Fleas, even with Advantix

Buttercup · 10-25-2007, 09:39 AM

Can you wash off Advantix if you give too many baths? I thought it was absorbed into the skin so it didn't actually wash off. I didn't wash him within 3 days before or after the treatment, but now he has several fleas. I have had to give him several baths because of a soiling in his crate issue I am working on. I really don't want any fleas at all since he sleeps in my bed. He was on Frontline for 2 months since that is what our vet sold us, but I switched him to Advantix last month since it had good reviews and helped with mosquitos as well.

Another issue is that a husky he plays with almost everyday has a lot of fleas. I have talked with her owners about the fleas, but they say the topical treatments don't work on her since her fur it too thick and they can't get the medicine to her skin. Is there any husky owners who can confirm or deny that? What do you guys do? I'm sure her owners would be willing to try something else (especially if I buy it

), but I don't want to waste money on something that does no good. I'm sure he must be getting the fleas on him from her, but I don't understand why their not dying? Everytime I look at him closely, I find more and more and they are all alive.

Any advice? Thanks guys.

WicketLeia · 10-25-2007, 09:47 AM

My only advice would be to get the magic flea pill from your vet (for the life of me, I can't remember what the pill is called). Note that you can only get this pill from the vet! It starts working in 30 minutes and you should be 100% flea free within 3-4 hours.. it's great!

When I got my puppy in September, she was completely infested - I got this pill from the vet at 8:30am and by noon.. she was flea free.. I just had to wash the dead ones out of her fur.

Annamarie · 10-25-2007, 01:00 PM

yes you can wash flea treatment off. it says right on the package that bathing will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. you shouldn't really need to bathe your dog more than once a month anyway, and if you do just avoid the neck area. if your dog needs frequent bathing for whatever reason, try the bath wipes.

as far as the husky owner, i personally think they're full of BS and that advantage or program or any of those would work... but you could suggest they try the pill form of flea control.

Chupa Cabras · 10-25-2007, 01:01 PM

I am having the same problem. I've applied Frontline twice, and each time it only lasts about 3 weeks. Watson has chewed himself raw under his front legs and stomach, and is constantly scratching!

Everyone here says don't bother with the over-the-counter products, but at $16 a pop, Frontline isn't doing the job. I'm combing fleas off him every day!

I asked the vet about the 'pill', and she just said use Frontline.

skelaki · 10-25-2007, 03:38 PM

I've had a Keeshond and Rough Collies so I know about thick fur. It does take a bit of effort to part the fur until you see the skin and then apply the flea medicine but it can be done. You can also dust the dog with food grade diatamaceous (sp?) earth. This will kill fleas and is non-toxic.

Another thing to do is to make sure your dog is on a high quality diet as fleas tend to affect dogs that are not in top condition more than those that are.

lovemygreys · 10-25-2007, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WicketLeia

My only advice would be to get the magic flea pill from your vet (for the life of me, I can't remember what the pill is called). Note that you can only get this pill from the vet! It starts working in 30 minutes and you should be 100% flea free within 3-4 hours.. it's great!

Capstar. It does work wonderfully. It's only effective for 24 hours, but it will kill any flea that bites the dog.

If you are having a flea problem, you'll most likely need to treat the environment AND the dog. For fleas, I'd do Capstar (for the quick kill) and then apply Advantage (for longer term protection) - works best for fleas IMO.

for the environment, you'll want to vaccum thouroughly and throw away or immediately empty the vaccuum. I'd vacuum daily for a couple weeks. Also, wash all bedding the dog comes into contact with. You can get rid of fleas on the dog, but if there are flea eggs in the dog's bedding, they'll just hatch and you'll be back to having fleas on your dog. There are also some sprays you can pick up to spray down things like sofas or fabric chairs the dog may sleep in.

Dogstar · 10-25-2007, 06:29 PM

I've found Frontline vs Advantage depends on where you are- some fleas just seem more susceptible than others to one or the other.