Fleas driving us to distraction

[AInightingale]

Hi, is anyone else struggling with fleas? Treated dog (and house, and bedding) with Frontline multiple times in the past two years, but she never seems to be flea-free. None of us have bites so the house couldn't be that bad. I have bathed my dog and rinsed in water with vinegar in it – doesn't work either. No actual infestation or flea dirt present, but the Frontline is not killing the live fleas, and I can't get rid of them from the house, clearly, or they wouldn't still be bothering the dog. Do I need a professional? Jeez, does my house actually need fumigated? I am so embarrassed by this and not much fun for the dog either.

I know you might be right @ZebraD but I think it will make me feel better to spray stuff about as well as hoover and boil wash!

Mumsnet doesn't like it but pennyroyal is a useful tool. Buy it dried and scatter it where ever your dog lies down. Also make a tea and decant into a spray bottle. Spray dog every day front and back, just lightly.

Pennyroyal also grows well. It's a perennial here but I don't know about uk. Plant it where ddog might walk.

No dont sprinkle penny royal . It is poisonous to dogs. Deadly.

I’ve just looked it up. Pennyroyal oil is toxic. Pennyroyal tea, as per my suggestion, isn’t. Ddog lived with it growing everywhere in my back yard for years.

I agree with Indorex for the house. Do under the beds, behind the furniture, everywhere.

Frontline is useless, my vet said it had become ineffective a decade ago.

I have used Advantage successfully ever since or Advocate from the vet.

I usually buy mine in bulk from Viovet.

Our cats suddenly got fleas a few years ago and they were all over my DS' bedroom. Frontline made the cats feel poorly and I was poised to release some flea bomb until I read it could kill your fish if you had any so I held fire because I didn't like the thought of my asthmatic DS breathing that in.

In the end I took them to the vets and they both had an injection (cats not DS!) It worked like a Trojan Horse because then when the cats went back into the room the fleas jumped aboard and dropped dead. Fleas all went and have never been back.

Advantage and Advocate both have the same active ingredient - the only difference is advocate also treats worms. They should both be equally effective against fleas and the former doesn't require a prescription.