Can't get rid of fleas

[runekeeper]

Must be the fleas here are getting immune to treatment or something. About a month ago, the dogs and one of the cats were scratching like mad and my mother and I figured they had fleas, so they were all treated with Advantage.

The smaller dog never quit scratching and biting himself, but the other dog and all the cats were fine. Last week, I found a flea crawling on my girl cat, so I guess the fleas never were totally destroyed. They all got a second dose of Advantage last week.

Cats are all fine, but the little dog is still scratching like a maniac. It's just getting a little ridiculous having to spend upwards of $60 every couple weeks because it seems the one dog cannot fully get rid of his fleas. I'm not sure what's going on since Advantage has always worked.

Has anyone ever had this kind of a problem with resilient fleas?

 

[darkmavis]

Yikes, that doesn't sound like fun for anyone!

I haven't had that problem as of yet and I put Advantage or Advantage II on my 2 cats every 4 weeks (knock on wood!), but I would maybe suggest trying Frontline or Revolution instead of Advantage, in case they are building up a resistance to it. Also, you need to get the fleas out of the house somehow. If you search for DE or diatomaceous earth on the forums (or on the internet), that's supposed to be good to get rid of fleas in carpets and stuff. But if you do go that route, make sure it's food grade, so it won't harm you or the pets. Also, get a flea collar and cut it up and put it in your vacuum bag or canister, so any fleas you vacuum up will die. And I'm sure other people will come along with other ideas to help too..

I hope you can get the flea problem under control soon so your babies stop itching!!

 

[kluchetta]

Definitely go with the diatomaceous earth! You can get it from Home Depot like places....but make SURE it's not the kind they use in pool filters...DONT get it from a pool place. It is supposed to work great, and it's not a poison like flea medicine or bombs. (I haven't ever used it..we don't have fleas here.)

 

[jscole]

I had heard that using sunlight dishwashing soap works wonders for fleas.... I'm not sure though as we've never had fleas (knock on wood)... the only thing I would be worried about is that it will probably dry their skin...


I just found this article... you might find something you'd like to try

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fleas-Naturally

 

[kluchetta]

Originally Posted by jscole

I had heard that using sunlight dishwashing soap works wonders for fleas.... I'm not sure though as we've never had fleas (knock on wood)... the only thing I would be worried about is that it will probably dry their skin...


I just found this article... you might find something you'd like to try

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fleas-Naturally

I understand that if you have a cat with fleas, you can use dawn dish soap (haven't heard that of sunlight, but likely the same) by using a very small comb like you would use for lice, and dipping it in the soap and water and combing the kitty all over. This is especially good for kittens, who can become very sick or die if they get fleas. So I don't THINK you immerse them in the dish soap...you use the comb....PLEASE check around the forums before you try this.

 

[ilovemia]

When I had 3 cats that got fleas (from laying in open windows)the vet gave them each a capstar pill (kills fleas and eggs within one hour) and had me frontline them the next day. They also told me to wash all bedding and vacume floors and chairs thoroughly. They also said that just vacuming would be anough to kill the fleas as the force of being sucked up alone kills them. If you would feel better using something on floors and chairs, Borax dry laundry detergent works too. Sprinkle it on floor and chairs, let sit for an hour (do not rub in), then vacume. Vet said this works good for massive infestations.

Hope you get rid of them soon. Fleas are a pain!!!

 

[3catsn1dog]

I hate fleas...I hate all bugs actually.

You can bathe a cat with dish soap. Just make sure you rinse very well. Then comb afterwards. I personally do not care for flea drops so I use flea shampoo and then comb.

I have been doing some googling because I have noticed that there have been more and more complaints about flea meds not working. From what Ive gathered Frontline is the number one offender for not working. Ive heard good things about Advantage II being the best right now.

Things are really bad where I am because all the rain we have had literally made any and all bug killer used useless. Everytime they respray it rains for a week straight so its doing nothing.

Im actually bombing my house right now because its not just seeing a couple fleas (about ten between 4 cats and the dog) but its all kinds of different bugs and I spray my house twice a year with Home Defense Max and its not doing anything anymore. Even the pesticides in the fields that used to keep all the bugs away is useless.

This summer has been horrible for bugs in general and fleas.

 

[lucky83]

I'd try a different flea treatment and treat your house...
I have had a constant battle with fleas with my cat - we are quite rural and I know she brings them in sometimes (A few years ago I did a trial over a few weeks in summer and (when I could) I flea combed her throughly before she went out and then as soon as she got back and about 80% of the time I found a few immature (small) fleas on her return...)
She used to have a pyrithin (Sp? ) based flea collar - and became infested so I switched to Frontline drops from the vet - which worked for about 2 yrs and suddenly she was infested again (and worse because with a flea collar I flea combed her to check her every few weeks with frontline I didn't think I needed to!) ...so I switched to a collar with Diazinon and that has worked fantastically for 18 months or so ...but over the last few months it appears to have stopped working...and I'm battling again...thinking of changing to the other type of flea collar and seeing if that works...
I think fleas do become immune to some pesticides...(even though Frontline deny this strongly - I've heard of other cases...)
My vet's assistant said Frontline wasn't working because I hadn't treated the house -but with small children I'm reluctant to do so with stong chemicals...
but I do steam the carpets once or twice a year and wash them once or twice a year...I would say frequent vacuuming is the most important - and also agree with the flea collar in the vacuum (I know someone who actually saw fleas jumping in the vacuum bag!)
Flea larvae actually live on the dried blood faeces from the adults that drop off the cat along with the flea eggs ...they can get to pupal stage almost anywhere...A couple of years ago I had an open plastic box of plastic baby toys under the window in my bedroom waiting to be got rid of ..it wasn't touched for maybe 6 months..when I eventually did start sorting through it I noticed fleas jumping around (YUK!) - I think as the cat jumped up on the window sill the flea eggs and droppings had fallen in the box, developed to the pupal stage and were just waiting for heat/movement/breath to emerge!!!
One last thing - ONLY USE FLEA PRODUCTS SPECIFICALLY FOR CATS - some for dogs are fatal for cats ...my cat managed to get into an area that I had treated for woodworm - the label said that it was dangerous for cats - the vet recommended a bath follwed by careful monitoring - later I discovered the chemical responsible was Pemethrin and this widely used for dog flea control (and I think in low doses is in some cat flea collars!)

 

[momofmany]

Definitely go with the diatomaceous earth! You can get it from Home Depot like places....but make SURE it's not the kind they use in pool filters...DONT get it from a pool place. It is supposed to work great, and it's not a poison like flea medicine or bombs. (I haven't ever used it..we don't have fleas here.)

Actually, I worked at Home Depot and the diatomaceous earth that they sell is not safe for pets. You need FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth. I've only found it online.

A little bit goes a long way so you don't need to buy a lot to treat your home and / or pets.

 

[olivesmom]

This is a really cool article from science daily (they sound academic and reliable) about how just plain vacuuming is a great way to kill fleas.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071217111010.htm

Which is perfect because I had a frustrating experience with the carpet powders ... be careful with the flea powder stuff that you put into carpets (I used Hartz brand, I think it was the plus which was supposed to eliminate fleas, eggs and ticks), I poured it out, then tried to sweep it into my carpet as per the instructions, my apartment became so "smoky" looking because of the huge dust cloud this created, I actually needed to leave because I felt like I couldn't breathe. It also it says that you need to wipe down all food surfaces that might be exposed to the powder. So if you are in a studio apt like me... good luck with the kitchen area! Also, I vacuuming all the powder off of the carpet, but was afraid of other surfaces my cat might walk on, then lick her feet, so I ended up wiping down almost all the surfaces in my apt to be safe. Also, I got a decent looking rash on the backs of my hands, possibly just extremely dried out skin, but all in all the whole process was kind of a pain.

 

[rosa bood]

I can not get rid of the fleas on my cats! I have treated the entire house for fleas and I gave the cats 2 treatments of Advantage ll in a 5 week period. I have never missed a flea treatment yet I have fleas in my home and on my cats. Anybody else battling fleas? I live in Florida...hot and humid climate however my cats have been indoors for 4 months. Please comment! Ty.

 

[josbd]

We have three cats. One is a house cat, the other two arrived being used to going outside. My poor Squizzy, who has lived his 15 years flea free inside the house, now gets fleas from the other two bringing them into the house. Typically it turns out that he is horribly allergic to flea bites, and lost nearly all of his fur the first time he was badly bitten. Because of this we are very very careful to keep the flea problem to a minimum.

The main issue we have is the insane price of the likes of Advantage and Frontline... very difficult to find the money for one, let alone three cats. And when we did get Frontline, it failed to work, which was particularly galling!

After trying out various other options, by far the most effective treatment was Bob Martin Spot On, and this has continued to be the case for the last 3 years. It works every time (tempts fate..!). In the UK, I can buy this on ebay for around £3 per treatment (this is around $4.30 US). 

Don't know whether this is useful info to others, but I thought I would post.

 

[captain dave]

Fleas. The bane of existence, in my opinion. Proof that yes, demons exist, and they can actually create life as well, and frequently do with things like mosquitoes, cockroaches, and fleas.

I live on a boat. You wouldn't think that I'd get fleas, right? I mean, it's on the water! You have to walk a long way on the dock just to get TO it!

They jump on your clothes - specifically, your shoes - and hitch rides.

I've tried everything listed above, but the ONLY thing I found that worked was this:


Well, that and judicious vacuuming, but primarily that.

Of course, your mileage may vary - after all, as I said, I live on a boat. Things are different when you're afloat. 

Best of luck to you in getting rid of those blood-sucking parasites...wait...I'm wrong...they're not fleas...they're politicians!

 

[foxxycat]

You can purchase flea meds like revolution and advantage II on the website of inhousepharmacy.vu. They are based out of New Zealand. They may require a script from vet but with electronic email its very simple to do. I found that the price of revolution is half what they charge here in the USA. I have been using them for 3 years. no fleas on my girls. I was told that the fleas are resistant to frontline now.

also diatomaceous earth is actually silica and kills any bug that breathes out of its skin but becareful of the dust-dont let cat breathe it. you need food grade and is sold at most grain stores. People use this to keep bugs out of livestock, they can eat it or shake it aroudn their bed. but its very dusty. personally I dont recommend breathing but it definately kills fleas..I shake it around my lawn but once it gets wet the properties of this dont work-it dries up the bugs skin where it breathes and kills the bugs. I usually dip my hands in it then rub it up and down their fur. It wont hurt them if they eat it. It also has been known to kill worms as it works on sufficating them. I had really good luck with this method.   Or the old standby=bath with flea shampoo kills the buggers.

 

[beaverlaker]

Instead of using poisons, go with what Klutcheta said:  Diatomaceous Earth-FOOD GRADE.  Put it in an empty spice jar that has small holes on one side and sprinkle it on your dog or cat.  It DOES work. Look it up on the internet and plenty to read.  I even saw it in a Tractor Supply flyer. It's also available on the internet.  Also, use it in the garden or wherever you can lay it down to get rid of crawling insects and even slugs. It's totally safe to even ingest, as I have done myself.  It gets rid of INTERNAL parasites, too! 

 

[starfire612]

I have had no issues with fleas using Advantage II or Revolution.  Frontline is garbage but Advantage 2 takes care of all my cats flea allergies.

 

[rosa bood]

Thank you everybody for your comments.

 

[darlingpurs]

I found that the only flea stuff that works is revolution which one can order without a perscription on PETSHED

 

[kittybethaustin]

I'm fighting this same battle.  I have six cats and I foster as well so this is a huge problem for my household and expensive if you don't find some workarounds.  Fleas can develop resistance to the medications and stop working.  They say that won't happen with Revolution but it doesn't seem to work all that well for me either.  I think the problem is that they got a foothold in the house and none of these usual flea meds does anything about flea eggs.  

So here's what I'm doing now and it seems to be working so far although it's still early in the process. 

I ordered generic Capstar from https://animallovershousellc.com

I bought Precor 2000 room spray from Amazon.  The main point about this spray is that it has an insect growth inhibiter in it to stop any eggs from becoming adult fleas.

And I ordered Revolution from Petshed.  (I buy the large dog doses and split them up for cats.  This is what shelters and rescues do and I have my vet's blessing on this. You have to know your math to do this correctly.)

I dusted, vacuumed and sprayed the whole house over the weekend and on the same day gave all the cats a Capstar for immediate kill of all fleas on the cats.

Now I will give them Capstar every 2 to 3 days for two weeks and once a week for two weeks after that.  The only way this is financially feasible is using the generic version.  I flea comb them to check for fleas and if I see one, I dose everybody.  If I don't see any fleas I check again the next day.  (This step was a recommendation from my vet.)

Unfortunately, I have not received my Revolution yet to put this on them at the beginning of this battle.  But they received doses three weeks ago so hopefully there's still some protection there.

A last step will be for me to start vacuuming much more frequently in order to suck up any flea eggs that might still be there or that are deposited by any adult fleas that find their way into the house.

A last outpost I haven't addressed would be the yard.  I think my dog may have been bringing them in, but she passed away last month so that component may not be a problem anymore.  

If you have carpet, I would highly recommend diatomaceous earth in addition to other steps, but I have hard flooring live in a very humid area.   It doesn't work as well in humid areas. 

 

[rosa bood]

I am doing very well now that I thoroughly tackled the flea problem I had. My cats are all on Advantage Multi...not Advantage ll. (I had fleas in my house when I was buying Advantage ll) I flea all of my cats every 26-28 days...no longer than 28 days! So far I have excellent results for 5 months now.