Flea Treatment

LittleTinker

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I don't need to google. As I said, fleas don't live on animals and are not particular as to who or what they get their lunch from. If you have evidence to the contrary then please provide links and I'll be more than happy to read it.

I am a little unsure as to why you feel the need to be so..............picky. Its a dead giveaway when someone starts breaking posts up into sections to make a point. :rolleyes

You mis-read the first post and are now twisting words to fit with your agenda and I really dont know what your aim is.

If you want to do some research, do some......Im not about to start using my time to list books and sites for you to pour scorn over.

I answered a question asked by the OP about flea treatments.

If you have something useful for the OP, Im sure she/he will be interested........as you seem to be an expert. :rotfl:

~Chameleon~

LittleTinker wrote: »

I am a little unsure as to why you feel the need to be so..............picky. Its a dead giveaway when someone starts breaking posts up into sections to make a point. :rolleyes

You mis-read the first post and are now twisting words to fit with your agenda and I really dont know what your aim is.

If you want to do some research, do some......Im not about to start using my time to list books and sites for you to pour scorn over.

I don't need to do any research, i know what I'm talking about. My aim is to correct your mis-information.


I answered a question asked by the OP about flea treatments.

If you have something useful for the OP, Im sure she/he will be interested........as you seem to be an expert. :rotfl:

I don't need to add any further information as Shoshannah answered her questions and she is a vet, as am I.

I's funny but you remind me very much of another poster who frequently posts, or posted, here.

~Chameleon~

LittleTinker wrote:

If you have something useful for the OP, Im sure she/he will be interested........as you seem to be an expert.

Perhaps you would like to read the following article...


Frontline flea and tick control products: — Are fleas becoming resistant?


Anecdotal evidence of flea resistance to Frontline flea and tick products

For several years now, there have been rumors about fleas becoming resistant to Frontline flea and tick products. Both veterinarians and pet owners have questioned the efficacy of Frontline products. Many pet owners have been claiming to use Frontline products on their dogs and cats and complain about still seeing fleas on their pets. Many veterinarians also have questioned whether there might not be some resistance developing to the Frontline products.

Research seems to debunk theory of flea resistance to Frontline flea and tick control products

Numerous research projects have examined the susceptibility of fleas to fipronil, the active ingredient in all Frontline products. There does not appear to be any research to indicate that fleas are becoming resistant to fipronil. The most recent study was published in the February, 2009 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology (Rdl gene polymorphism and sequence analysis and relation to in vivo fipronil susceptibility in strain of the cat flea). This study found no evidence of flea resistance to fipronil.

Another study, published as far back as December, 2001 in Veterinary Parasitology (Effect of 0.29% w/w fipronil spray on adult flea mortality and egg production of three different cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouch!), strains infesting cats) found that some strains of fleas were more susceptible to fipronil than other strains but all strains showed adequate susceptibility to application of fipronil, especially within the first two weeks following the application. For some strains of fleas, efficacy of fipronil did drop off a bit by the third and fourth week following application of fipronil.

Possible explanations for the appearance of flea resistance to Frontline flea and tick control products

Merial, the manufacturer of Frontline brand products, along with many veterinarians and researchers believe that the answer lies in compliance. They believe that veterinarians have not done a good job in educating their clients about the flea life cycle and are often guilty of encouraging unrealistic expectations in their clients.

Understanding the life cycle of the flea

In regards to the flea life cycle, it a common misconception that fleas seen on a pet likely jumped on that pet from another pet. While that scenario is not impossible, it is more likely that the adult fleas observed on a pet dog or cat likely came from flea eggs and larvae which have developed into adults within the environment that the pet is living in or a place the pet has recently visited. In cases where flea infestations exist within a household, Frontline flea and tick products will eventually bring the infestation under control, but it may take several months for this happen. Flea eggs and larvae pre-existing in the environment must first hatch out and come into contact with the Frontline-treated pet in order for the flea life cycle to be interrupted and this takes time (often several months) to occur.

In the meantime, often pet owners become frustrated with the presence of adult fleas on their dogs and cats and come to believe that the Frontline product which they have applied is not working properly. So the pet owner quite naturally changes to a different flea control product after a month or two of using the Frontline product. Once switching over to the new flea product, the flea eggs and flea larvae which had existed in the environment and which have subsequently become adult fleas found on the pet have been reduced or eradicated in number and the pet owner stops seeing live adult fleas on the pet. As a result, a conclusion is incorrectly reached that the Frontline product was ineffective and the new flea product worked wonderfully. Thus, the fleas must have been resistant to the Frontline.

Frontline efficacy still debated

For my part, in using Frontline Plus on my own cats and recommending Frontline Plus to both cat and dog owners in my veterinary practice, I believe that, in most cases, Frontline Plus is still quite effective when used properly on both cats and dogs. The most common mistake I see pet owners making is waiting to apply any flea control product until the pet is already infested with fleas, sometimes heavily infested. Under these circumstances, any flea control product, no matter how good, is likely to require some time to control the infestation. Currently available flea control products, including Frontline products work best when used in a preventive manner.

While many flea products are effective in treating existing flea infestations, it takes time for any of the flea products to effectively break the life cycle of the fleas and eradicate the infestation. In this regard, Frontline products are no exception.

However, that being said, I have seen a few cases where owners appeared to have been using Frontline Plus religiously and correctly on their pets and have still experienced flea problems. These cases have, fortunately, been few and far between. However, as a veterinarian, I am not able to say with 100% certainty that there may not be some populations of fleas which are less susceptible to Frontline products. However, I also cannot state unequivocally that any other flea control products that I have used and/or recommended have 100% efficacy either. Therefore, I still feel extremely confident in recommending Frontline products to my pet-owning clients and in using Frontline products on my own pets. In the event that Frontline Plus (which is the typical Frontline product that I recommend) seems ineffective, I recommend trying one of the other flea control options, such as Promeris or Revolution.

thistledome

I do our dog with Frontline every month, he's never had a flea on him but we have a lot of ticks round here and it's good against them. We apparently have Lymes Disease round here, but I just hate ticks anyway.

Costs about £23 odd for 6 treatments from Petmeds online and you can get Quidco cashback too.

ETA: In the winter I sometimes just do him every other month, seems to be fewer ticks around then.

LittleTinker

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I don't need to add any further information as Shoshannah answered her questions and she is a vet, as am I.

I's funny but you remind me very much of another poster who frequently posts, or posted, here.

Your sole intention is to "correct my misinformation"?? :rotfl:

There is no "misinformation" and it is not your job to go around 'correcting' people when you just dont happen to agree. What a busybody you are. You should know....even professionals dont all agree.

If I remind you of someone, so what? What is it that is "so funny" about that?

You really do seem to have one big massive chip on your shoulder about something..........however, I really am not that interested.
Go pick on someone else.

~Chameleon~

LittleTinker wrote: »

Your sole intention is to "correct my misinformation"?? :rotfl:

You really do seem to have one big massive chip on your shoulder about something........

I challenged your post as it contained misinformation, as I would with anyone else. Being affected by fleas has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with diet or health of the animal, neither has overuse of treatments left them ineffective. If you want to offer advice at least get your facts straight first.

There's only one person with a chip on their shoulder here and it's certainly not me. You really are rather unpleasant, not just to me but to almost everyone on this forum judging by some of your posts I've come across!

I shan't bother to waste any more time with you.

LittleTinker

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I challenged your post as it contained misinformation, as I would with anyone else. Being affected by fleas has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with diet or health of the animal, neither has overuse of treatments left them ineffective. If you want to offer advice at least get your facts straight first.

There's only one person with a chip on their shoulder here and it's certainly not me. You really are rather unpleasant, not just to me but to almost everyone on this forum judging by some of your posts I've come across!

I shan't bother to waste any more time with you.

In your opinion................

As for wasting your time, I told you that earlier.....noone needs your "corrections", especially when it is only your opinion.

I offered the OP my opinion......there was no need at all for you to intefere and demand anything from me. You have then become personal and insinuate that I am doing something wrong (see your last post).

You call me unpleasant?

CFC

Shoshanna/Chameleon/other knowledgeable person, I could do with some advice

My boy has never had visible fleas but I treated him with Frontline about 6 weeks ago. We went on holiday last week on a farm. Just in case the farm was a very flea-y place, I gave him Frontline Spot On again before we went in case he got some. I have just seen 3 fleas on him and having a good look I can see a fair amount of fleaspeck that I thought previously was bits of dirt. I'm a bit horrified, he's a very small dog so I think that having seen 3 and knowing that he's scratching more than normal, he's probably actually got tons.

How long does it take for an adult flea to die on a dog treated with Frontline?
How do I best get rid of these beasties?

~Chameleon~

CFC wrote: »

Shoshanna/Chameleon/other knowledgeable person, I could do with some advice

My boy has never had visible fleas but I treated him with Frontline about 6 weeks ago. We went on holiday last week on a farm. Just in case the farm was a very flea-y place, I gave him Frontline Spot On again before we went in case he got some. I have just seen 3 fleas on him and having a good look I can see a fair amount of fleaspeck that I thought previously was bits of dirt. I'm a bit horrified, he's a very small dog so I think that having seen 3 and knowing that he's scratching more than normal, he's probably actually got tons.

How long does it take for an adult flea to die on a dog treated with Frontline?
How do I best get rid of these beasties?

Adult fleas usually die within 24hrs of biting your cat/dog after treatment with Frontline. But, what some people are unaware of is that the fleas actually live in the environment and not on the animal so when they spot a flea on their cat/dog several days/weeks later they assume the treatment hasn't worked. It has, but you also need to treat the environment in which the animal lives.

There's no way of telling whether these fleas have hitched a ride back from the farm and are now happily breeding in your home, or whether they were already there so my advice would be to treat your home as well which will also give added protection against them returning for up to a year. This time of year people start noticing outbreaks of fleas as they switch on their central heating and adults fleas start emerging from the pupae, where they've lain dormant for many months. They will then jump on any passing warm-blooded animal (including you!) for a meal!

zaksmum

I've always used Frontline on my dogs and have never seen a flea on either of them. But just after using the latest Frontline (a week ago) they are now both scratching a bit. They did play with an unkempt looking dog in the park a couple of days ago. I'm wondering if a flea of him hitched a ride...if so, I'll re-do the Frontline although I can't see any evidence of anything on them.