Fleas!

[PinkBlossomInSummer]

I’m mortified! We treat the dogs and cat with FrontlinePlus monthly but they have been scratching today and I found a flea on one of the dogs and 2 on the cat. 😭 I’ve shampooed the dogs tonight and the cat lives outside in summer and just comes in to be fed. Is there anything e,she I should buy for her?

I’ve been reading online and can’t see anything that Frontline Plus doesn’t work. How the hell dod they get fleas and what about the house?

Advice would be greatly appreciated! I hoover every day, have washed all bedding at 60 degrees and have a strike back pack I bought from Pets at home. I’ve hoovered every carpet, every nook and cranny today and sprayed with the strike back stuff. How the hell do they have fleas when I’ve treated them?

[dementedpixie]

I've heard that frontline isn't very effective any more. I'd get a vet strength treatment for them. Indorex is supposed to be good for the house

[ilovewelshrarebit123]

My vet changed my cats flea treatment to Bravecto as the other stuff isn't that good anymore.

It gets rid of ticks to.

[Floralnomad]

OTC flea stuff is pretty ineffective and has been for a long time .

[StillMedusa]

You need Bravecto or Advocate. Frontline is laughed at by fleas.

[Yellowweatherwarning]

Room spray from pets at home.
And lots of bowls of hot soapy water around your home. Fleas can't resist a hot bubble bath - before they drown..
And Frontline is rubbish. Get a prescription from the vet and buy online at 1/3 of the price.
Ime.

[longearedbat]

I use Stronghold, from the vet. Also deals with ticks, ear mites and worms (but not tapeworm).

[PinkBlossomInSummer]

Thank you very much for your replies. I called the vet today and can’t treat them again for another 2 weeks 😭. I’m going for the Bravecto treatment for the dogs then and Advocate for the cat then. I bought a spray from pets at home today to spray the one carpet we have (thank god for laminate flooring) and I’ve got super strength stuff that I’m collecting tomorrow from the vet to do the full house. I don’t like using pesticides indoors tbh but needs must.

I seriously can’t believe we have fleas when you put your trust in a product that’s widely sold as ‘the best’. That was a lesson learned!

[Branster]

NexGard Spectra covers fleas, lungworm, ticks so no need for Advocate. 1 tablet/month. Top up with Drontal for some other worm.
My dog is a swimmer so no topical treatment works for ticks (my main problem are ticks in the summer, I haven’t seen fleas on him). We used Bravecto in the past but this new treatment is better because we don’t use Advocate anymore.

[Pigletpoglet]

We did all the spraying and washing (not bravecto though - heard there are some dodgy side effects). We also used diatomaceous earth - £15 for a big tub. It's harmless to everything except insects, and we sprinkled it on everything! Fleas haven't come back so far...

[AwkwardPaws27]

Indorex household spray is very good, you need to hoover thoroughly, spray, then hoover again every day for a week (the vibrations of the hoovering encourage eggs to hatch, allowing the spray to then kill the fleas - if you skip hoovering you'll get eggs hatching a few weeks later and a reoccurrence). Pay particular attention to gaps in flooring, around skirting, edges of carpets etc - anywhere they can hide and lay eggs. You may need to repeat spraying a week or so later to be sure. Any pet bedding or soft furnishings should be washed, preferably a hot wash (provided it's safe to do so).

As a bonus, the indorex also kills dustmites for a year - I do my house annually as DH has asthma.

[PinkBlossomInSummer]

@AwkwardPaws27 It’s Indorex I’m collecting tomorrow, unfortunately we’re away for 2 weeks from Tuesday so hopefully it’ll still work when we’re away. I read it kills larvae and eggs? Thank you @branster and @pigletpoglet for your recommendations, I’ll look into Bravecto a bit more as I haven’t seen any bad reviews but if there’s side effects I’d rather not use it. I’ll google the Nexguard and diatomaceous earth. I’m in a bit of a panic now as we’re away for 2 weeks on Tuesday but the animals are staying with my DS and he’s aware of the flea issue.

[ysmaem]

Frontline is absolutely crap! I used frontline religiously last year and we kept finding loads of fleas on the cats. We had to treat our home on a regular basis to ensure we didn't get a flea infestation. After taking to cer it turns our fleas cab actually become resilient to frontline so it's no longer effective. We use advantage now and never had a problem since. Definitely ring your vet up and they'll suggest a much stronger, effective treatment for your pets.

[BiteyShark]

We use nexgard spectra which is a monthly tablet for ticks/fleas and worms. Never had any side effects and never any fleas

[AwkwardPaws27]

Apologies it's the pupae stage that needs to hatch to be affected, not the eggs - uk.virbac.com/products/parasiticides/indorex-defence-household-flea-s

If you are going away I'd hoover thoroughly before using the spray, after, and as soon as you get home.