what is the best option for poisoning my dogs and making them undesirable to bugs.

Tips?

We've had great success with K9 Advantix.

Well, you probably don't really have to worry about ticks, just fleas, and you can probably wait until they happen before you start treating.

What has been working best for me lately is the Target version of Frontline, I think they call it "Pet Armor" or something like that. It's cheaper than name-brand Frontline, but I've also found it more effective. Go figure.

I haven't had to use it much lately. I put some on once last summer, think I saw a flea. They got a little itchy early this summer, and I put some on, but I'm not sure there actually were any fleas. Anyway, I don't expect to need it again until next summer, maybe.

My mom used to do this when we were growing up, she'd just apply it once a year or so when we found a few fleas but elsewise we didn't use it, I think.

I appreciate the tips!

I found a spray at a pet specialty store that is peppermint and clove that I spray Yoshi down with before and after we go out. It says it repels bugs. I'm convinced it just burns them to death XD But no problems since I started using it and she usually gets three or four ticks a year and there have been none so far for about two years.

We either use K9 Advantix or Vectra 3D, none of the others seem to work. I usually use it once a summer and they are good, except for this year the cat methinks brought the fleas in.

I was using K9Advantix II, but it wasn't keeping the ticks off when we go hiking. So now we are using Comfortis for fleas and Preventic Collars for ticks. Works well for us living in FL with year round fleas/ticks. Plus the news said the other day, ticks were going to stay bad through the fall and winter too. Worse year we've had in a while b/c before I never saw a tick just using the K9 Advantix, now the white dogs come out of the brush looking like Dalmatians (until I started using the Preventic collars).

I use Frontline every 3 months in the warmer months and Trifexis monthly in the winter.

I use Certifect if I'm hiking a lot with Steve because it works better on ticks than straight Frontline. I don't generally use anything for fleas unless I see some, but this year I've had to treat everybody with Frontline (cats and dogs) because we did get fleas.

This is pretty much what I've gone to as well. Can't get Interceptor anymore anyway though, so it will probably just be Trifexis year round from here on out and the Frontline will really be for ticks, which like to lurk around just about everywhere we go for outdoor agility. =P

I also use this outdoor formula:
http://www.paldog.com/sprays_balms.htm
If I remember to spray that before we go on hikes, we don't have tick issues. Fleas are apparently not offended by it though. =/ Luckily the fleas the boys brought back a few months ago seem to have all been killed by the Frontline, because I haven't found any either dead or alive and the boys have no flea dirt. Still pretty gross to have them bring fleas in though... ugh.

We used K9 Advantix this year when we had our (albeit minor) breakout.

Frontline works for us when I remember to use it. I don't think fleas are a problem here (I've never known anyone who's pets have had them) so I'm not worried about those, and not really worried about ticks either because they're easily spotted in Juno's short hair. But Juno has had a couple of ticks in her life and usually it's after I've skipped a month or two of the Frontline. So either it works, or the timing is just coincidence.

Certifect is supposed to have awesome tick destroying powers, but the clinic I worked at saw way too many neurological reactions to it for us to feel comfortable recommending it to most people. We only mentioned it to people who had hunting dogs or dogs that would otherwise be exposed to ticks on a frequent basis.

I have a few sample doses of Certifect laying around that Merial gave us, but I'm a bit leery to use it. I won't need t until next Spring anyway, so I have time to think about it.

ETA:

I use Heargtard when I use Frontline. I've never had a problem with it, and I get it for free.

I use Advantix. Usually apply it once every summer or more as needed. Once is normally sufficient.

Wow, that's interesting. We haven't seen any, but we haven't sold very much of it, either. We also only recommend it to people with significant tick problems.

I used Revolution this last summer. Was pretty happy with it and think we'll go that route again.

Before that I did Frontline Plus three times each summer. Eh, it was okay... Scout reacted to it a little.

Can't use Advantix because of the kittehs.

Oh and I use Revolution on my little cat too.

Not to hijack the thread. BUT if one needed to get comfortis and other flea stuff from the vet. Does one have to take said animals to the vet, if the animals have never been there before?

Frontline was used on Marlee for ticks.... she still had fleas, though.

At our clinic the policy is that prescription meds cannot be given out unless we have seen the animal in the past year. We give out Frontline to anyone, but not other stuff.