just been to vets for flea treatment was given 120mg stronghold for our 9 month old staffy been told to get some every month at £10.00 each time . is this right can you get cheaper stuff from the vets like bob martin or even stronghold from off the internet.?

Stronghold and Frontline are prescription-only medicines. There are online suppliers, but you'll need to provide them with a prescription from your vet before they can sell it to you.

do they really need flea treatment every month

I only spray mine (I don't use the spot-on types) when I find evidence of fleas - the spray's meant to last three months, but I don't treat them as often as that. Did your vet say why your dog needs de-fleaing so often?

Edit: When you de-flea the dog you should spray your house too - around the skirting-boards, the soft furnishings, where the dog lies etc, and wash the dog's bedding too.

When you say deflea the house,JG - do you mean only when you see fleas ??

Daisy

They say that if you see fleas on a dog, there's 95% more (from egg to adult) that you can't see. Half will be eggs, 30% will be larvae and 15% will be pupae - all living away from the dog. Only the remaining 5% will be adult fleas. So it's well worth treating the house at the same time as you treat the dog.

That's OK then as I've never seen a flea on mine - I thought that you were suggesting that the house was routinely treated :D :D

Mine have garlic and get treated with spot-on twice a year :)

Daisy

If you use spot-on twice a year, treat the house at the same time. :)

Why ??? :)

Daisy

For the same reason that you de-flea the dog. :) If you suspect fleas on one, there's the same risk of fleas in the other. If you don't suspect fleas, why use the treatment?

That's a very good question :D Perhaps I'll stop using it and stick to the garlic :D

Daisy

Only just seen this post and the answer is definitely no, they don't need flea treatment every month.   Our vet prescribes it every 3 months and I've recently found out that this is far too often.   Try garlic, much safer and it works!  Or take a look at: www.canine-health-concern.org.uk  You'll find this website only suggests using it every 3 years!  Yes, those vets are at it again, making money regardless of safety to our beloved pets!
Maria

she had a skin complaint about 3 months ago dry skin with red blotches as this is our first dog we didnt know much. anyway they treted her and shes fine but was told to come back for flea treatment every three months as sh gets dry skin which im told is common among staffys

Every three months makes more sense :)  She appears to have a flea bite allergy then so probably wise to follow veterinary instruction.

never seen any fleas . she has had a sand like grain on her coat though

A good test is to stand her on paper when you groom her. You may well see black specks falling off her, particularly from around her hindquarters. Put some of these on some damp kitchen roll - if they leave a reddish-brown stain they're flea-dirt; the remains of the flea's digested meal. Time for treatment!

Sounds like maybe creeping dandruff, Cheyletiella, perhaps but certainly if the treatment improved her condition its reasonable to assume it was some sort of parasite or other :)

i think the antihistermene cleared her red blotches as it went within 2 days never been back . we only took her tonight as routine put it on the calender  get flea treetment . then to be told every month a tenner . her coat is gleaming and shiny aswell

as a new dog owner having never had one before . for preventative measures only how oftern do you de-flea and with what ? never seen fleas on her she rarely scratches dosnt play with other dogs shes just a family dog . she only sees others on walks and she aint intrested in them anyway.

Do you have a cat? The majority of fleas on a dog are cat fleas anyway. (They can catch them even if you don't have cats, though!)

no cats nor other dogs within at least 3 houses either side of where we live

The house treatment I think is very important even more so than treating the animal cause I think they bring 'em in and they jump off get in the carpet or skirting and breed then you wonder why the dog has so many fleas but really its in the house!!

I always use acclaim you only need to spray once a year the whole house (open windows) I usually do it in March as that is when they are starting to breed any fleas brought into the house if they lay eggs they die.

you can get it cheaper on this site :    http://www.hyperdrug.com/
than at the vets.

Roni

Dont forget that stronghold doesnt only do fleas it treats roundworm, lice and other parasites as well, so it is possible that it was used for other purposes as well. With this particular product it is said to only be effective for a month, so you obviously don't HAVE to use it every month, but there is a chance that your dog could get fleas during the time it is untreated. If the dog has a flea allergy then it is best if the dog doesnt have any fleas at all. Stronghold isn't the only flea product, frontline also does fleas and only has to be applied ever 2 months if your using it for fleas and ever month if its for ticks. There is also advantage, advantix and program tablets. These are all only available from the vets as they are prescription only. There are other products on the market that you can buy but they are not as strong or effective, so probably a waste of money. We used to use them on our cats with absolutely no effect!
At the end of the day flea treatments are up to you, if you would rather not use them, then thats fine, the vets are only reccommeding what they feel is the most effective treaments. Many people only use them when its neccessary i.e. when they find fleas, or only during the summer months. Personally i have found that even during the winter there are a lot of fleas owing to central heating, so this isn't always the best way to go.

I get my flea treatments from this site [url=]deadfleaz.com[/url] it is so much cheaper and is in Australia postage is only about £2.50.  They have Frontline, Advocate and Advantage and are about at least half the price. and a third of the price if you buy Frontline.