FLEAS, UGH!!!!!! what's the best product? - Page 1

we just threw away 2 couches. one was majorly infested with woodticks. they were literally breeding in the futon's foam. i was wondering why i was still itchy and i found a flea a few days ago, and 3 more today. my cats are bringing them in. i have 3 cats and the 2 dogs plus over a couple dozen caged pets so i don't want to use a "bomb" or "fog" in the house. i've been spraying everywhere the cats go, put some flea killer powder on the carpet, vacuumed like crazy, sprayed the cats and dogs with sergeant's gold for the cats and hartz for the dogs, shampooed the dogs with hartz flea and tick shampoo, and it seems to no avail. it's costing a small fortune. any feedback please on the best product to get rid of the darn things? thanx. if you can give a price estimate that would be great as well.

Capstar to kill adult fleas used once weekly until you see no more adult fleas, then something like Advantage or Advantage Multi to control eggs/larvae.

I agree with Autobahn, Capstar works well and there is also a fairly new product called Comfortis that can be purchased from your vet, it is given monthly. PLEASE use caution when using  flea products with Pyrethrin or Permethrin, they can be toxic when used in too high of doses. The shampoo and topical is a little too much. You would be better off getting Frontline or Advantage/ or Advantix from the vet, they are much more effective. A little on the costly side, but will be cheaper, and safer in the long run. You can bomb the house safely, see if it is possible to board your pets for a day or two and do it while they are out of the house.Good luck!

I have been useing garlic powder with my dogs food. I have been useing it for a month now and haven't seen one flea. the stuff is cheap. $20.00 for 4 canisters. Here is a link www.springtimeinc.com/  look for the bug off garlic. If you get some follow the directions and don't over use it.

After treating all the animals, their bedding etc.. you need to treat the entire house.. bombs and foggers are not effective.. you have to get into where the fleas are.. so you need a spray that you can get into nooks and crannies with
Completely read all directions.. you also need to treat outdoors.. with Sevin or some other pesticide that works for fleas... once they are gone be sure to be proactive and keep all animals protected.. remember that most products like Frontline, Advantage, etc can often give you up to 3 months of flea protection once your infestation has been totally eradicated.. which makes them eventually pretty reasonable price wise, but at first you may have to use more often per directions
You even need to clean vehicles......
I can't stress enough the importance of reading all directions.... and when applying a topical product to an animal.. be sure to do so in an open well ventilated area... 5-10 minutes of exercise will help the product translocate over the animal and start its work
It is a formidable task but once you get it done and keep up with it, you should be able to stay on top of it 

I use Frontline once a month and Adams spray as needed.  If you want to really get them off quick, I have seen them jumping off for dear life at the vets when he would spray the infested dogs with this stuff Ovitrol.  If it is a regular dog he will also use Adams spray, the strong one.
Sorry to hear about your flea and tick trouble.

Oh, for dogs with allergies to fleas I used Frontline plus, but every 2-3 weeks so that there was NO downtime for fleas.


Regards,
Windy

I was using Advantix, but I wanted to not have to use poison, especially on a female having pups, so I
got this all natural flea & tick spray , brand name Quantum, herbal products, ingredients are:

Essential Oils of Erigeron, Rose Geranium, Eucalyptus & Ravensara, Extracts of St. John's Wort,
Wormwood, Black Walnut Hulls, Neem, Rue and Holy Basil in a base of distilled water.


It looks like apple cider vinegar, it separates so you have to shake it before you use it, & it's concentrated so you only need alittle.

So far it's been just lovely around here!

$ 29.00  for 8 ounces.  But NO Fleas, smells alittle like furniture polishbut that smells wears off after awhile.

"The cats are bringing them in...."

If I were you, I'd be looking for my cat's favourite outdoor lounging spots, and treating those. Do they have a favourite spot in the garage, or under the porch? That's where you need to treat. You have to find the spots where the fleas are breeding, which will be the cat's resting places, as the flea larvae feed on the dander (skin flakes) from the cat's coat. Believe me, I know! I've lifted up the cat's bedding and found flea larvae crawling around underneath.

I'd also start vacuuming the nooks and crannies of my upholstered furniture on a weekly basis. If you can get the eggs and larvae, the Advantix (or whatever other product you choose) will kill the adults, and you've broken the cycle.