flea/tick/heartworm poll

[Dollys Owner]

Hi everyone:
Flea/tick prevention season coming up again. I plan to start up in April for fleas/ticks and June for heartworm. Last season I was using K9 Advantix II for tick and flea prevention and Advantage Multi for heartworm as per my vet's recommendation. There's a duplicate ingredient for fleas in both (Imidacloprid) but apparently it only circulates in the dermis so it's safe to give if you space the two applications apart a week. My dog was fine last year, but just wondering if this is a bit of overkill because of the duplication. I read some old postings on ticks and fleas and someone was using Natur-Repel oil to spray on dog ,Helsonwheels was recommending the essential oil formula he also uses for ears, paws and tail pockets (15 drops Lavender 15 drops Geranium 15 drops Frankincense 15 drops Basil 10 drops Arborvitae. Fractionated Coconut Oil to fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way full.)

Just curious what the other members have been using successfully ( mainly people in tick infested areas like me in Toronto,Canada ).

[helsonwheels]

I only use.......FOR TICKS 14 oz of Witch Hazel 12 drops of Lavender 15 drops of Citronella 15 drops of Lemongrass. Put all in a spray bottle and shake. My GS "never" used anything that had to do with advantix or heartworm formulas out there. Nor will Nyala. But that's me.

[Dollys Owner]

I actually don't mind giving my dog heartworm medication because it will also deworm the dog at the same time in case she has any from sniffing the ground, getting bitten by a mosquito etc.

[Vikinggirl]

We use Revolution for Bulldozer and Blossom. It covers heart worm, fleas, ticks, and mange.

[rammykhan]

I use Nexgard. tried frontline but didn't seem to work that much.

[Dollys Owner]

From what I've read it seems most important thing is to avoid Trifexis and Comfortis because of side effects with the spinosad.

[2BullyMama]

We use Vectra-D... ticks are crazy here-- already pulled two of Lambeau when we had a few nice days. I normally do not put on till April but it went on beginning of March this year after pulling the two off


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[cefe13]

Castor has used Bravecto for two years. Tick season soon starts here so we need to decide whether to continue with Bravecto or try something else. I have been thinking of trying an amber necklace which seem quite popular here although I am not certain they help.

[Dollys Owner]

I also read the lufenuron ( in Program and Sentinel ) isn't as good since it doesn't protect against ticks and doesn't kill fleas, but just acts as a birth control pill for fleas

[ddnene]

I also read the lufenuron ( in Program and Sentinel ) isn't as good since it doesn't protect against ticks and doesn't kill fleas, but just acts as a birth control pill for fleas

All I have been using on my pups is Sentinel, and it's mostly for heartworms and it's says flea population. I have used the Advantix for fleas and ticks, and that worked pretty good but I was having a reaction to the smell of it. I would have to stay away from the pups for a day, because it was giving me a headache. Every year it's such a nightmare because SO many products have recalls and it's hard to keep up...

My mom bought something called Century (spelling may be wrong) at one of the pet stores and both of her dogs had reactions to it. Almost to the point where her pit bull had to go to the vets... she called the pet store and told them what happened and they said the only way they would pull the product off the shelves is if the manufacturer called them to do so. My mom was thinking maybe it was a bad batch or something... she called me in a panic, and I told her to wash them down w/Dawn and give them benadryl which seemed to help. It's SO frustrating that the pet stores wouldn't remove a product that may be causing reactions in animals...

[Dollys Owner]

What I'll probably end up doing is using topical K9 Advantix II ( I think Vectra 3D is pretty similar ) monthly, and then starting in June a heartworm preventative like topical Advantage Multi or an oral pill like milbemax every 2months to minimize as much as possible the medications. The life cycle of the heartworm is very complex and you don't need to treat monthly to prevent it. The only reason that monthly treatment is recommended is in case the dog misses a month due to owner forgetting, or due to not getting full dose eg. topical gets washed off or dog throws up the pill. If I give an oral heartworm preventative like milbemycin or ivermectin and dog throws up a half hour later I will just repeat the next month.

[sisters3]

Frontline Plus and Heartguard is all we've used since Joey was old enough to start. Vet's recommendations