 Barked: Mon Sep 24, '12 10:20am PST |
 | |  | | You have to dig through your dog's fur and put topical treatments directly on to the skin. Putting them in 3 - 5 places along the spine will help the treatment spread over the dog's body faster.
In the experiance of myself and many others I know, Frontline straight up does not work anymore. I had good luck with Advantix (Advantage if your dog will be exposed to cats) a few years ago when we had MAJOR flea problems.
Flea baths are redundant - they don't kill fleas for more than a few hours after the bath, and any bath with a good shampoo will kill fleas. Dawn is extra effective if you're having a big issue, but it is not necessary and it is very drying on the skin and coat.
Topicals are oil-based, so you just applied Frontline and need to remove it to apply a different topical, Dawn will remove it. On the same note, if you just applied a topical and it's working, don't go and bathe them in Dawn too or you'll strip it off them.
Vacuuming and laundry is good - make certain your clothes stay hung up as much as possible, and off flat surfaces. When you vacuum, remember to IMMEDIATELY empty and clean the canister or replace the bag, or the fleas can crawl back out.
When we had our bad year, I also bought food-grade diatomacious earth (NOT pool grade - very toxic!) and spread it in hard to reach places fleas love. Under dressers, nightstands, couches, low beds the dogs don't go under, under their own beds, around the corners of the room... It kills fleas and other pests by puncturing their exoskeletons and drying them out. It can damage your lungs if you inhale it, and will kill your vacuum if you use too much, but once it's down it's down and works very well. You can coat your entire house, but it's a huge mess so I wouldn't if you can avoid it. |  |  | |  |
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