Hi
Every time my Bitch is in season she catches fleas even though she is treated every 2 months and washed every 2 weeks in flea repellent shampoo. She doesn't go anywhere apart from the garden when she is in season so I have no idea how she is catching them. Now I need to De-flea her and my other dog and the house. What does anyone recommend?

This may help, quite interesting http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/f/FAQ_fleacycle.htm

The cycle can be extremely long vary between 2 weeks & 2 years

So you need something that interrupts the life cycle, various household sprays will do this, and powders too. 

You need a product with insect growth regulator.

What products are you using at the moment?

I've always kept a can of Acclaim handy, but haven't had a flea issue (touch wood) in years, actually ever, though used Front-line on my first girl who used to get hotspots suspected caused by flea allegy from the odd flea caught at shows.

I always used Vetzyme JDS insecticidal shampoo for their infrequent baths (every few month or when shedding). 

I have had hedgehog ticks in the garden and found it effective for the kennel, and used a fipronil spray on a litter of pups when I found the ticks a few years ago.  Now we virtually have no grass it's not an issue.

adVantage flea drops once a month and indorex flea spray not cheap but will clear your problem within a couple of days. ordering online is cheaper than local stores or the vets.

What breed as be careful Advantage has Ivermectin in it and I know my breed cannot take it so we use Advantix once a month and that really works. Frontline seem to have loose it effectiveness as we found and many other to.

Peppe I didn't realise there could be problems with advantage could you tell me what dogs don't do well with it either on here or message, I would hate to recommend to someone and cause their dog problems.

collies in particular and some other hearding breeds who carry the mdr1 gene. its ivermectin that's in the product. so anything in that drug family can be fatal .

Bathing in neem shampoo is good . as are neem sprays but kkep away from cats as they are sensitive to it

It's easy to do an MDR1 test as it is just a swab taken from the inside of the mouth in the check area. You can contact the company that dose it and they send the swabs out with instruction how to do it. Mine are aussies. What ever you use it's best to ask what it contains to be on the safe side when you know if that dog is allergic to a particular product as the product doesn't always state it. I found spraying heavy coats dogs doesn't really work. I used to use Frontline spot on but after a while it didn't kill the fleas and changed to Advantix and have no problem at all now.

> she is treated every 2 months and washed every 2 weeks in flea repellent shampoo.

   

WOW!  I wouldn't dream of bombarding my dogs with chemicals like this.  I find that treating the carpets and furniture every so often is the way to go.  And I've only seen the odd flea on a dog perhaps 2-3 times in the last 25 years.  And I have a multi dog household.

> And I have a multi dog household.

understatement of the year.

I agree I'd always do house first if there was just the odd sign of a flea, and I touch wood have not yet had a flea issue in 20+ years dog ownership.

Only time one of mine had fleas, the first dog, was when I put her in kennels over the weekend I was having my son, and when my friends picked her up she was running alive (and she was a pure black dog) and went straight into the bath (my friend was a groomer).

> understatement of the year.

Yesssss but,,,,   You can get 10 Chihuahuas in a Collie bed. 

     

Each to their own. If you don't have anything helpful to say then don't bother. Other than the flea problem she is a very healthy any Happy girl.

Could be that because you over do (in many people's opinions) the use of pesticides, that the local flea community have become resistant to all the drugs used?

Still environmental flea control is paramount and will probably solve the problem.

Even if you didn't kill a single flea but stopping their life cycle when they die of old age, no more will hatch to take their place.

Thanks peppe and furriefriends, its good to learn something, I love this site, so many knowledgeable owners :)