 |
This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog. Don't furget to check out Dogster's Dog Care Guide Book for information about caring for the health of your dog!
(Page 1 of 7: Viewing entries 1 to 10) Page Links: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
 |
 |
 |
 |
Jessica CGC
Will work for- food |
 | | Barked: Mon Nov 2, '09 10:57am PST | |  | |  | | I know I'm obsessive about some things but so many people say they use tick meds without worrying! Is there any real reason to worry because whenever I read it says it hurts the liver and weakens immune system. But I notice I'm the only dogster asking so much or at all about safe alternatives or less toxic chemicals! Is there really any cause to worry about using a flea/tick prevention? |  |  | |  |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Addy, CGC
Let's go for a- walk! |
 | | Barked: Mon Nov 2, '09 11:11am PST | | | | | | It depends on what you're using and whether you're using it correctly. Used correctly, the major flea and tick treatments are quite safe for most dogs.
That doesn't mean 100% safe, because if applied carelessly, where the dog might be able to lick at it, that's dangerous. And some individual dogs are just going to have uncommon reactions. Nothing is 100% safe.
Taken internally, yes, they'd do a nasty job on kidneys or liver. Applied correctly, though, the dog doesn't get any internally, and virtually none is absorbed through the skin.
You also have to balance the small risk from the flea & tick treatments with the risk from fleas and ticks. They carry far too many parasites and diseases that can do real damage--much quicker than slow, long-term kidney or liver damage or cancer. And fleas themselves, without bringing any additional parasites, can cause severe anemia if not treated.
Frontline and its counterparts are actually a lot safer for dogs and cats than the old flea shampoos and flea collars we used to use because we didn't have anything else.
This Saturday, I had my younger cat into the vet for her annual, and someone else was in with their poor, fleabitten cat who also had tapeworms. And why? New pet owners, who thought that because it wasn't summer anymore, they didn't have to do another Frontline treatment after the one she got in Sept. at the shelter. They didn't want to use toxic chemicals on her when it wasn't necessary... Not careless, not uncaring, not irresponsible--just unknowledgable, and worrying too much about one thing, and not enough about another thing. | | | | |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tucker, CGC,- TDI
Meat ... it's- what's for- dinner!
 |
| | Barked: Mon Nov 2, '09 1:00pm PST | | | | | | Jess, you're not the only one, believe me. And in certain parts of the country, flea meds may not be necessary at all, or only part of the year. I'm in Florida, though, and there's really no way of getting around it.
What I myself have done is balance the need to give the medication with my desire to expose my animals to the least amount of chemicals as I possibly can. I have two cats and two dogs of my own living with me, as well as one foster dog who has a horrific flea allergy. So what I do is treat the foster dog every other month with an oral medication - Comfortis. I also treat, each month, ONE of my four animals. Dogs are on Comfortis, cats on Advantage. Because I also bathe (with regular dog shampoo, nothing for fleas) and flea comb dogs and cats (cats get flea combed more often but only get bathed twice a year) routinely, this keeps all the animals in the house flea-free, and each one of them only has to receive a treatment three times per year.
** I first started doing this a couple of years ago – a tip I got from a friend of mine who manages a vet clinic. She said that her Advantage rep told her that it was only necessary to treat one of the animals in the home each month if there were multiple animals. Now obviously if you have a bunch of animals in the home or they’re vastly different in size, it may not work out all that well, but for me with four animals who are all within a few pounds of each other, it works out great, and it makes me feel better that I am not having to give them flea treatments on a monthly basis.
I used to do one cat and one dog per month, but I have been able to get by this way for the last year or so. | | | | |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chloe
Clearance Puppy - The best of them- all. |
| | Barked: Mon Nov 2, '09 7:43pm PST | | | | | | Jess, I think you have a good right to be nervous about fleas and ticks, With all those scares from those meds I would be scared too.
Thank god though I don't think there really is many ticks or fleas in Canada, well where I live...
I friends dog had fleas once..That's the only dog i've known of too actually get them.. Maybe I'm just lucky. | | | | |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tucker, CGC,- TDI
Meat ... it's- what's for- dinner!
|
| | Barked: Mon Nov 2, '09 8:06pm PST | | | | | | Lila and Monty,
Like I said, I have a friend who manages a vet clinic. The rep who sells her her Advantage told her and swore her to secrecy, BOL, that if you had multiple animals, you could often get by with only treating one or two of the animals in the house. The fleas get on that animal and they die, so they basically keep the flea population in the environment eradicated, or at least under control. Now, like I said, if you had, for example, a Chihuahua and a Great Dane, it's likely you would need to treat both dogs, because the small amount that the Chi is getting would probably not be enough to cover the Dane. Obviously it's not an exact science, and surely if you feel more comfortable treating all the animals in the house on a monthly basis or on whatever schedule you determine is needed, be it every six weeks, every two months, or whatever, then that's fine.
The reason I do it this way is because I don't want fleas in my house, on me, or on my pets but I also want to keep their overall exposure to topical or oral flea medications to a minimum. So far this has worked for us. My friend who works at the vet clinic also does this same basic thing. She has two cats and three dogs. Cats are roughly same size and weight and so are the three dogs. Each month she treats one dog and one cat, so dogs get a treatment every three months and the cats every other month. In the winter, she sometimes doesn't treat the cats all. Another friend who I clued into this has also modified her treament plan. Instead of treating all three dogs and all three cats each month, she does one of the big dogs each month, her smaller dog every six weeks or so, and one of the cats each month. It keeps the fleas away, the overall exposure on each of the animals is lessened, and as an added bonus, it does save money, although that is not the primary reason any of us do it.
** I know a lot of people might feel uncomfortable with this because we hear so much about how important it is to follow instructions as it relates to medication, but these are over the counter flea meds, not a prescription. The only way such a protocol could be dangerous is if you were giving more than the recommended amount or giving it more frequently than directed. | | | | |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jessica CGC
Will work for- food |
| | Barked: Tue Nov 3, '09 8:23am PST | | | | | | Thanks for the replies I guess there is no alternative so that's why it's not discussed or asked about more, there is just no choice when it comes to the deadlier and more painful consquences of tick diseases and fleas.
Tucker my main problem are ticks, especially deer tick and lyme disease. I don't think the advantage 1 dog rule would apply to me
Comfortis I was really interested in but it doesn't prevent ticks.
My dogs are due on the 12th this month and I feel stupid that I can't decide what to do! Which prevention to choose. Because Addy I know you said it doesn't go into the liver unless it's ingested but these are pesticides absorbed through the skin (or with eaten with Revolation) I wonder if I put pesticides that penetrated my skin and blood on my neck every day, how would I feel? How would it effect my body? The packages of frontline and etc all warn humans to wash their hands after use, do not leave it on your skin.
Oh well not like I can do anything else for the dogs though. | | | | |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  | (Page 1 of 7: Viewing entries 1 to 10)
Page Links: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
|
 |
My Account
