Flea Treatment

Advantage is considered to be the safest topical. You can even use it on ferrets and rabbits (in the proper dosage). If you don't want to use a topical (all topicals use insecticides), try Comfortis, a pill that kills all biting fleas for a month. It's fairly new but seems to be quite safe if used properly. You have to get it from your vet---prescription only.

I use Comfortis,and I'm pretty pleased with it.No mess,no chemicals to deal with.

We use Frontline on our dogs. It works pretty good. The fleas go crazy for a while while they're dying, though. So your dog might bite or scratch a lot at first.

We use frontline. Have for years and have never had any problems with it.

I use Comfortis and am very happy with it - no reactions to it at all. They did not do well on the topicals.

Thinly slice a whole lemon, including the peel. Add it to 1 pint of near-boiling water and let it steep overnight. The next day, sponge the solution onto the animal’s skin and let it dry. You can use this daily for severe skin problems involving fleas. It is a source of natural flea-killing substances like d-limonene and other healing ingredients found in the whole lemon.

Either the frontline plus or advantage would both work well. I work for a vet and we have never seen a reaction to either product. I have used frontline plus on my 5.2lb maltese and never had a problem. If you are doing heartworm meds there is a topical that does both heartworm and fleas, Advantage Multi. (I would not use this on collies or shelties that are ivermectin sensitive.) It is very safe and will save you some money in the long run.

I *LOVE* Comfortis. I use it for all my dogs; everyone (except my "schnorkie", who is in actuality just a mutt) takes it well.

The only issue I've had is vomiting. StiXxX, my mutt, will vomit if he has not eaten a full meal. This is a known effect, though, but he's a finicky eater so it's hard to get the timing just right.

Comfortis is incredibly convenient for me, especially w/my Rottweiler who despises having topicals applied.

I've been using Revolution and haven't had any problems. But, I'm going to stop using it and see how things go. I've read a lot of raw feeders stopped using chemical flea treatments with success and use DE. After Molly had the allergic reaction to her shots last fall I am concerned about bombarding her with all these chemicals. Obviously, I will be forced to go back to the flea treatments if she becomes a host for the little b*ggers.

I'm probably in the minority here but, I don't use chemical flea preventatives on my dogs. I spray Ark Naturals Neem Protect Spray and it works great for keeping fleas, flies and mosquitoes off of them. It has all natural ingredients and you only have to spray it on them once every 7-10 days. I also groom them regularly with Mink Sheen shampoo which also contains citronella in it, which is a bug deterrent. By using these things I've never had any problems with fleas or ticks. If you aren't wanting to use chemicals there are a lot of different alternatives out there besides what I've just mentioned, you just have to search for them.

Good luck to you!

I'm another owner who doesn't use chemical flea and tick treatments. I like BugOff Garlic by Springtime Inc., and have also heard good things about Brewers Yeast. Around the house I use Diatomacious Earth (labeled for use around pets and kids), Natural Defense, and other natural products. Natural Chemistry also makes some great products, including a shampoo that kills and repells fleas and ticks naturally, called DeFlea.