FLEAS!

[jansman]

Well,our dog has fleas.He is Frontlined religously every month,all year round.But he has fleas - big time.As we know,fleas can carry disease because of their bloodsucking habits.Went down to Pets At Home ( the vet will sell the same stuff at a hellish price),and there was a queue of folks waiting for the same stuff! It seems that the weather has caused an explosion of fleas.Anyhow,got a spray,done the carpets and furniture in the house,and also the Summer house.

Found out half an hour after buying the spray that I could get it for half the price at Wilkos! When I got home I realised I had a ' crawling insect' spray that contains the same chemical,Doh!

Anyhow,just a heads up to you dog and cat people out there.

[Deeps]

Cheers for the heads up mate. Ours are treated but from time to time they end up scratching. Probably operator error on our part. I'll mention it to Her Maj.

[Arwen Thebard]

Our vet recommended an alternative to Frontline called "Bravecto" which is supposed to last for three months between treatments, it's seems to be working so far, nine months in.

https://us.bravecto.com/

Antone seen an increase in ticks?

[Clarebelle]

We have noticed a huge flea problem this year. It's not unusual for the cat to get them and need treating but we have had to treat both cats and dogs several times this year. I know it's bad because one of our ducks nests was crawling with fleas, very unusual for ducks to be affected. We also had a chick hatch we needed a bit of assistance and the poor thing was covered in fleas, never seen it before, ever. I can only assume the conditions for them have been perfect

[ukpreppergrrl]

I concur! I noticed fleas on my cat yesterday - the first time in over three years as he barely goes out and doesn't socialise with any other cats. I still had some Frontline left over so I dosed him, much to his disgust. He's just about forgiven me today. I was about to get some spray from the vet for the house to finish off any blighters that may still be lurking (and give the local clothes moth population a good seeing to as well - only time I seemed to make a dent in the population in my house was when the boys last got fleas and I sprayed the whole house with expensive vet flea killer). Good tip re crawling insect spray - I will pop to Wilko's tomorrow!

[Plymtom]

Our cats are indoor ones, but we have a few local cats trying to come in too, but I have wire mesh frames with fly screen stapled on up to all the windows except the velux which just has fly screen, I'm thinking they are getting close enough to be a problem though
Sad because the treatment we use costs us dearly and if we have to do the whole house it's scary.

[jansman]

We have been alternating brands to be fair,( resistance and all that),but it was obvious today that it is an issue with dog and cat owners right now. Interesting that the flea treatment in Wilko was on a separate,stand alone display on an aisle-turn!

Get some spray for the house though,and break the cycle.Then your Cutie won't have Cooties!

[Plymtom]

Get some spray for the house though,and break the cycle.Then your Cutie won't have Cooties!

We did a dozen of them I don't think we have any fleas at the moment, 9 indoor cats would soon show, ear mites those little buggers cause issues though, and the cats hate that treatment.

[peejay]

I can't offer a perfect solution but I can suggest a warning. In our household our dog is the OH's "baby" so she makes a point of doing everything positive for him that he can, e.g. raw fed etc. (We realised after we lost our last dog 7yrs ago how many issues he had such as itchy skin etc. and are ashamed to say a lot of them were probably down to the cr@p we were unknowingly feeding him)

Over the last few years we've learned a lot about the nasties in modern dog "food" etc. (I wouldn't feed anything from Purina if you paid me - the sh!te they put in dog feed is horrendous!) but something else we've become aware of the last couple of years is the potential consequences of vaccinations/treatments etc.

Just 2 days ago I read another heartfelt FB post about an owner that lost their dog within days of a reaction to flea treatment (I think Nexguard in this case). Lots of stories of pets shutting down & dying after vaccination jabs etc. (I've learnt that there's a reason vets place them where they do these days - it gives a fighting chance of survival by amputation).

There are a variety of (more) natural solutions out there (OH uses Neem shampoo). I'm not saying they're as effective, but I'd feel happier that they're less damaging.

When you sit & think about it, ANYTHING you put in an animal, that can kill anything that bites it 3 months later has got to be pretty damn toxic to the host animal wouldn't you think?

(She just shouted over my shoulder "Diatomaceous earth" around skirting edges is also a good natural remedy, and that rose geranium oil dabbed on the collar works well).

I can say that we haven't been aware of any fleas on him for the last 2 years EXCEPT one bugger we saw on him a few weeks ago whilst away in the caravan. I managed to get & kill it, he was then swiftly taken out for an impromptu bath with Neem shampoo! Nothing more since.

Oh, & this comes from someone with an intense hatred of fleas, given that after my OH moved in with her dog & two cats years ago, they (the animals!) woke up a wave of dormant fleas like you wouldn't believe & we ended up throwing out all of the (thankfully old/knackered anyway) downstairs carpets!

Just an observation...

[jansman]

Interesting, I use D- earth for the fowls. No problem with mites this year!!