I used Frontline Plus on my dogs for years, but it got to where it wouldn't work anymore, so my vet recommended Comfortis. It's a pill that is taken internally vs. the topical treatments like Frontline. During my last visit, however, he offered me Trifexis becaus it's flea and heartworm prevention in one, so I wouldn't have to buy the Comfortis plus the heartworm pills. Both Comfortis and Trifexis worked well (though I just read some of the side effects of Trifexis and was less than impressed with that, so I may go back to Comfortis). But they work so much better than the topical treatments. I'd rather do something natural, but the fleas are already so bad this year due to our overall lack of winter weather.
Generally anything vet recommended will work. IMO you can't go natural with things like fleas. I don't think natural 'remedies' are half as effective as they need to be, and I am not about to put my pets through further discomfort by using a substandard product on them. We had a flea epidemic in the UK last year. It was hideous. My cat NEVER gets fleas, but last year she did. I had to treat the entire house, as well as her!
I use a natural product that they sell at the PetCo. It seems to work well for my dog but we aren't in a bad flea season here. I also suppliment with my dog's collar treated with 10 drops lavender oil and 10 drops eucalyptus oil once a week. So far this year, no fleas at all.
That's good to know about these types of flea medication. I live in Florida and the bugs are horrible here. We have to make sure the treatments work and sometimes they haven't like you said yours stopped working. When I lived in Illinois it was amazing. We never had to give our dogs flea treatments ever! Florida is the exact opposite. I was wondering about Comfortis. I think we're going to try it. I've used Advantix (the original version not Advantix 2 which doesn't work at all) and it was the best, but I want to try another option.
I use frontline and it works perfect! I've used it for about a year now and no fleas! I recommend it to anyone.
Keep in mind that flea medications can be just as harmful to pets as the fleas themselves!Log In. Alternative methods are just as effective, but don't have the harmful side effects. -Add apple cider vinegar to your dog's water. The vinegar will make your dog/cat's skin acidic and unattractive to fleas. -Rub lavender essential oil over your dog's fur to repel fleas. -Ask your vet about adding Brewer’s yeast tablets to your dog's food. Yeast tablets are the alternative to flea medication, but much healthier. The yeast will be excreted through the dog's skin, making the dog unattractive to fleas.
Could I ask if you know if these same rules apply to cats? I have 3 cats and one dog. Also, what about if my dog licks the lavendar oil on herself? Is this bad for her or for my cats?
I have been using Frontline for a while now and like it. I understand that there are natural methods, but none of them have worked for us before. We live in an area where bugs in general are really bad (don't get me started talking about mosquitoes, bleh)....so we sacrifice it and go with the chemicals to kill 'em.
The Fleas are terrible here in Florida where I'm at. We have comfortis on some of our Dogs, but it never seems to last as long as they say it will, though it works very well when it's in effect. This post reminds me, I need to check and see when they need some more. Oh, as far as natural remedies, some do seem to have an effect, but it's not as good I think.
I tried my dog on Comfortis, but he threw up a lot so I pulled him off of it. I was using the topical flea ointment by Advantix, but it wasn't working all that well either, plus it was a mess on my dog because it didn't soak in very quickly. I switched to Frontline and it seems to be working a lot better. I think it really depends on the area you live in and the type of dog you have. My friend's lab is doing very well on Comfortis and she prefers it over Trifectis. Just don't use over the counter flea medicine from Hartz. I bought this one time and my dog ended up being covered in fleas. The vet told me this brand attracts more than repels! I won't be buying that again!!
having an animal rescue group and housing up to 25 cats at a time, along with two to three dogs, I can tell you the best flea product for cats and dogs, that is non toxic and works, is Nitenpyram capsules. Capstar can be purchased at Petco and online. Little City Dogs Flea killer nitenpyram capsules can be purchased on Amazon and cost alot less than the Capstar name brand Nitenpyramm capsules.
