Flea and worm treatment - Natural?

[welshdaisy]

Hey guys I'm just looking for a bit of advice really. My dog is administered advocate monthly and droncit 3 monthly. I was thinking about taking a more natural route when it comes to administering treatments. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were, and if anyone does use any natural treatments for recommendation? I notice my dog shakes when he knows I'm going to administer and then he's really unhappy and quiet afterward. His ears will droop too. I spoke to the vet and she wasn't too concerned with that behaviour. Any advice appreciated. I only want what's best for him

I still use flea/worm/tick treatments but just want to say mine didn't like advocate. The smell really affected him and actually made him restless and would not sleep. We moved to nextgard spectra which is a monthly tablet and he has been fine with it.

@BiteyShark Thankyou for replying. I wasn't offered an alternative I was told advocate is the best as it's an all rounder. I'll definitely call them tomorrow and enquire about the nexguard though! He doesn't mind taking tablets either so he would have no problems with that

I feed furry rabbits ears for worming, think pumpkin seeds are good too.
Neem sprays can be used for flea prevention.

My vets used to be all advocate but recently noticed that it's swayed to nexgard spectra as they have lots of boxes on display behind the counter iykwim.

When I first moved to nexgard spectra it wasn't licensed for lungworm but my understanding is that it is now. You might still need the drontil but we don't bother (used to take it 6 monthly) as that gives him a bad stomach.

My dog had terrible seizures on nexguard and milbemax! She could hardly walk for a few months
I detoxed her and have used panacur wormer when needed and still unsure what to use for fleas!

@IAmTheDuke he has rabbit ears sometimes as a treat... he loves them. I noticed a treatment called Biospotix which is a natural flea treatment but quite sceptical as not a huge amount of reviews.. 

@BiteyShark I will definitely give them a call tomorrow, it's not nice seeing his dread..

@Tangledtresses aw no way. That's so sad to hear.. Hope your dog is recovering well

I use four seasons homeopathic intestinal control for worms, you need to do a worm count (faecal sample) once or twice a year to confirm its working and I use CSJ Billy no mates tincture for fleas.
I’d definitely know if my dog had fleas as she is allergic.

On topic but slight tangent. Does anyone know if not following a worm and flea treatment plan via the vet invalidates your insurance in some way? There was a clause in mine so wondering how you prove regular worming if you use an alternative route?

Surely not following conventional flea and worm treatment would just invalidate from complications related to fleas and worms?

In the same way that a dog vaccinated with nosodes wouldn’t be covered by insurance if it developed Parvovirus or a dog that had never had a dental exam wouldn’t be covered for anything oral related?

My vets used to be all advocate but recently noticed that it's swayed to nexgard spectra as they have lots of boxes on display behind the counter iykwim

Vets should rotate their stock to stop resistance build up in the local area. Which is also why it’s best to follow vet advice on preparation, as they should be keeping tabs on what is and isn't working on the local flea population.

I have often wondered if Vets recommend certain products that they are ''encouraged'' to sell as a promotion?

@bluebluezoo

My vets used to be all advocate but recently noticed that it's swayed to nexgard spectra as they have lots of boxes on display behind the counter iykwim

Vets should rotate their stock to stop resistance build up in the local area. Which is also why it’s best to follow vet advice on preparation, as they should be keeping tabs on what is and isn't working on the local flea population.

Tbh I was only going on what was on display but thinking about it that was pre covid given that we no longer sit in the waiting room with lots of things on view so might be completely wrong

wormcount for worms.

Wormers do no prevent worms they just treat them if you dog has worms.

Wormcount means you only have to treat if you dog has worms which often is never in their lifetime!

Depending on your dog you can comb for fleas.

Hey all, lots of advice and thanks for answering 

@BigWolfLittleWolf I've looked both of those products you use have amazing reviews, I'm going to give them a whirl.. and also order a worm count kit too...

If your dog comes from a herding breed such as collies or German Shepherds, please note that they can have MDR1 susceptibility which means they can't have drugs containing lnvermectin and milbercyn plus a few others. It can cause all sorts of seizures. You can have them DNA tested. Our collie is susceptible so we are using Panacure and likely a Serastro collar.

@LostArcher no he's a little chihuahua x

He cowers and trembles when he sees me with the pipette and then after I administer he's really miserable. He lays down and his pointy ears droop down. He's like it for well over a day. It's not normal behaviour and I know the vets do know best and they aren't concerned, it still doesn't sit right with me..

I don’t worm my dog at all, I send a faecal sample away to see if he has worms and so far never has. I wouldn’t flea either unless I believed he had fleas. I have 3cats and 2 dogs and no probs here.

I personally would always treat with something that prevents lungworm especially if you’re in warmer parts of the uk where it is prevalent; the symptoms it causes can be quite varied so you wouldn’t necessarily immediately think ‘worms’ and also it can make them seriously ill.

In terms of fleas, I would also advise prevention - they are rarely a big issue for the dog unless they’re allergic, but by the time your dog actually itches, or you find significant numbers of adults in brushing the dog, the fleas have already laid eggs in your house (which are much harder to kill than the adult fleas).

For roundworm/tapeworm in most dogs it’s quite valid to screen periodically and only worm if you find evidence of worms. I would definitely err on the side of prophylactically worming any dog that’s raw fed though, and those that have close contact with children (of an age with potentially poor hand hygiene).

Lots of dogs seem to get worried about the smell of things like advocate - you can help by applying it outside so the smell is less strong for them and they will have the distractions of a walk.

I was going to recommend faecal sample for worms too. I would not recommend 'natural' or homeopathic remedies as do not have proven efficacy. Lungworm risk depends on where you live - you could speak to your vets about local risk.

@Calmestofallthechickens nothing PREVENTS lungworm it just treats when they have it. So a wormcount will check for lungworm and if the dog has it you treat.

The joy of fecal sampling eg worm count is that the identify the species so targetted treatment can be given if needed

@PollyRoulson

@Calmestofallthechickens nothing PREVENTS lungworm it just treats when they have it. So a wormcount will check for lungworm and if the dog has it you treat.

The joy of fecal sampling eg worm count is that the identify the species so targetted treatment can be given if needed

@PollyRoulson Not exactly.

Fun fact: the lungworm larvae have already travelled from the dog’s gut to its blood vessels, matured there, laid some eggs which have hatched, baby lungworms then worked their way through the lungs and other tissues causing lots of damage (including coughing, pneumonia, bleeding tendencies, seizures etc etc) as they go, been coughed up and swallowed - before you reliably see larvae in the faeces.

Therefore by the time the faecal exam detects larvae, the dog already probably got adult lungworms present and the associated damage has been done. Monthly advocate or similar kills any lungworms before they mature and do all that damage - so no it doesn’t exactly prevent lungworm but it prevents lungworm disease.

Personally if natural treatments worked then there would be no need for medification methods.

Personally if natural treatments worked then there would be no need for medification methods
💰 💰 💰

I use various herbal products

The safety of most commercial treatments is not good