What flea medicine should I use for my dog besides Frontline?

Question

I have a 2 year old German Shepherd male that I believe is having problems with fleas around his ears, and his hips. This is the first time we have ever had a problem with fleas , we have had him on a product called "Bug Check" which is made by a company called Natural Pet Vet. For some reason, the stuff has stopped working. Our cat is having the same problem. But anyway, I am scared to use Frontline because the last dog I had , I believe got cancer and died from it, because we had to put him to sleep(he was 12 years old), but there wasn't anything wrong with him until we put him on the frontline medication (a few months later, he started losing lots of weight, and he lost his strength, he couldn't even jump on my bed anymore. I had to pick him up. He would eat his food, but he would always be hungry no matter what. Please,,,, any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I have been involved with dogs for almost 20yrs now....in everything from breeding and showing dogs, rescue, animal shelter, etc. You can give him a bath in regular blue Dawn dish soap and it will kill the fleas that are on him. I know it sounds weird but it really does work. Just make sure it is the original Dawn (no bleach or scents). Then you can apply a flea med when he is dry to prevent fleas and ticks. I think K9 Advantix is the best of flea meds. Revolution is also very good. I haven't tried Advantage on dogs, but it worked well for my cat. Adams flea spray is also pretty good for in between treatments. Bio Spot is also okay...affordable, but not the best of protection. Hartz is one of the worst flea meds there are. Frontline also is one of the worst meds. I have had nothing but problems from both of these products. Also, do not use a flea powder or collar. Flea powder can harm your dog if he ingests it. Flea collars just don't work. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

i would bath em in flea and tick shampoo, works good for my dogs..

Answer 3

I have tried 2 different types of flea meds this year and neither one has worked. I read several articles on Brewers yeast, which is all natural and good for an animals fur and skin. I started giving it to my Westie almost 2 weeks ago and it is working!! I feel safer using a natural product even though some people are against it, but hey it's worth a try! I'm not sure if they make brewers yeast without garlic, but I would look for one that doesn't contain garlic to give to your cat.

Hope it works for you!

Be careful if you use Advanitx, it is highly toxic to cats. So, if your cat and dogs are buddies and groom each other and sleep together, it could cause harm to your cat.

Answer 4

I have 4 dogs on front line, there is also advantix  or advantage Your dog had cancer before this med would be my guess.Fleas can do more damage if not treated like heart worm and stuff so try it one and see

Answer 5

I am pretty sure Frontline didn't cause your dog to get cancer and die because I use frontline on my dog and we have used it since we have had him. I am sorry for your loss though.

Other very good flea and tick control is Advantage and there is a very good Flea control shampoo from Hartz that works for dogs and cats.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Few dog owners are fortunate enough to avoid an eventual run-in with fleas, the most common dog parasites. Even with regular bathing and grooming, the tireless critters can find their way to the tender flesh of unsuspecting dogs (and dog owners). The bloodsuckers not only don't pay rent, they cause itching and can transmit diseases to their hosts.

While some dogs experience nothing more than itching, others can develop flea allergy dermatitis. Heavy infestations can be serious enough to cause anemia. Some fleas carry diseases, such as typhus and tapeworm infections, that can be transmitted to your dog.

I'm sorry about the loss of your other dog. I'm not sure, though, if it was Frontline that caused his death because, like what i've said earlier, heavy infestation of this parasites can cause other serious diseases. Here's a list of flea treatments that you can give your dog. Goodluck!

http://tinyurl.com/5snmuq

Answer 7

I am sorry for your loss.

Anyhow, back to your question: Advantage is good. Also Hartz brand.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Sorry to hear about your last dog.  How sad.  :(

I have a Shepherd mix who is allergic to Advantix and Frontline.  We've tried both and within days she is naked in the hip and butt area because she pulls her hair out in clumps.

Someone had recommended Sentry's Natural Defense to me.  It's a product where the active ingredients are peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil, and thyme oil.  Not only does it work great, but she doesn't pull her hair out and it smells pretty good.

You can find it online or purchase it at WalMart.

http://www.sergeants.com/sentry_nd/index...

Answer 9

A friend of mine worksfor a dog trainer/ boarder. She tells me they have no flea problems and don't use any of the commercial flea/tick ppreventatives They clean the dogs bedding areas with aapple cider vinegar. they also put a small amount in the dogs drinking water. It seems to work. Just don't use metal/ stainless steel bowls for the vinegar water.. Put about a tablespoon to a gallon of water.. Search on line for more info. Good luck in getting rid of the fleas without poisoning your pet.

Answer 10

Advantage has always been safe and not made any of my animals sick. So sorry to hear about your other dog :(

Answer 11

1 Frontline (which is made by Merial) has never been shown to cause any type of cancer, it is a very safe product.  (Safer by far than anything put out by Hartz or Sargents... those actually can cause seizures and death.)

Let me just give you the information on the flea products my office sells and hope you can make the best decision.

Frontline Plus:  an oil-based topical ointment which is absorbed through sebaceous glands and lasts 30 days.  Kills fleas and ticks.  Good for dogs who are in the water and/or bathed frequently.  Begins working within 12-24 hours.  Canine/Feline.

Frontline Spray:  fast-acting spray which is absorbed through sebaceous glands and lasts 30 days.  Kills fleas and ticks and is safe enough for 8 week old puppies/kittens.  Begins working within minutes.  Canine/Feline.

Advantage:  alcohol-based topical ointment which is absorbed through sebaceous glands and starts working within an hour.  Lasts 30 days.  Kills fleas only.  Great for patients with flea allergies and/or who are not bathed frequently.  CanineFeline.  

Advantix: alchol-based topical ointment which is absorbed through sebaceous glands and starts working within an hour.  Lasts 30 days.  Kills fleas, ticks, and repels mosquitos.  Great for hunting dogs because of their exposure to fleas and ticks.  CANINE ONLY!

Capstar:  quick-acting oral tablet which begins to work within 30 minutes and only lasts 24 hours.  Designed to work from the inside out to kill ALL the fleas on the patient.  Canine/Feline.

Comfortis:  quick-acting oral tablet which begins to work within an hour and lasts 30 days.  Designed to work from the inside out.  Due to the medicine in the preventative, it is NOT recommended for epileptic dogs as it brings their seizure threshold lower and can trigger a seizure.  Great for dogs with coarse hair or who are difficult to apply topical medicine to.  CANINE ONLY.

I hope this helps.  Personally I prefer Comfortis on my dogs (they are not epileptic) with Advantix being a close second!

Consult your vet ;)

Answer 12

Revolutuion (selamectin) is what I use and it protects against heartworms so you won't need a separate medicine for that.

Answer 13

A holistic method is to give your dog garlic capsules from the health food store.  The capsules are tiny and you can wrap in a piece of cheese. A bigger dog might need 2 per day until the fleas move on.  The fleas will absolutely not bite when your dog has garlic in his veins.  Its good for their/our hearts and my dogs have had no side effects other than being scratch-free and I saved money.

Answer 14

I use K-9 advantix on my dog and he seems to do fine on it.  No adverse reactions, and no fleas or ticks.