# my attempt to share my research with others



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

So, after all my research I have decided that
1- I am not comfortable giving popular flea treatments(frontline, vectra, advantage etc...)
2- I am not comfortable giving nothing

the products below are in no particular order.

My research has led me to feel comfortable with four products.

1- capstar flea tabs. This product looks very safe, and is known to be effective. The bad thing here is that capstar only KILLS and doesnt prevent....but if you have adult fleas on your dog...this is the product id recommend(I SAID ADULT FLEAS..NOT EGGS)

2- SENTRY NATURAL DEFENSE- This is an all oils product, and is very safe..and from what i've read pretty effective. We will not be using it on winston because it stains fur, but this saddens me, as it seems to be a stellar product.

3- ''Bug off Garlic''- I;ve heard good things about this. It is a garlic powder, and is supposed to reel all sorts of pests for a good 4 weeks. Only concern here is that i;ve heard garlic is very bad for dogs. I've also heard that dogs have had stomach upset from this*possibly due to the previous issue)...still if garlic isnt bad for dogs, and winston tolerated it i would try it.

4- Comfortis flea tabs...this is what i will be using as A MONTHLY FLEA TREATMENT DURING THE SUMMER FOR WINSTON. iT IS A PREVENTATIVE MADE WITH THE PESTICIDE ''SPINOSOID''
IT IS GIVEN ORALLY, and according to greenpaws it has been classified by the EPA to not be a probable carcinogen.
I don't know of the effectiveness of this product, but I do know that something is better than nothing, and safe is better than dangerous.


Hope this helps people who desire to or are forced due to flea ridden environments....to give their dogs flea medicine...a safer alternative.

it saddens me more to see members here give their dogs vectra..as opposed to seeing a member here giving their dog Purina.
I thin giving pesticides to a dog has more of an effect than giving corn and by products.
kibble is kibble at the end of the day..sure orijen is a little better but it's all garbage.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

So.. are you switching to raw after all?

Stained fur seems like a small price to pay for an effective flea treatment..


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Caty M said:


> So.. are you switching to raw after all?
> 
> Stained fur seems like a small price to pay for an effective flea treatment..


kibble might not be the best..but i can';t do raw right now.
yeah stained fur is a small price to pay, but the comfortis should work fine. in the event it doesnt i will capstar on hand


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Why can't you (just curious). It usually ends up being cheaper, where do you live? 

I live in Canada and pay $3/lb for most meats and it's still cheaper than feeding all but Ol'Roy.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

eh just a bunch of personal reasons. I am in Nj
though id rather this thread to be a useful tool to discuss safe(er) conventional flea treatments 


Caty M said:


> Why can't you (just curious). It usually ends up being cheaper, where do you live?
> 
> I live in Canada and pay $3/lb for most meats and it's still cheaper than feeding all but Ol'Roy.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> kibble might not be the best..but i can';t do raw right now.


Are there no grocery stores in your area?

ETA: Raw is an easy answer to all your problems. Seems like stressing out over all these treatments and meds is far more complicated, expensive, difficult, and time consuming.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

you get what you pay for. ol'roy is considered the best of the ebst according to consumer reports.


Caty M said:


> Why can't you (just curious). It usually ends up being cheaper, where do you live?
> 
> I live in Canada and pay $3/lb for most meats and it's still cheaper than feeding all but Ol'Roy.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

True. It DOES meet AAFCO standards. It MUST be good.


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## newlndnfire (Aug 19, 2011)

I don't want to be mean, but as far as I know, Ol'roy is actually one of the worst of the worst. From reading your other posts, it seems that your dog would really benefit raw feeding. I've seen results in my own dog and many others here have as well. 

Anyway, on topic: I've also heard garlic is not good for dogs and I wouldn't be using that product unless someone told me otherwise about garlic. I don't have a lot of fleas in my area and have never seen any on my dogs and have never used any products on them. After reading the poison our dogs thread as well as this, I don't think I will ever use any on my dogs as a preventative medicine. It would be nice if we could find a product similar to the first one where it kills both adults and eggs!


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

newlndnfire said:


> I don't want to be mean, but as far as I know, Ol'roy is actually one of the worst of the worst.


Hehe, everyone was kidding about Ol'Roy. I certainly hope no one here feeds it.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Nitenpyram is still an insecticide... as is Spinosad, which have had many adverse affects in many dogs... when using ANY forms of flea control you run a risk of your dog reacting to it, it's just a fact of life. 

Garlic on the other hand is a close cousin to the onion... which Onions are indeed toxic causing hemolytic anemia if fed in large quantities as it contains high amounts of thiosulphate. Garlic on the other hand has very little, if traceable. 


The sentry one... i'd have to see it work to believe it did.
peppermint oil
cinnamon oil
lemongrass oil
clove oil
thyme oil

It screams "snake oil" to me to be honest, or too good to be true.

diatomaceous earth is another one that many people overlook, if you haven't properly researched that it would be a good avenue for many as well, it's very useful and using it in your yard and house can have amazing affects.


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## newlndnfire (Aug 19, 2011)

Caty M said:


> Hehe, everyone was kidding about Ol'Roy. I certainly hope no one here feeds it.


I knew everyone was being sarcastic but I didn't think the OP was. Was she? haha. Maybe I'm just really bad at interpreting things.  I was responding to her ol'roy is the best of the best according to consumer reports post.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Neem oil is supposed to be a very effective natural insect repellant, but it stinks to high heaven. I agree with David on the garlic and the DE.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

newlndnfire said:


> I knew everyone was being sarcastic but I didn't think the OP was. Was she? haha. Maybe I'm just really bad at interpreting things.  I was responding to her ol'roy is the best of the best according to consumer reports post.


HE was......


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

try food grade d-earth, it works well for my dog, the only downside may be that it'll take a while to apply, its a breeze for me since I have a short haired dog. Probably the easiest way would to be to part the hair down the middle along the spine and sprinkle the powder, then brush it in, repeat around the neck and underside.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

im not liking what i reading about DE..event he food grade one doesnt seem too safeI THINK I MAY TRY FLEABUSTERS...but it sounds expensive, and i'm still not clear ON WHAT IT IS? do the ''flea busters'' team come in and throw nematodes on your yard?


Unosmom said:


> try food grade d-earth, it works well for my dog, the only downside may be that it'll take a while to apply, its a breeze for me since I have a short haired dog. Probably the easiest way would to be to part the hair down the middle along the spine and sprinkle the powder, then brush it in, repeat around the neck and underside.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> try food grade d-earth, it works well for my dog, the only downside may be that it'll take a while to apply, its a breeze for me since I have a short haired dog. Probably the easiest way would to be to part the hair down the middle along the spine and sprinkle the powder, then brush it in, repeat around the neck and underside.


TOTALLY agree! IMO, it is the most natural that you can go without just going with nothing...and for those of us who do get fleas that isnt always an option.

And yep...thats exactly how I apply to both the boys and both the kitties(who are "fluffy")!:wink: :biggrin:


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

Read this before starting Comfortis: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2008/march/comfortis-flea-killing-wonder-drug-and-general-state-flea-drug-resistance

I would give 1 tablet and wait for about 3 months before giving another one. I would only give another treatment if I saw fleas. 

I do not use any sort of flea treatment. I have never seen a flea on my Doxie.


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## newlndnfire (Aug 19, 2011)

Sorry, I just assume everyone is a girl. Its a habit as I am a girl, haha.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> im not liking what i reading about DE..event he food grade one doesnt seem too safeI THINK I MAY TRY FLEABUSTERS...but it sounds expensive, and i'm still not clear ON WHAT IT IS? do the ''flea busters'' team come in and throw nematodes on your yard?


Fleabusters |Biobuster Nematode Flea Treatment Kills Fleas in Your Yard


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

RC,

I don't even know why you're so worried about all of this. Just because you see fleas once, doesn't mean you're going to see them all the time. I haven't used a chemical flea preventative or treatment all year on my dogs. I've been to different states, different wooded parks and campgrounds, yet my dogs still haven't had any fleas or ticks all summer. I didn't use preventatives on my dogs last year either. My dog caught fleas at the vet's office while he was in a holding area after a dental surgery. I really couldn't bathe him in that condition, so I just treated him and my other 2 dogs by giving them a Capstar pill. 

As far as the Sentry Natural Defense, it's not "stellar". It's not even anything that great. There are many complaints/bad reviews on this product and their other products. The smell is overwhelming--it gave everyone in our family a headache. My dogs hated it and kept trying to rub it off on furniture and the carpet. It stained my white dog and irritated his skin. We washed it off our dogs. If we couldn't take the smell of it in the house, imagine how a pet feels having the stuff on his body as it's probably irritating his eyes, nose, lungs and skin. I wouldn't trust any of those store-bought topical flea treatments after the experiences we've had with them.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> im not liking what i reading about DE..event he food grade one doesnt seem too safeI THINK I MAY TRY FLEABUSTERS...but it sounds expensive, and i'm still not clear ON WHAT IT IS? do the ''flea busters'' team come in and throw nematodes on your yard?


It looks like a powder and you can have your yard done but really all you need is the house done. You can either do it yourself, if you know how to apply it, or you can have them come out and do it for you.

Basically it's a white powder looking substance, (but it's a bunch of nematodes), and you sprinkle it on to the carpet, brush it in with a push broom. You then sprinkle it under couch cushions, chair cushions, under them, around baseboards, behind your stove and fridge, etc.

If you have them come do it, yes the price goes up but, think about this: How much money do you spend on flea treatments every year? Keep in mind, FleaBusters is guaranteed for one year. It has been known to last longer, (for a fact, it was still working 5 years later...after ONE treatment. So when looking at upfront cost, divide that number by 5 years and then do the math on how much you're going to spend on other flea treatments over 5 years and you'll see that in the bigger picture, FleaBusters is cheaper), and it works, there's no chemicals, it's totally natural, there's nothing to put on the dog.

Initially it can take up to two weeks to notice that all fleas are dead, (these are their words), but I saw a difference almost immediately, within days.

I took the dog to a dog park around other dogs, some of them had fleas and my dog and cats still would not have fleas, I did not have fleas in the house, etc.

If you do it yourself, it's much cheaper but just make sure that you brush the product in to the carpet with a broom. You don't just sprinkle it. Also, you cannot shampoo your carpets for that one guaranteed year. So, if you think you need to clean those carpets, do that first, when the carpet is dry, then put the FleaBusters stuff down, sweep/brush it in to the carpet. 

This also works on mites and bed bugs. It does not work on ticks, yet, but studies are being done to see if there's a way to get nematodes to be able to get to the ticks to destroy them. Just not there yet. If they ever get there, this will be the best product on earth.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

Not to sound like an idiot here, Serenity, but wouldn't you vacuum them up?


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Just a quick question, the garlic pills noted in all of the discussion, it doesn't mention mites? I wonder if the garlic would work on mites anyone have any comment of input?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Ania's Mommy said:


> Not to sound like an idiot here, Serenity, but would't you vacuum them up?


Here is what they say about that 



> The 'statically charged' flea powder provides a clinging effect to carpet fibers. This allows very little flea powder to be removed by vacuuming, thereby providing long-lasting protection. It attaches to the flea larvae as they wiggle by. The effectiveness of killing (dehydrating) flea larvae is greatly increased.





Chocx2 said:


> Just a quick question, the garlic pills noted in all of the discussion, it doesn't mention mites? I wonder if the garlic would work on mites anyone have any comment of input?


I couldn't find anything saying that it affected mites, i would assume that it does not if it isn't clearly advertised on it, that'd be a big selling point imo.

Has anybody used Bug off with any success just for ticks?


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

My concern is ticks, not fleas. I haven't found anything natural that works on them (I live in a heavily tick infested area).


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## Devils of York (Jul 28, 2010)

I have not seen a flea yet, but ticks are bad here and tick-borne diseases are scarier to me than applying Frontline Plus.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

This is why I am glad we don't have a huge flea problem in Utah....yes we did see a couple of kittens with fleas the other day at the vet, but those cases are few and far between.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

SpooOwner said:


> My concern is ticks, not fleas. I haven't found anything natural that works on them (I live in a heavily tick infested area).


That's our problem. I haven't seen a flea in years but we sure get a lot of ticks in the spring and Chelsy tested slightly positive for erlichiosis once a few years back. So we apply Advantix once per year in the spring. I did NOT like having to treat her for the erlichiosis. That made her sicker then the advantix.


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