frontline not working

skipsmum

Have googled but found nothing recent.
We have a dog and 3 cats, all frontlined regularly with Frontline Combo from the vet.
Theyve had fleas for 2 weeks now despite having been frontlined and Ive washed everything etc.
Does any one know if the combo has stopped having any effect now? Whats everyone else using?
I can't spray the house cos DS has an autoimmune disorder.
Thanks xx

dumpy

I thought that frontline had stopped working on my dog this year but it turned out that the house had got a bit infested and she was being constantly reinfected.

She'd had a major op just before the warm spell and I was advised not to use the flea treatment till the skin had healed fully so the little bitters got ahead of me a bit.

However after hoovering every single day where she goes/sits for a couple of weeks, it's all settled down again. Not an itch in sight.

I think the problem is that frontline kills them when they are on the animal within 24 hours but if your carpets are infested they just keep hopping on, so the animals keep scratching. Hoovering also stimulate the pupae to hatch so you can get rid of them.

Hope this makes sense and I feel really itchy now.......

paulwf

We find Advocat to be much better for our cats as Frontline stopped working after a while and this seems to be fairly common. Basically go to the vets and you'll be able to get something better than Frontline, they might have a couple they can recommend. Unfortunately Advocat and the like cost a lot more Grooming regularly to get rid of the fleas is also a good idea.

The sprays do seem to be quite toxic but could you spray the main bedding areas? Or perhaps just take the bedding outside and spray that?

pigpen

I found advocat to be better.. there is another called stronghold which I haven't tried but has good reviews.

Since the status of frontline was changed and you became able to buy it from anywhere it does appear to have become less and less effective.. when we checked the ingredients they have reduced the amount of active ingredient in order to be able to sell it everywhere else rather than just from the vet.. relying on the brand name to make copious amounts of money.. it is most annoying.

Do treat your home with something powerful and the pets to be done at the same time.. it is usual for the little beasties to live in carpets and soft furnishings for quite some time.. I 'think' I read somewhere fleas can hibernate for about 8 years..

cyberbob

I have always found Stronghold the better one. Advocate has too much liquid and seems to irritate my cats skins. Ive used stronghold for years (bar a few months try out of advocate) with no problems

Waterfalls

unfortunately 95% of the problem will be inyour house. frontline combo is a good product, but it will only work when the fleas jump onto the pet thats treated. it will take more that 2 weeks for them to go

skipsmum

Thanks all..will speak to the vet again and see if I can find a household spray toxic enough to kill fleas but not toxic enough to hurt DS!

magpiecottage

We had problems a couple of years ago and the vet sold us something called Indorex for the house. That stopped the problems in its tracks.

We have not had to buy any more since but I have just got back from taking the cat for her MOT and they still stock it.

(Cat flew through despite being 18!)

undaunted

skipsmum wrote: »

Thanks all..will speak to the vet again and see if I can find a household spray toxic enough to kill fleas but not toxic enough to hurt DS!

Apple cider vinegar, lemon / citrus oils, garlic, cedar oils, brewers yeast are amongst natural products claimed to repel fleas.

Vaccuming the carpet thooughly or a carpet washer / scrubbing brush & bucket of soapy water will help.

You can also build a trap using a shallow pan filled with soapy water and a warm lamp over it (the heat attracts them into the water where they are then unable to escape & ultimately die due to the soapy water)

dumpy

Just keep hoovering all areas every day, twice a day if required for two weeks. Concentrate on the areas they lie down the most.

It'll be loads better but you do need to do everywhere they go.

It's easy with my dog, on the floor only and not upstairs so only a small area to hoover.

If they are allowed on furniture, beds etc it'll be difficult and a bigger job but at least you won't ned to use the chemicals.

minimoneysaver

I thought the idea of frontline was to make fleas infertile.... is that incorrect?