How long have you been treating your dog with Advantage?

Our older dogs use Sentinel (pills), but the vet put the puppy on Advantage (liquid). He said it was better since it kills some kind of flea or egg (?) that the pills don't.

Have you posted in Pets?

I've used it off and on for several years, but only end up using it about 3x a year, because its not usually a problem.

Didn't know where the pet forum is. I'll check that out.

So you're not talking about the Advantage you put on them once a month for heart worms and fleas/ticks?

Please don't give your dogs garlic. Yes, I realize that some pet products still contain garlic or garlic flavoring, but it's definitely NOT recommended for dogs anymore. Check with your vet.

Garlic and onions can trigger hemolytic anemia. It is a very serious illness, your dog could go from healthy to dead in a few days.
Some dogs do not seem to have a problem with ingesting garlic and onions, others suddenly react to it with HA even though they hadn't had any difficulty previously. In short, it's not worth the chance of developing HA.

Do a search for hemolytic anemia in dogs and take a look at the symptoms.

As for the fleas, you can try switching to Frontline. Bathe the dog weekly until the fleas are under control. Wash all bedding thoroughly in hot water, wash any throw rugs you can, vacuum frequently (and toss out the vacuum bag! preferably after giving it a squirt of flea spray), and use a flea comb daily.

Be very, very careful not to overload your dog with multiple types and sources (i.e. do not combine flea shampoo, dip and spray on the same dog) of flea chemicals. Most flea chemicals end up absorbed by the skin and need to be filtered from the blood by the liver and kidneys. Don't overlap them too much in frequency either -- read labels carefully and, when in doubt, check with your vet or leave it out. Many dogs have been killed or made seriously ill by over-enthusiastic application of flea chemicals.

Thanks. Hm Read that garlic is okay in my book written by a vet that I like. I've seen on the net where someone says not okay. Do you have anything you can refer me to on that? I'd like to read more.

Both Onions and Garlic can cause problems in dogs. I use garlic for light flavoring only. A little goes a long way.

Here is a link that might be useful: Onions and Garlic

By far the best solution for fleas I've found is diatomaceous earth (DE). DE is a fine white powder consisting of the crushed skeletons of diatoms. Microscopic, sharp pieces of DE pierce the exoskeletons of the fleas, which kills them.

Unlike Advantage or Frontline or flea collars or sprays, DE is completely non-toxic to humans and dogs. In fact, some people consume it intentionally as a mineral supplement. You have probably consumed it if you eat anything made with grain, because it is a popular method for controlling pests in grain silos. I've heard that it is also effective for ridding a dog of internal parasites.

You need to be careful to avoid inhaling it while you're applying it, but once it's down it seems to stay down well. Also, be very, very, very careful to get "food grade" or "garden grade" DE. There is a different form used for pool filters. Pool grade DE is not only ineffective for fleas, it is dangerous to inhale. None of it is good to inhale (like any dust in the air), but the food grade isn't dangerous like the pool grade.

I had an ongoing flea problem at my last house, because we had a tiny yard surrounded by yards with other dogs. We tried everything under the sun and nothing worked until we got DE. Applying it properly is a major pain, but it is so worth it. I got on my hands and knees, sprinkled DE with a tablespoon onto every inch of the carpet, and scrubbed it in with a scrub brush. The fleas actually got worse for a few days, or so it seemed, because they kept jumping on us trying to get away from the DE. After that, though, they were completely gone and they didn't come back in the four or five more years we lived in that house.

In my current house, we have very little carpet, so fleas have been less of a problem. Still, when we did have a small outbreak, I applied DE and they were gone almost immediately and have stayed gone.

Here is a link that might be useful: a source for DE

This is so interesting, hg. Can you tell us to what you applied the de and, if you applied it to your dog, how did you do that without you or the dog inhaling?

I have mostly applied it to carpet and flooring (wood and brick). I have applied it to the dogs once or twice, and it was no more trouble than old fashioned flea powder. I applied it outside and just kept moving upwind of the dust, but there wasn't as big of a cloud of dust as you might imagine.

Thanks, holligator.

I JUST ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM LAST WEEK-END. AND THIS WORKS.
GO GET 20 MUEL TEMS BOROX. YOU CAN FIND THIS IN THE BLEACH SECTIONS OF THE GROCERY STORE. YOU CAN MIS 1 TEASPOON IN 2 CUPS OF WATER AND MAKE A SPRAY TO USE ON FURNITURE USE THE REST AS A CARPET FRESH PRODUCT ON CARPET
DIRECTIONS SY FOR 3 HOURS. I LEFT IT ON FLOORS OVER NIGHT.
THEN VACCU UP REALLY GOOD ALSO UNDER FURNITURE. GO TO HOME REMEDIES FOR FLEAS. YOU WILL SEE IT THERE. WORKS
GREAT. YOU WILL HAVE TO BATH DOG OFCOURSE AND ALSO TREAT YOUR YARD. THERE ARE ALSO SITE INFORMATION ON YOUR YARD.
GOOD LUCK, WORKED FOR ME.
BB

Hm. Just happened to find this thread again. I originally posted in January. We put our dog back on probiotics and he went back on his homeopathic remedy. I guess he became healthier and the flea problem went away.

I have used Frontline for years and noticed last year it quit working. This year in early spring my 3 dogs were already covered with fleas! So I tried out something new called Comfortis. It's a chewable tablet that you are supposed to give once a month. I gave it to all 3 of my dogs on June 12 and they just needed a second dose last week. Amazing stuff!! It comes from the vet and has to be given with food (it can make some dogs throw up, but mine never did). I bought the dosage made for dogs 60 to 120 pounds and divided one pill among my 3 dogs (70 lbs, 8 lbs and 3 lbs) by weighing it carefully on my gram scale. That way each dog got exactly the right dose. It works fast too. The dogs went from heavily infested to flea-free within 6 hours.

I use Frontline too.
But, I also go off of it every 6 months and try just the
flea collar for two months. Of course spraying the entire
house helps too.

My dogs also eat Brewer's yeast tablets. Maybe 10 a day
for a week or so. It is their silly treat so I can not say
I really count the pills. They love Brewers's yeast
tablets. It is hard to find this vitamin. Try CVS, Or
Target or any pharmacy. This combined with yogurt really
helps. My mother did this when I was a kid with the dogs
and I followed her footsteps but I have no idea if it
works specifically for fleas but she always did this in
the summertime.

Hoping it helps your dogs.
~boxerpups

I've used boric acid powder for years and years. I sprinkle it our carpet upstairs, under cushions, behind furniture and in door/window tracks and backs of cupboards. We've never had a problem with fleas or any other bugs. It kills them all. It's save for pets and super cheap. :c)

Ccoombs1, I'd be VERY careful with Comfortis. As you mentioned, vomiting is a common side effect, as is extreme lethargy. The more serious side effect is gastric torsion, which without emergency surgery leads to death. I have heard of several cases of this happening--once to a dog that had been on Comfortis for six months with no prior problems.

I just can't bring myself to give my dogs something with such serious potential side effects, even if the chances are slight. As deep-chested breeds, my dogs are already prone to gastric torsion, so it's an even bigger concern. If you do use Comfortis, watch your dogs very, very carefully for vomiting and lethargy for about 6 to 8 hours after giving it. If they make it past that period without symptoms they're probably fine.

Applied correctly, one application of diatomaceous earth keeps fleas for years with no side effects at all. As big of a problem as fleas are here in Florida, we remain flea-free. I'm sticking with DE.

Update: Last year tried comfortis once and my dog pooped out a stream of blood the next day. Thankfully he was okay after that. No more comfortis. My vet doesn't trust it for any dog.

This year we had another round of fleas and what worked was boric acid treatment on all flooring. It took a month for everything to cycle through.