What do you use for flea prevention?

[mistymama]

For as long as I can remember, I've used Advantage or Frontline on my dogs. Well, now that I'm reading up on it, I see where some people feel this is not healthy, etc.

Just curious what opinions are out there on this, and what you use if you don't want the chemicals on your dog. How effective is your alternative method?

I seriously don't want fleas and we have fleas and tics big time here in the south .. it's warming up and I'd like to have a gameplan in place.

[angie7]

Well right now I use Frontline (use to use Advantage until my vet stopped carrying it) but when I fed raw for 5 years, all I used was garlic and it worked like a charm. I am going to be switching back to raw next week and will once again start the garlic treatment. I'm so glad to be getting off kibble!!! I stopped feeding raw b/c we just couldn't package 300 lbs of meat a month while dealing with preemie, colicky twins, my dh being out of town on business at least once a month and myself being disabled! So now we are at a point where we are able to feed raw again and my friend opened up a store that packages and delivers the meat to your door : I'm so excited, I can't wait to start the diet again!

[mistymama]

So you found that eating raw also helped fleas? We just started a raw diet tonight ... beanie tore up a chicken leg.

So you find a raw diet with garlic is enough?

[angie7]

It worked for us for over 5 years. We live in southern Indiana where fleas and ticks are horrible. And honestly, my Great Dane had a few fleas last year while being treated with Advantage and that was her first flea ever in her 6.5 years of life! Garlic works wonders. I buy the bulk Brewer's Garlic and Yeast powder and give it to them once a day just sprinkled on their food. It takes a little bit for the garlic to get in their system so give it a few months for it to kick in.

[oneKnight]

I feed Brewers yeast and Garlic tablets for Dusti's skin. She does NOT pick up fleas like my cats do, maybe that's why.

We use Frontline on the dog, and Advantage on the cats. Frontline does NOT work for cats, in my experience.

I could save a lot of $$ if the garlic is all it takes for Dusti. Hmmm...

[mistymama]

Very interesting! I'm going to have to look for that powder .. it can't hurt to try. I've always had great results with frontline, but would rather not put the chemicals on Beanie unless totally necessary.

[Carson]

We don't use anything. While we live in a city, our dog goes to the forest preserve/prairie fairly often in nice weather. We just do tick checks on her and use Interceptor for the real nasty bugs.

[Abarat]

I've got 4 country dogs and they do pretty well with just garlic....I don't give it to them all the time but when the season hits I start with the garlic and adding a lot of garlic to homemade dog biscuits.

I just add their garlic to their scrap bowls, usually minced garlic.

[Miasmamma]

I know that some people feed whole garlic cloves, but does anyone know how many cloves to feed? One of my dogs does not so well with the garlic powders like the one from Springtime. It's too concentrated I think. And Frontline is too expensive for me to use once a month! I use Revolution on my cats and one application works for at least 2 months, but they are indoor cats.

[angie7]

I know that some people feed whole garlic cloves, but does anyone know how many cloves to feed? One of my dogs does not so well with the garlic powders like the one from Springtime. It's too concentrated I think.

I use this Maybe try cutting back on the dosage and see how that goes.

[Ola_]

Maybe we are lucky but we don't use anything, even garlic, and don't have flea issues. We do feed raw though.

[macly]

I just recently when to a canine holistic seminar and they said that there are now reports that garlic can have the same effects on dogs as do onions. Makes sense, same family. If anyone has heard more info please post.

Does anyone have anything topical they use to repel fleas and ticks? Thanks!

[rhiandmoi]

We have a city dog, but she picked up some fleas at grammas, and now every week she has 4 or 5 as they hatchout. I just use a pyrethrin shampoo. They also have pyrethrin sprays that you can use to treat the bedding.

[transformed]

I am confused about garlic. It is listed as poisunus to dogs...but pretty reputable sources say to feed it to them for flea control. I am very confused.

We have fleas in the yard, a cat who goes out, and soon a dog. (We use some grocery store stuff on the cat - I'd like to get away from that.)

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by transformed

I am confused about garlic. It is listed as poisunus to dogs...but pretty reputable sources say to feed it to them for flea control. I am very confused.

Onions and garlic both contain thiosulphate (I think that's what it's called) but onions have it in much higher concentrations. That's why it takes a lot more garlic to have the negative effect that onions do.

We use some grocery store stuff on the cat - I'd like to get away from that.

Definitely stop using that. There are reports of so many adverse effects of that stuff - much better to get a product from the vet if you need flea/tick medication.

[sugareemoma]

Originally Posted by macly

I just recently when to a canine holistic seminar and they said that there are now reports that garlic can have the same effects on dogs as do onions. Makes sense, same family. If anyone has heard more info please post.

Does anyone have anything topical they use to repel fleas and ticks? Thanks!

I have heard this too. I used to give my dog lots of table scraps and I eat garlic with everything. I also begain to notice my dog would shake and twitch a few hours after eating scraps, I thought he was just anxious to go for his evening walk. Now that I have begun to pick of the chunks of garlic for about a moth I have not noticed him shaking or twitching.

[Aeress]

We bought a 3month supply of EO- it comes in a tube and you apply it along the back. it contains cloves as the main ingredient. Can't remember the brand name off hand- seems to work well.

[es1967]

Originally Posted by brendon

We bought a 3month supply of EO- it comes in a tube and you apply it along the back. it contains cloves as the main ingredient. Can't remember the brand name off hand- seems to work well.

Interested in the Eo and where you got it?