[Jane C]

Dog food recommended and sold in vet clinics contains corn and is not a high quality food. If you are wondering why it is sold in most every clinic it is because the clinic is rewarded by the manufacturer (kick backs). I have been dealing with a similar problem with an 8 yr. old J.R. She has a serious flea allergy, so that is the first thing to address. Even one flea sets her scratching and chewing. I will only use a topical flea treatment when absolutely necessary, otherwise flea comb daily. She is a rough coat so about March I clip her down a bit to help the flea problem. We live in the South and fleas can be awful. My best results have been to feed The Honest Kitchen food that I add my own raw meat. This ensures a balanced diet. On your size dog this could be pricy but it will be worth it in the long run. If you are using steroids please stop as they do so much harm. Start on the low end of the recommended amount and adjust. Then if you begin to see the results start adding back some dry food. I recommend Nature’s Logic as no ingredients sourced from China, all NATURAL ingredients and great company. Ck. out their website. I have 2 other dogs that are doing great on it. Hope this helps. soldiermom1

[Z B]

9 yr old female spayed
pit-boxer mix,43 lbs, at ideal weight and in good shape
Diet: Kibble (most recently Dr Tims Kinesis grain free & Natures Variety LID Duck) topped with 5 star canned
Heartguard every 6 weeks
Frontline or other topical flea treatment every 2 months
Flea bath once every 1-3 months

She has never taken steroids, painkillers, or antibiotics except for 2 courses of amoxicillin in the past year for a skin infection. To my knowledge she has not eaten any poisons, poisonous plants, etc. She’s an inside dog and walked on a leash. I don’t have a fenced yard so she’s never outside unattended.

Last week her water intake increased dramatically and she peed large volumes on the floor several nights in a row. Other than that she appears to feel fine, eating well, enjoys her walks, is not showing urgency to pee nor peeing frequently. Urinalysis showed signs of infection so she’s now taking antibiotic Zeniquin.

Yesterday I received the results of her bloodwork and her liver enzymes are OFF THE CHARTS.

The doctor recommends I give her SAM-e and Milk Thistle to support liver health. Is there anything else I can do, diet-wise, supplements, etc. I see Science Diet and Royal Canin have liver support diets but I hope not to feed those foods if I don’t have to. I’m willing to do homemade if I need to (commercial raw is not in my budget) but would prefer to stick with a high quality kibble and canned if possible.

Should I be concerned about the foods I’m currently feeding? Contamination????

[Anonymous]

My dog’s skin test showed allergies to a variety of grasses/weeds/trees, wool, Cockroach, American (specialist explained this doesn’t mean you have roaches) this stuff is dander, waste of all living things, it is everywhere, in the air, dirt, she scored a 3 for this one, plus the wool and one of the trees.
Three 3s. The other 13 were 2’s
The scratching, skin irritations, stomach upset, 2 ear infections, red rashes, 2 prednisone trials went on for a year before I took her for testing. I never had the blood test that identifies food allergies done. A lot of the allergens are airborne….impossible to avoid.
I tried an air purifier, dehumidifier….useless and noisy.

The link I provided (previous post) to Dog Allergy Central explains immunotherapy in detail.

I noticed a little improvement right away, it will be 2 years now, she’s sees the specialist once a year. She is much improved. She still scratches occasionally, but not that crazy, intense stuff.
The specialist I went to doesn’t even recommend the skin test unless the symptoms have been going on for 1 year/4 seasons without any periods of significant relief.

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

‘Doc, it itches when I do this!’

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

Dog is prepared for Intra Dermal Testing

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Lynn J]

While these oral tick/flea medications will kill fleas or ticks after they bite, they do not repel. So unfortunately they don’t prevent your dog from picking up fleas or ticks. You shouldn’t find engorged ticks on your dog, but you might find them crawling around on the dog, or dead ticks where your dog sleeps or hangs out.

[Anonymous]

http://store-kneew2.mybigcommerce.com/natural-flea-tick-mosquito-control-for-dogs-evolv/
Wondercide

Seems to help, so that I can use less pesticides/poisons.

PS: Regarding flea/tick killing products. They are not medications.

[Lauren Y]

Hi,

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d post my experience.

I’ve been using Bravecto for 6 months (2 doses). When I was using Advantix II, I would find dozens of flees on my dogs for days after visiting a highly infested area. After I started using Bravecto, I haven’t found a single flea on him that wasn’t dying…even after spending hours in the same infested area. I comb him regularly and have never found a flea on him after leaving an infested area. My dog hasn’t had a single tick since using this medication, but he only picked up one in the previous 2 years so that doesn’t say much.

When I first started using this, my dog had picked up fleas from a friend’s house and the Advantix I had put on a week before wasn’t helping. My vet called the company, which said that Bravecto can be used concurrently with topical medications, so I gave him the Bravecto tablet immediatly. There were no ill effects and the fleas all died. It’s not something I would do regularly, but it’s good to know that it’s safe.

I do have 2 concerns with this product:

1) This product does not repel and requires the flea/tick to bite before killing. This is okay for ticks because it takes ticks 24-48 hours to transmit diseases and Bravecto kills in a few hours. Even better, they’re dead/dying when they drop off so they aren’t a danger to anyone else. However, it seems to make fleas sort of dizzy and easy to catch before they die. That means my dog is more likely to lick them up, and thus get worms.

2) Bravecto is hard to get from a vet’s office. My vet likes the product but says there just isn’t enough demand for him to stock it. This means I have to get it from online distrubuters, and that makes me really nervous. It’s a new enough product that I HOPE there aren’t a lot of counterfeiters out there, but you can never be sure.

Anyway, I hope this helps people decide if they want to use this product. I’d highly recommend it. It seems as safe as the topicals and works better. Of course, if you can get away with not using any chemicals, I’d do that, but it’s not an option for me.

[Emer C]

Hi everyone,

I’m loving this resource. I combated my pugs skin for over 2yrs with buffalo Taste of the Wild but noticed a decline since last summer with her itching. There’s nothing visible on her skin (no redness, rash etc) but she will suddenly burst into scratching like she has been stung.She’d always scratch a little over summer but flea doses and mite sprays controlled that.

Her ears have been an issue for a year and a half too and both came to a head before Christmas. Also she couldn’t eat her new bag of Taste of the Wild so had to change. They replaced the bag no problem. Because I this I bought a bag locally and highly recommended for sensitive dogs (Wafcol) no real change so went back to Taste of the Wild after 2 months (because I had a new bag sitting there). Oh dear, things exploded. Itch went insane, brown junk pouring from her ears, eyes gummy. Poor thing but I was definite then it was food. Retried homeopathy with a cooked mix of sweet potato, carrots, peas and coconut oil. Within 4 days ears had dried, still some itching but wonder is that habit as urgency is gone.

My problem is…… I can’t give her a protein source 🙁 Lamb set of the itching, chicken was thrown back up, salmon does seem to increase itching too. Have tried some egg but don’t think too many would be a good idea. I’m a bit lost where to go long term 🙁 But for now, even my vet agrees to just stick to the veg. Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated.

[Susan F]

I use Mercola Flea and Tick Defense. It’s essential oil based, so no harsh, toxic chemicals. Yes, I need to apply about 2x per week, but at least I’m not poisoning my dog. http://smile.amazon.com/Mercola-Natural-Flea-Tick-Defense/dp/B004GTD3UK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427740941&sr=8-1&keywords=mercola+flea

[Anonymous]

“Lufenuron, a benzoylurea pesticide, inhibits the production of chitin in insects. Without chitin, a larval flea will never develop a hard outer shell (exoskeleton). With its inner organs exposed to air, the insect dies from dehydration soon after hatching or molting (shedding its old, smaller shell)”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufenuron

Just look up the ingredients of any flea/tick products or repellents, if you have any doubt about what they are.

[Akari_32]

The fact that lufenuron does not kill fleas is what makes it a safer product than other flea medications– because it’s not a pesticide, like the others are. If you do not have a serious flea problem, you will notice it working within a couple weeks, as the existing fleas and eggs go through their life cycles, coupled of course, with regular bathing, flea combing and vaccuuming.

[Christal M]

First, I would like to explain something about sentinel and sentinel spectrum.

These two drugs do NOT kill adult fleas or eggs. If a flea bites your dog, this drug simply sterilizes the flea, so that flea can no longer reproduce.

Sentinel provides the flea sterilization, as well as prevention for heartworms, hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. It comes in a tablet form. Sentinel spectrum is a smaller chewy square that works for all of the above and tapeworms. Both are dosed monthly.

Secondly, to the person who was livid because they found fleas and ticks on their dog after using bravecto, please understand that this drug does not repel parasites. It only starts to kill them after they bite.

[Christie L]

Hey guys, my one and a half year old pup had fleas back in October – what a nightmare. I thankfully was able to successfully get rid of them after a lot of vaccuming, spraying, bathing, as well as giving her Capstar during the end of our flea battle. I was iffy at first about giving her a pill, but did a lot of research as well as spoke to our vet about it who said there shouldn’t be any side effects. I felt capstar was the perfect way to ensure the fleas were completely gone especially after days full of vaccuming every inch of the house.

During my research, I read about some dog owners who would occasionally give their dog capstar on days they feel their pup may have interacted with another pup that has fleas. I figured this was smart as long as not given in excess … Great preventative strategy … I do give my dog a topical treaTment every month… I gave it to her last month and this month we put it off a few days as she was getting groomed … Not even realizing, I took her to the dog park a few days ago – as soon as we got there I realized I didn’t give it to her yet. I gave it to her as soon as we got home, but I’m still nervous. She’s been itching a little (although we think it’s because she felt the topical treatment on her)…

Anyway my question here…..I plan to order capstar for her, but I seen a generic version on amazon and ebay that’s a lotttt cheaper than the regular one. I wanted to see if anyone had experience with using this or knows any info? I couldn’t find much information online – honestly it’s not worth saving $15 for my dog to get sick, but then I think about how there are generic versions to front line that are fine – so maybe people just don’t know about the generic capstar? Or maybe there’s a reason they don’t? Lol. It would be nice to keep a steady supply for “flea scare” days …

Here’s the links to what I found:

10 Capsules 57 mg Nitenpyram Flea Killing Flea Killer Flea Control capsules for large Dogs 25-125 lbs FREE SHIPPING. Compare to the active ingredient in Capstar.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/111527173525?nav=SEARCH

Any input is greatly appreciated! Sorry for the long post! And if anyone ever needs advice on getting rid of fleas, feel free to ask me or contact me cause I’ve become an expert in that area!

[Stephen P]

I know this thread is over a year old, but wanted to share some info… I have a 10 1/2 year old Male English Springer Spaniel who has been fed Eukanuba since 10 weeks old. Last December, the vet removed (with clean margins) a perfectly round tumor from his neck the size of a half-dollar. The lab stated it was not malignant. He has others as well developing on his belly and chest. His appetite started dropping off two weeks ago and what he did eat, he threw it up. Went to vet and they suspected pancreatitus – ran test and came back positive. Vet wanted to take radiographs (x-ray) of the pancreas for safety’s sake. After the x-ray, vet came in the exam room and stated that the pancreas looked normal, but showed me shots of the spleen. My dog’s spleen has a mass so heavy, it pulled the spleen down just below the stomach. An appointment was set for Monday for a specialist and surgeon. I also have a 6 year old female English Springer Spaniel (non related to the male) who has been on a Royal Canine Urinary S O diet since she was two. We went for her bi-annual checkup yesterday to discover 3 palpable round nodules on her chest. The vet wants her back in 3 weeks to recheck blood because her ALT/SGPT (ALT) levels are above normal along with going to run tests of the round nodules.

SO I have 2 dogs who eat 2 different dog foods. The only thing they share is the same type of dog toothpaste made by Arm & Hammer, water, HartGuard heart worm meds, First Shield Trio (topical flea prevention), and they both are inside dogs.

A dog nutritionist told me today that the nickname for the palpable round nodules/tumors are called “Round Up Tumors” and are caused from commercial dog food companies using “Round-Up” (chemical) products of their GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) grown corn and grains. What made my heart drop is he asked if I feed them Eukanuba…. I told him yes for my male and Royal Canine for the female. He stated Royal Canine is on the list using the chemicals and GMOs. I switched foods today. Placing the male on Victory dog food and my female on FROMM (one with a low PH).

Wont know if the tumor on spleen is malignant or not until next Monday…

[Ellen G]

My doxy has had seizures since he was 2 yrs. I researched this product and it really helps control and can stop the seizure while happening. The site is Allergic Pet and he is on VSF Nuroplex Herbal supplement and drops. You can read up on all those dealing with Pet Seizures and how it has helped lesson or elimate (as long as they remain on the program). I did not want to put my Ozzy on the drugs the vet recommended, too many side effects. I do have to be careful using different heart worm and flea and tick meds. Frontline plus caused an immediate seizure and had to bath my dog with Dawn blue dish soap so please stay away from it. Many owners even lost their pets so before giving your pet anything read side effects. If it lists seizures stay away!

[theBCnut]

LOL!! We went right back to too warm. I wouldn’t mind if you came for another visit, just don’t stay too long. LOL!!!

That sounds like saliva stains. And in that area, your choices are fleas and anal gland issues. If it is in a lot of areas, I would expect it to be a food allergy.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by theBCnut.

[Susan]

Hi sounds like your girl has IBD, I read on a link now I cant find it, it said you shouldn’t give dogs enzymes especially if they have a healthy gut, there 2 types of enzymes the plant enzymes or Porcine enzymes….I’d stop the kibble, my boy has IBD & has so many problems with kibbles, just finished trying another kibble & he was sooooo ill, bad acid reflux, now has a real sore throat from the acid reflux, vet wants him on just Turkey breast mince mix in 1 raw egg, then I make about 4 loaves & put on a baking tray & bake 20mins…just for 4-6 weeks to give his stomach a rest, I freeze section & also boil sweet potato boil pumkin & freeze, I boil some Quinoa as its gluten free,….he has stop scatching & his red paws have gone & the red under his chin has gone… I’m finding Patch needs a gluten free diet & has real bad food allergies that has caused his IBD & Colitis when he eats something that he’s allergic too, he has his bloody poos cause the food is irritating his bowel..look up gluten free & low residue foods & stick with those foods also don’t rotate too many foods as you wont know what is causing the itchy skin….
I have found foods that agrees with him & give for breakfast & dinner & something else that agrees with him for lunch & a late dinner, he has 4 small meals thru the day, we found this works best for Patch. also use Malaseb medicated shampoo I found to be the best…. Patch does not take any heartworm meds, he cant take any worm meds only Milbemax all wormer every 6months & I dread the day its due he eats grass the next day & feels sick all day but doesnt have diarrhea on the Milbemax, vet said its very mild, Patch can not use Advantage flea spot on… only Frontline plus, as Frontline only penetrates 2 layers of the skin, where other flea spot ons penetrate thru into their blood, Patch nilly died from Advantage…you name it Patch cannot take it, its all to do with his IBD…..
So I have learnt LESS IS BEST….

[Jennifer H]

What do you mean “before you knew better”? At the shelter I intern at that was the product recommended to me, but I still have several months of advantage multi so I wasn’t looking to switch, plus my sisters dog was on it and it made him sick constantly. I didn’t know there was anything bad about it besides it made some dogs sick?

I still see fleas occasionally on Toby even with the Multi. I think it may have to do with the sandy area we live in, or maybe the amount of dogs around. I’m not sure. 2 years ago we had a massive infestation even with everyone on flea products, not sure we could ever do without….

I really do hate the spot-on, but I just don’t know what to do. I’ll try the ACV and garlic and see if perhaps that makes a difference.

I was thinking of switching to Sentinel and just using herbal flea sprays on Toby for the adult fleas. I worry though that if the Sentinel doesn’t kill adult fleas, the fleas could just lay eggs in the carpeting and then boom, infestation.

[theBCnut]

I don’t do much for fleas. I think what I feed helps me to not have a very big flea issue. I do use some essential oils in a water spray to repel fleas when the dogs go out off our property, and for a couple months over summer, I have to bathe them more frequently. If I have a year where the weather has made the fleas really bad, I’ll use just about anything to knock them down then frequent baths to keep them down. As far as what I feed, raw meat, garlic, apple cider vinegar.

I’ve used Sentinel, which has something that makes flea eggs not hatch out in it. I’ve used Interceptor and Comfortis, but not at the same time. I used Trifexis, before I knew better. My dog really had problems with it, in fact I eventually lost him because of it, but he had epilepsy and a few other issues that also affected his life expectancy.

Currently, I use Heartgard or sheep ivomec.

[Jennifer H]

BCNut – You live in Florida, right? What do you use/trust for fleas and heartworms? I have my dog on Advantage Multi (as per the suggestion of my holistic vet, after he had a bout of hookworms two years ago) but I’m reading so much about the worry people have about mixing flea/heartworm meds, and using topicals.

[Oleanderz]

BC- Thank you, after doing some research and chatting with the others on DFA, I’ve decided to use Sentinel Spectrum w/ an added organic topical flea and mosquito protect for the really hot days up North! I appreciate the info!

[shawn a]

what are some safe flea and tick spray that can use on dogs and cats

[Lyndel M]

Hi Gloria,

Yes, there is certainly a lot of confusion amongst the raw and the cooked dog food camps. I have been reading heaps about it. Those in the raw food camp put forward for the raw food diet. I shall do my best to summarise a few of the key points that are important to me. First, they say that the dog’s metabolism has changed very little from the wolves, the original wild dogs. They suggest that when we provide our dogs with the right proportions of meats, organ meats, vegetables, fruit matter and bones, they’re digestive systems have the best chance of exacting the nutrients they need for shiny coats, healthier skin and teeth, stronger bones, and decreased chances of modern-day ailments and diseases that dogs in the wild rarely if ever have. Some of these ailments include itching, skin irritations, including dryness, fleas, hip dysplasia and arthritis.

In the other camp, there is some criticism of the raw diet saying that giving a dog only food i.e., meats risks feeding contaminated food, that people don’t take enough care in raw food preparation, that dogs today have evolved to adjust to modern (cooked, commercial) food and that dogs are at moderate – high risk of injuries from bone which become lodged in the throat or gut.

I am definitely against using any commercial dog foods. There are some great you-tube documentaries disclosing the shocking truth about the poor quality of nutrition of kibble and canned dog foods and the associated illnesses. In addition, that most Vets receive very little real knowledge of nutrition in their veterinarian studies and are just as influenced by the unregulated marketing and commercial dog food producers as GPs are by drug companies.

Regardless, Jean Hofve & Celeste Yarnall “Paleo Dog” is one book that has been recommended provide excellent information for providing your dog with all of the information needed to provide our dogs with all of the nutrients required and how to do so, if we want to go down the raw food pathway. Also there is the BARF raw foods that you can purchase and other online info about this pathway. And there are heaps of recipes for cooking our dogs food as well. Andi Brown “The Whole Pet Diet: 8 wks to great health for dogs and cats”, which is also excellent for going down the cooked food pathway. They both recommend certain supplements and they both provide enough evidence to suggest that just like for humans, if we give our pets fresh wholesome, organic foods (either raw or cooked) we will be doing our beloved pets a great service.

Given I have been a passionate advocate of healthy, unprocessed foods for more 40years, I certainly want to extend this to my pet. People on this post have just been concerned that I was being cruel to our new puppy for placing his food into chewtoys. However, I made the mistake of saying that we would be putting all of his daily foods into chewtoys, whereas that won’t be the case. But I will definitely using chewtoys together with crate training, self-soothing, stimulation and entertainment as I mentioned in my previous post. I am definitely not an expert, but a concerned pet owner who has done lots and lots of reading in order to do the best by our new puppy in terms of nutrition and training. All the best!! :0)

[Nancy C]

Okay — I’ve been gone for a while…. trying to get this Raw Food under my belt…
My first golden lived 15 yrs, never had commercial flea control, I gave her garlic as the breeder said. Never a flea problem. Second golden, same. she is 11 yrs old now and I have NEVER seen a flea on her. Garlic. I give her 2 a day (She’s 58 lbs) – I use the little round ones from Whole Foods, 500 mg. That is ALL I have ever used with her. No Fleas!

My chair when I got my Phd, Dr. Norman Shealy, former Harvard Neurosurgery prof and founding president of the American Holistic Medical Assoc, uses BEST YET by CEDARCIDE on his dogs. He lives on a farm way down a mile or two gravel road in Missouri on the Mo River where it is damp and fleas love it there. He swears by it. Recommended to me. I spray that on my dogs now too for safe measure, now that I have the GSD too. He is 73 lbs and I give him 3 of those garlic caps and spray him once a week. Best Yet is Organic. There is a competing similar brand, but Best Yet was apparently there first. I think the other brand is WonderCide. They put a fragrance in theirs. Best Yet smells like cedar. Fleas HATE CEDAR!! Hope this helps.
NOW the Q is: WHAT TO DO FOR TICKS??? Season will be here soon.

[BeachDogs]

I have a product from them currently on the way to me and am concerned now. I have emailed the company and will share their response if I get one. I’ve been using their flea products for almost a year now with no problems.

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, Cedarcide is also a topical natural oil mix to be sprayed on the dog. If things got REALLY bad, I would use that, but if not, I am not afraid of 1-2 fleas. I will see how Sentinel Spectrum works out this summer. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here is some information about inhaling DE: http://www.deq.state.or.us/er/docs/LowerBridge/DiatomaceousEarthFactSheet.pdf
It only talks about humans inhaling DE, so I am not sure about pets. I have heard that you can give it orally for prevention/elimination of worms, but I think it would be more effective when used externally for flea and tick prevention.

I can’t use it, because I am allergic to dust and have sensitive lungs, but I have heard that people have had good results with it.

[Oleanderz]

Naturella- Hmm, I live in the North, but not too north that it’s snowing all the time. I don’t see many fleas at all up here. Maybe once in my life I’ve seen a flea manifestation and it was with my cousins cats at a house they had moved into. Oh no, squishing fleas is far beyond my territory. I don’t know what I’d do if I found a flea on Lucille. I have also never heard of nature remedies for fleas, I’ll look up those two just in case. I have a feeling this summer is going to be an angry one. Thank you! (‘ v ‘ )

D_O- Sprays might be a good idea, that way we can spritz and go for walks! Oh yeah, I know you guys don’t have much of winter. I stayed at Santa Monica for two weeks and it was GORGEOUS the whole time. *wipes a single tear* lucky ducks!!
I like the reviews I’m seeing on the DE, I may go with that if the Best Yet: Bug Spray is a bust. Does the DE not work from inside out? Do I have her eat it? Why would inhaling it be a problem? Should I mix it in with food if that’s the case? She sniffs at everything! Is this the stuff? I just want to be safe –> http://smile.amazon.com/Diatomaceous-Earth-Food-Grade-10/dp/B00025H2PY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423838906&sr=8-1&keywords=Diatomaceous+Earth+Food+Grade Thanks for the tips! I didn’t know so many people went natural with bug repelling!

Dori- Really? Well, that’s good to know that Sentinel and Spectrum can both stand on their own in extreme conditions. I live in the North, and while it’s not extremely humid, we do take walkabouts in the nearby forest every now and then and I want her to be as protected as possible, so I may still end up trying the natural topicals. Thank you so much for your input! 😀

[Dori]

Oleanderz, if you are using Sentinel Spectrum, which is what I use on my three girls (and before that I used regular Sentinel for more years than I can remember), then there is no need for you to use any topical whatsoever. As a matter fact you should not. I don’t want to jinx myself, I also live in South not too far from Naturella, and none of my dogs have ever had fleas. Here in the South we have a big population of fleas, ticks and Heart Worms and using Sentinel Spectrum every month all year long has kept them flea and heart worm free.

There are natural flea solutions but I don’t use anything other than Sentinel Spectrum.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Great question! I use Sentinel once a month with Mercola Natural Defense Flea and Tick Spray (made with natural oil) twice a week, and this has worked pretty well, but we’ll see what happens in the summer. Then again, I live in California, so we don’t really have much of winter. 😀

I’m not a fan of spot-on topical flea preventatives, and I am not sure if it would be okay to combine them with an oral one. The ingredients are different, so it would probably be okay, but I would recommend using a natural option, or at least checking with your vet/the company first.

One note on Diatomaceous Earth, if you use it make sure it is food-grade, and try to keep you and your pet from inhaling it.

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, I live in the South where it is hot and flea-friendly dang near all year round. In the beginning when I switched to just Sentinel, I did see a couple of fleas on my Bruno for about a month or so (it doesn’t kill the adult ones). Then since September, when we started using the Spectrum (and it started getting “cooler” in GA terms of cool), he’s been flea-free. I have continued using Sentinel Spectrum, in fact just bought the next batch to last us till September of this year, and I plan to use it during the Spring and Summer. Don’t anticipate any problems, and if there is an occasional stray flea, they usually go away quickly unless I manage to snatch it up and squish it (though they are SO hard to squish).

I probably wouldn’t use any topical unless it was natural (like Cedarcide or Diatomaceous Earth).

[shawn a]

program plus is same stuff as sentinel so wouldn’t I just need the generic capstar to kill the adult fleas

[Oleanderz]

Topic jumping, but does anyone know if I can I use a topical flea preventative with the Sentinel Spectrum? (Preferrably K9 Advantix II, because I buy in bulk) ‘m looking at the website and some reviews and peeps are saying that it doesn’t protect against adult fleas. Only the larvae and the eggs are present on the comparison chart as well. Does anybody have any problems with just using Sentinel Spectrum during Spring/Summer?

[BeachDogs]

I also buy from Little City Dogs and have been pleased. Saw there flea killer, same as Capstar, work magic on a senior Chihuahua I found. I came home from work 5 hours later and there were 100’s of dead fleas in his bedding. My pups stay on LCD’s lufenuron monthly throughout the year. I’m in the south.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I use a combination of Sentinel once a month, which contains lufenuron as a flea preventative and also prevents heart worms and several intestinal worms, and Mercola Natural Defense flea and tick spray twice a week. I’ve been doing this for about a month now, and so far, so good. (Knock on wood!)

[shawn a]

I’m about to start my dog on program plus so I need some suggestion on safe flea meds

[Dori]

Thanks for reply so quickly Aimee.

I’m going to keep the girls on the Sentinel Spectrum. With the exception of a Bichon that we had years ago when we lived in NYC and had to walk him on the streets with thousands of other dogs, we have never had a flea issue. Hope I haven’t just jinxed myself. Living here in Georgia there is a huge population of fleas, ticks, worms as well as HW so I think I’ll err on the side of caution.

Lola is due for her physical, blood work, HW, titers and rabies vaccine this afternoon. The county that we used to live in required a rabies vaccine every year. When we moved to this county I didn’t realize that counties had different laws so Lola got a rabies vaccine last year and every year of her life. This county requires 3 year rabies vaccine or titers. I’m thinking that I should just do titers for rabies along with titers for core vaccines and see where we’re out once I get the results. Any thoughts?

[aimee]

Hi Dori,

When intercepter was available I gave Jack Intercepter and Brooke Sentinal. It would be pretty hard to miss a hitchhiker flea on Jack! Now I use Sentinal with both.

If/when Intercepter comes back I might return to Intercepter for Jack. With coated dogs and flea exposure I prefer the extra protection of Sentinal. On more than one occassion I’ve found a flea on Brooke and was glad to have Sentinal on board knowing that any eggs it laid wouldn’t hatch.

Rabies.. I use three year vaccinations every 3 years.

[Melissaandcrew]

Can’t help on that. I am 100 percent against oral long acting flea products. Running pesticides through the bloodstream to get to the skin scares the heck out of me as to potential damage. I did give capstar to a stray cat on the past to quick kill a heavy flea load and then put Frontline on her. She had no problems but I would not want to do that on a monthly basis. Make sure your friend is getting it down to skin and not just fur. I split the dose half between the shoulder blades and half a little bit up from the tail base.

[crazy4cats]

Sounds good, Melissa. One of my dogs has had a couple of allergic reactions and the Ivermectin scares me with him. Heartworms are pretty much unheard of in my area and most people do not use any type of protection. But, apparently, that is starting to change. I’ll look in to the “new” product.

On another note, is there any type of oral flea preventative that you do recommend? My sister’s dog is still covered. We are having an extremely warm winter for even the Pacific Northwest. They are calling it the Pineapple Express, LOL! I only live a few miles away and my dogs are outside a lot more than hers and we haven’t had an issue. I think she needs to change his food, but she doesn’t listen. He also has frequent ear infections. But, anyway, she has been using topical meds and they are not working. I’m thinking that maybe she should resort to an oral pill to help him out, since she is not willing to do the other more natural methods.

[Melissaandcrew]

Thanks Crazy. Been hectic here between work and animals.

Novartis had production facility issues and had a plant shut down. Once the corrections to the facility were made and it was allowed to reopen, they simply decided to discontinue it in favor of Sentinel and Sentinel spectrum, assuming ” more is better”. Not all owners want combo products. Interceptor has one ingredient and does not treat for fleas.

Perfect for my purposes and concerns with multi products.

[theBCnut]

Heart, hooks, rounds. I don’t know if it covers whips. It’s milbemycin. I like it better than ivermectin, no known population of resistant heartworms and no breeds of dogs that can’t take it, that I know of. It’s the heartworm part of Trifexis, nothing added for fleas or other worms. And I could get it as a tablet, instead of those horrible huge “chewables.”

[weezerweeks]

BCnut tell me about interceptor. I use Heargard and nothing for fleas or ticks. Is this just for heartworms?

[Melissaandcrew]

I haven’t been around much lately, so not sure if this has been mentioned..but..

Novartis was bought out by Elanco, and they(Elanco) are bringing Interceptor back by spring. I refuse to use combo products-ie flea and heartworm combos-so this is great news. Just wanted to put it out there in case anyone else misses it.

[Lynn J]

I just want to comment, that although many of these products are effective at killing fleas and/or ticks, they often do not repel them. So your dog may pick up parasites while out and about and get bitten by them. Hopefully, for ticks especially, parasites are killed before they are able to transfer pathogens such as Lyme Disease. Tick collars may offer some repellant activity, but in my case, when I was using the Preventatic collar, the ticks were dropping off in my house, some still alive, I was not happy about that. Everyone has to balance their dogs tolerance to chemicals, parasite levels where you live, dogs allergic reactions to flea/tick bites, other pets/children in the home, etc.

[Amie W]

A simple google search of Bravecto (or any medicine, really) will bring up the scientific reports, trials and fda/cvm information. This is all honest, scientific information. Bravecto is extremely safe. Reading through this Freedom of Information Summary, you can read about all of the studies done and any and all adverse reactions.

For those who think oral is more dangerous than topical – topical soaks transdermally directly into the bloodstream. It also has the potential to be spread between animals, as well as humans. Some require placement in spots along the back. If the dog then licks around his back where he was treated, he has then taken the drug transdermally, as well orally. I, for one, would rather know exactly the dose my dog is getting, without the fear of my children getting it on them by touching the dog, or touching the dogs bedding, etc.

For those with dogs in the 75-80 pound range that claim this doesn’t work, your dog is at the very top of the dosage weight. It is possible that the dose is just not strong enough for your dog and you should speak to your vet about using the next size up, which in this case would be for 88lbs. In most cases, this is perfectly acceptable.

All flea and tick treatments are pesticides. No matter how they are administered. If you are against chemicals completely, that is one thing. But, if you are against only particular chemicals, I would say do some research.

Here is the link for the FOI Summary, provided by the FDA:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/FOIADrugSummaries/UCM399075.pdf

[losul]

I had talked bits and pieces of Turbo’s continued story on on the review side in the interim, but I’m way past due then to place an update here. I’m going to try too update, and reply to Glenna in this post.

I somehow missed BcNut’s and Shawna’s last posts here from way back, really sorry about that. Late now, but BcN, thank your asking, Turbo’s doing great, and Shawna- interesting on the homeopathics, thnx. Also thanks too everyone again for helping me through this whole ordeal

Back in March, we had Turbo’s X-rays reviewed by a professional radiologist, and he agreed that there Turbo appeared to have only a low grade HW infection, the x-rays didn’nt change the opinion that that it was a mild, or asymptomatic grade 1. Vet advised to not have an ultrasound done. With that news and given the fact that he already then already had his first dose of advantage plus, I decided to proceed with with trying the A.P. in a slow kill approach, no immiticide, no steroids, etc. The vet only wanted to use 1 2 week round of doxycycline, I think most vets use 2 rounds or even more in pulsed manner, but I’m always concerned about antibiotic overusage anyway, and agreed with too single round.

It was the vet that pushed to use the A.P. moxidectin for the slow kill. I could never find anyone that tried it before, still haven’t, and so was very skeptical. Plus the fact that I hated combing the HWP with a flea insecticide, an unnecessary toxin. But the vet really pushed for it, and optimistic about it, especially thinking that we could be dealing an ivermectin resistant strain. All the information I could find ONLY advised using ivermectin/doxycycline as a slow kill method, and still hadn’t heard of anyone else using A.P. for it until now— Glenna S.

So went the doses of A.P. plus the single course of doxycycline, with no problems, except completely hating the leftover smell of the flea insecticide for many hours and into the next day. The package insert stated something too the effect that studies showed if a dog was bathed after 90 minutes after administration, it didn’t affect then efficacy of the moxidectin. It’s rapidly absorbed through the skin. During the course of doxy, and a bit after, I gave him probiotics.

My vet never did say to restrain or even really limit his activities, even when I grilled him on it. Neither did he tell me NOT to restrain him either, and he understandably stated a disclaimer, that it could be dangerous in instances, especially if an embolism, and that any other possible long term effects/damages where not well studied. Evan so, I planned on restraining him, only taking him out on leash, etc. As luck had it, we had very slick ice on the ground the first few weeks, making it so hard to do so., can’t tell you how many times I busted my butt in the ice and mud…. and he wasn’t being at all cooperative about pooping or even peeing on leash anymore as he once was. Eventually we gave upon the restrainment. I think it was going to be detrimental to all of us, including Turbo, especially having to do so for a year. If he had been in some sort of worse state of health, then I think we would have just had to tough it out, or would have even had to more consider the immiticide/steroid/painkiller/hospitalizations route, with shorter but very stringent restriction times.

As I said, Turbo never showed any symptoms, no coughing, exhaustion, etc. prior to . He gets incredible bursts of extended energy outside sometimes, so I was very leary of this, watching closely, and I did later noticed him cough ( I think) a few times after extended bouts, but nothing serious, and no exhaustion.

Back in late May i think, seems the 28th, if my poor memory serves, he had 2 days of concerning what appeared to be gastric disturbances. I had had drastically changed some major components of his diet all at once, several things at once I think, so both the vet and I attributed it to that. But then immediately for the next two days he had coughing episodes. The vet though the 2 incidences were unrelated even though 1 immediately followed the other. We both thought the second halve could be attributed a worm die off. Dead worms eventually get absorbed through the lungs, and can certainly cause problems. Turbo restrained his own activity during this period, and I restrained him for a further couple weeks after.

No further incidences since. I’ve been leaving free to romp and exercise, sometimes he runs/plays really hard, and for extended periods, especially when friend Miller comes around.

So all has gone well thus far, Turbo looks and seems a picture of health. I wanted to wait a reasonable bit before getting another HW check, as the worms must be gone for 6 months for the antigen to be non-detectible. He had his 10th and the last dose I had of A.P. on December, and we will be taking him probably before end of month for check, and then decide where to go from there. I hope I’m able to report back with good results at that time.

GLENNA, so sorry to hear about Toby and Rex. I truly hate this ever would happens to any dog and owner. I wish some of the above, and the rest of the thread, will help you in some way. I can’t advise you on activity for your dogs, should be something you and your vet decides, and depending on many factors. Could you tell us some more? Did you vet want to use A.P. in a slow kill? Has he indicated the the degree of infection? Also wondering what part of the country you’re from? where you strict with your Iverhart regimen? Please write back. Best wishes, losul.

[theBCnut]

We never have fleas too bad in January/February. We have them all year round, just in much smaller numbers over the “winter.”

[Dog_Obsessed]

For the past few weeks, I have been using a combination of Sentinel (monthly) and Mercola Natural Defense (twice a week) to prevent fleas. I don’t want to jinx things, but it’s going pretty well. 😀

[JetJacqui]

In my case, the best way to get rid of fleas is the combination of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast. the daily dosage of apple cider vinegar is 1 tablespoon for 60 lbs body weight in drinking water. too much apple cider vinegar (2 tblspoon / 60 lbs) will cause diarrhea; Springtime fresh factor contains nutritional yeast. The dosage is 2 tablet for 60 lbs.

I’ve tried springtime bug off garlic tablet and powder on my yorkie, chihuahua and collie. the garlic tablet is better than the powder because it contains nutritional yeast. i don’t use bug off garlic anymore because their gums and inner ears turned pale after few months. After 1 month without bug off garlic, their gums and inner ear turned back to healthy pink/reddish color.

I’ve tried wondercide repel with citronella and geranium. it didn’t help at all. I bathe my dogs once a month and they’re free from ticks and fleas.

[Rick R]

We started using the Bravecto cookies about 6 months ago (3rd time now), and we love it! And so does the dog 😉 Fleas and Ticks die within 2 hours, and the dog is protected for up to 12 weeks!

Watch the video I made of my dog taking Bravecto: youtu.be/-Wgp4Dnkg3s

You will also see me trying to use the spot on stuff that we used before, the dog remembers it well, and doesn’t like it / runs away :p

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Rick R.