Best wormer & flea treatment for dogs?

Katiehound

Please I have a tick question!
This year I had to dash off to the vet (in Ireland, on a sunday, 7.30pm- the best scenario you could think of!) as I noticed my dog had a very swollen face right by his eye. I was really busy that day house painting but he certainly didn't look like that in the morning.

Turns out he must now have an allergy to what the tick injects because there was the teeniest tick, it must just have jumped aboard. No adverse reactions in the past. I know deer regularly wander past my enclosed (chainlink)garden. I have now bought Advantix as was recommended by Irish vet as it gives immunity for 4 weeks which is fine for a 3 week stay. Any other products recommended please? It's only when we are in Ireland - about x5 per year that there is this problem, not here in UK- so don't need to use all the time.
Thank you

Missconduct

Get one of these for removing ticks:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_health/cat_flea_tick_protection/tick_hooks_tweezers/29986

No need for nasty chemicals then. Our dog got loads of ticks just after we had applied Advocate, so fat lot of use it was, but we just remove them!

Katiehound

Yes, I've got a tick remover in my 1st aid kit- but in this instance thought dog had a tooth/ear problem as face was so swollen right by his eye- reaction to the tiniest tick- only just visible. He obviously reacts very badly (just like some peolpe do to bee stings) so I don't want any chance of a repeat performance! Tick remover is fine for my hound girl!

gettingready

I only found ticks on my lot this year - and had pets in UK since 1991. Never seen a tick on any of them (or previous pets) before, seems to be a problem this year.

Zara got an infection from one that was on her face, it was pretty nasty.

Check them daily for ticks.

There has to be something to STOP them getting on dogs/cats?

Tick removal thingys are ok for animals who do not get a reaction but I would rather prevent those horrible things attaching themselfes to my furry family than sat later pulling them out...

Katiehound

That's why I got Advantix, which was readily available from vet in Ireland. It was cheaper here (POM) but my vet had to order it which suggests it isn't commonly used. I just wondered if there was something better. The Advantix gives 'immunity' for 4 weeks.

interlcore

Eeeekkkkk! After reading this thread, I am concerned about using Frontline.
I have always used Frontline combo on my dog since I had her (nearly 4 years) Despite protecting her with Frontline, she has got fleas. I thought this might be because I bathed her and should've given her treatment sooner than usual.
I asked the vet for advice. They told me to use RIP around the house and use Frontline combo for the next 12-16 weeks, applying every 4 weeks. It is week 10 and the last flea that was seen was 2 weeks ago, a few days after applying Frontline. But my dog with still doing that sudden, intense scratching and biting which makes me think the fleas are still there.
But now I am concerned after reading others here have used Frontline and their dog still has fleas.
Should I keep on with Frontline like the vet has said or switch to something else? If so, what do you guys recommend?

Bromley86

Resurrecting this one to mention that Drontal seems to be outside of it's patent protection time and there are now (potentially cheaper) substitutes (like you buy Ibuprofen rather than Nurofen). At the moment, VetUK are selling Drontal at £1.73 a tablet and Cestem (same ingredients, same proportions, liver rather than chicken flavour) at £0.96 a tab.

Their XL tabs are a different strength than Drontal's and apply at a lower weight, but I can't see a problem with administering the dose with the per 10kg tabs as you would with Drontal (as it's actually less than the Cestem XL pill). The reason why that matters is the XL pills are not reduced

Missconduct

I have to say that since first reading this thread, we have decided to no longer use any of these chemical anti-parasite treatments and have switched to natural alternatives. Given what we've read on the subject, we would urge everyone to do some research about the dangers of applying such toxins to your animals. The same goes for vaccinations, especially when they are administered annually. A good website to look at is http://www.alternativevet.org.

Bromley86

Of course, shots are a requirement for anyone insuring. And I wasn't very impressed with that site, although obviously YMdoesV. i.e.

"Yes, vaccination has reduced the incidence of terrible diseases like distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis. However, there may be a hidden cost, not yet accepted by the mainstream veterinary community."

So there's a certainty that demonstrates the positive aspect of vaccination vs. some hippy feeling. Ultimately vets have spent a lot of time getting to know how animals work, whereas I haven't. When they tell me not to vaccinate, I'll pay attention.

Missconduct

A lot of insurers do require vaccinations but it would be arguable whether it is really necessary if they then refused to pay out, particularly on a claim which is not for one of the diseases that would have been vaccinated against.

As for some "hippy feeling". Were you too busy resorting to derision to miss the fact that the website is written by a vet? And the part which says there is no proven basis for annual vaccinations? Do you have evidence to the contrary? As for vets pushing annual vaccinations - cui bono?