Think I may be in a bit of a rut when it comes to flea prevention and treatment so would like to revise my program, what do others use and what is their treatment program.

I don't use any flea preventatives and have only seen fleas twice in 7 years.

When I do see even a single flea, I act quickly using Capstar to nuke all existing fleas and then Programme to prevent fleas from reproducing.  I continue the Programme monthly for about 4 months and that's that.  Both Capstar and Programme are oral meds, so they are not pesticides/spot-ons.

IMO there's no need to use spot-ons or pesticide sprays for fleas if you act fast and thoroughly as soon as you see even one.

I just give the cats frontline and the dogs get garlic tablets.

I have only ever found one flea on the dogs in over twenty years.

None here either.  Haven't flea treated for years and have never seen a flea.  They have a garlic capsule in their breakfast daily.

I too use Garlic Oil 2mgs capsules daily and have done for 8 yrs now.

We have loads of cats use the exercise field and my dogs are forever picking up fleas, have in the past tried garlic but it made no difference and TBH I don't like giving them an onion product on a regular basis.

That is why I always state the dose as there are tablets out there with much higher content and therefore dangerous to dogs.

That is why I always state the dose as there are tablets out there with much higher content and therefore dangerous to dogs.

If I had found that they worked I may have continued but as they don't I will not risk the dogs on something that has not proved beneficial or at least not noticeable so.

I haven't flea treated for ages, I vacuum frequently, and go through them all with a flea comb every week.  I recently changed my routine wormer to advocate as a result of puppy having had french heartworm.  It is also a flea treatment and I have noticed dead fleas here and there since then so I reckon there have been a few knocking about even though I haven't caught any for ages.  Clearly it works, not cheap but it is the only wormer I have found for french heartworm!

> We have loads of cats use the exercise field and my dogs are forever picking up fleas, have in the past tried garlic but it made no difference and TBH I don't like giving them an onion product on a regular basis.

Only some animals, and humans, secrete the smell after eating garlic - so it doesn't work for everyone.  You could try using garlic juice instead if your dogs are regularly picking up visitors.  I buy it from Dorwest Herbs and it lasts me ages.  I use it for all sorts of mild scrapes and scuffs, ear wipes, ticks, harvest mites etc.  I would use it on fleas but haven't seen any on my dogs for years :)

i would never go beyond 3 drops of tea tree oil in a hand held garden plant sprayer.It works wonders and is completely safe to use on bedding.Just spray the dog or dogs all over especially after being to the local park or woodland.Google teatree oil uses for dogs to seee the results.

Never tried one myself but has anyone else tried an electronic kids nit comb on their dogs.  Apparently work well on childrens hair so may be good for dogs too?

Jackie just wondering are you treating you carpets and sofas with a treatment as well ?

I would say the most effective treatment is to treat the house with one of the sprays that stops the fleas from hatching. 

This means they never get a foothold in the home and the few that hop on the dogs can be cured with a bath in insecticidal shampoo or a quick spray.

I would never use the tablet type flea killers that work from inside the dog (like program), who knows what harm these may be found to cause, I'd rather deal with the risks of external treatments.

Yes, have always found before I moved here that was all you needed was to keep the house  clear then there was no problems but now it seems that every time they go into the field they return with visitors so even when the hitch hikers get off and are killed there will be some more along in the next walk of so.

Agree with both Brainless and Nova.

Haven't seen a flea here for some time, but that is probably because I lost my lovely cat just under a year ago and she would often bring them in. But I always kept things under control with Acclaim spray for the house and Frontline spray for both cat and dog, no need for spot-ons.

BTW if any of you have issues with house dust mite allergies, Acclaim sorts them out as well.

At the moment I am using Acclaim and when needed Stronghold and/or Frontline but both the dogs and sometimes us are being bitten. Did wonder if the fleas in my area were becoming immune to either Stronghold or Frontline I am sure that Acclaim is still doing its job.

Did wonder if anyone used something different that I could try as I know garlic does not work and as I have said I am not happy to give my dogs an onion product or any other that does not work and that now seems to include Frontline and Stronghold.

Since we moved here we have turned our exercise field into as much of a wild life haven as we can so loads of birds, tiny furies and the odd spiky one - unfortunately along with the prey animals and birds we have hawks and cats, now I don't mind the hawks but find the fact that the neighbourhood cats are using my facilities but leaving me their parasites and worse more than somewhat irritating and expensive.

>I would never use the tablet type flea killers that work from inside the dog (like program), who knows what harm these may be found to cause, I'd rather deal with the risks of external treatments.

Why would an oral flea med cause any more 'harm' than an oral tape or roundwormer does?  Pesticides in spot-ons are far more toxic to many more organisms than the treated animal.

Like I said the Advocate seems to have worked for us, dead fleas found when I was not even aware there were live fleas, I ususally use frontline too but never noticed this effect

Advocate doesn't protect against ticks, though - so unless you want to then use another pesticide-based product for ticks - putting 2 spot-ons on each month... 

> Pesticides in spot-ons

because a wormer is in and out the digestive system, the oral pesticides like program stay in the dogs blood to kill the parasites on biting.

I don't like the spot on's either, feel they cannot be efficient to put a concentrated amount of pesticide on one spot (so possibly causing a local reaction).

I prefer to use a more dilute product all over, so insecticidal shampoo, or for a real issue Fipronil spray.  At least that only sits in the oils of the skin not the dogs bloodstream.