# Flea & Tick medication...is it really necessary???



## mochi (Aug 20, 2009)

I'm a new maltese owner. Mochi is 13 weeks old. Last weekend, I took him in for a health check with the Vet. She recommended that I start him on Flea/Tick medication and said "Frontline" is the best as it does not wash off. I'm hesitant to use this kind of medication because of what I have read on this forum...that it can make dogs sick/vomit. 

I'm wondering if it is really necessary to treat him at all since I plan to keep Mochi on wee pads indoors and when I take him outside for walks, I plan to keep him on the pavement and not in the grass. Am I being naive to think that as long as he stays away from grass, he should be safe from catching ticks or fleas? He will be starting puppy training classes in 2 weeks and that will be his first exposure to other dogs since I've had him. Is it possible he could catch fleas/ticks from the other puppies? I'd really love some advice on whether or not I should treat him.

Thank in advance,
Mary


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Casanova was very ill on the full dosage of FL, but he is fine when I only put 1/4 of the dose. (He is 4.5 pounds and the dose is for up to 22 lbs) He did not vomit on FL...he had the runs.


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## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

No it's not necessary for all dogs. It depends on your area...how bad are fleas where you live? Do you live in a complex where other dogs share grassy areas? Some people are fortunate and never have a problem with fleas. Here where I live, fleas can get really bad so I treat for half the year starting in April and ending in October. We usually don't have a problem in between there..although some people around here do. Fleas are a pain in the butt once you get an infestation though so that is something to consider. And I have a dog that is very allergic to fleas so that's another reason I'm pretty vigilent. 

Have you thought about using Sentinel which takes care of heartworms and fleas? Then you wouldn't have to use a topical. I never had much luck with frontline but different products seem to work better or worse depending on the area and if the fleas there have gotten resistant. I like advantage for a topical for my dogs and area. But my favorite is a newer product that is a pill that you give once a month called comfortis. The dog must be at least 5lbs though but it really worked great this summer and fortunately no side effects


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I split one dose of Frontline between my two dogs and they've not had any problems. I simply do not want them to get fleas, both for their sake and for my own. About 25 years ago I bought a house that had a flea infestation - we had to bomb it 3 times before we could move in and I'm not ever going through that again, especially in a house I live in.


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## lawgirl (Jul 22, 2009)

QUOTE (mochi @ Sep 18 2009, 05:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831284


> I'm a new maltese owner. Mochi is 13 weeks old. Last weekend, I took him in for a health check with the Vet. She recommended that I start him on Flea/Tick medication and said "Frontline" is the best as it does not wash off. I'm hesitant to use this kind of medication because of what I have read on this forum...that it can make dogs sick/vomit.
> 
> I'm wondering if it is really necessary to treat him at all since I plan to keep Mochi on wee pads indoors and when I take him outside for walks, I plan to keep him on the pavement and not in the grass. Am I being naive to think that as long as he stays away from grass, he should be safe from catching ticks or fleas? He will be starting puppy training classes in 2 weeks and that will be his first exposure to other dogs since I've had him. Is it possible he could catch fleas/ticks from the other puppies? I'd really love some advice on whether or not I should treat him.
> 
> ...


Hi, Mary, many congrats on Mochi!

I understand your nervousness about adverse reactions, but personally, I would be scared to death not to use use an effective, scientifically proven flea & tick control on your pup! (FYI My 7 pound dog has no bad reactions to Frontline Plus in full dose, and if you do have reactions, you can speak with your vet about alternate dosing.)

Think about the risk/benefits: ticks and fleas are SUPER effective carriers of disease. That's why they are such a health problem, beyond the nuisance aspect. Many dogs that come into rescues from the streets need multiple rounds of antibiotics to clear them from diseases and infections caused by the massive tick colony on their heads. Plus, I've seen too many *horrifying (by which I mean, absolutely repulsive) photos of ticks* that are engorged on a dog's ears and head, to ever avoid using effective flea & tick control medication on any creature that leaves the house.

In addition, there's an amplifier effect due to parasite's amazing reproductive ability. Once a single flea or tick lands on your dog and enter your home, you're going to have such a nightmare eliminating the eggs and pupae! The pupa stage of fleas is actually extremely hard to destroy, so you have to wait for the pupae to hatch before killing the adult fleas in your home. Hiring a professional exterminator and doing massive loads of laundry and mattress cleaning would be awful.

I certainly don't mean to scare you, but the risks of not protecting your dog from blood-sucking parasites are simply way too high compared to the benefits. Regardless of whether your fluff is sidewalk-only, a dog that goes outside is at some risk. (Also full disclosure: I am terrified of parasites.) :smscare2:


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

Our dog weighs 10 pounds and we do a full dose of frontline. Even with that our dog has been bitten by ticks due to the terrible tick seasons we get BUT he has been tested for LYME and it comes back negative. I say that frontline and other preventatives are akin to vaccinations for small children (though I do now understand that some families are opting to not choose to vaccinate). I do not want to deal with fleas as they are extremely difficult to get rid of and I do not want to worry about exposing my dog to LYME disease if I can prevent it.

Where you live in CA I would assume that fleas can get pretty bad in your area because of the heat and so it might be best to treat for fleas to avoid that potential problem.


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## rojenn (Jun 14, 2009)

QUOTE (lawgirl @ Sep 19 2009, 07:59 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831489


> QUOTE (mochi @ Sep 18 2009, 05:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831284





> I'm a new maltese owner. Mochi is 13 weeks old. Last weekend, I took him in for a health check with the Vet. She recommended that I start him on Flea/Tick medication and said "Frontline" is the best as it does not wash off. I'm hesitant to use this kind of medication because of what I have read on this forum...that it can make dogs sick/vomit.
> 
> I'm wondering if it is really necessary to treat him at all since I plan to keep Mochi on wee pads indoors and when I take him outside for walks, I plan to keep him on the pavement and not in the grass. Am I being naive to think that as long as he stays away from grass, he should be safe from catching ticks or fleas? He will be starting puppy training classes in 2 weeks and that will be his first exposure to other dogs since I've had him. Is it possible he could catch fleas/ticks from the other puppies? I'd really love some advice on whether or not I should treat him.
> 
> ...


Hi, Mary, many congrats on Mochi!

I understand your nervousness about adverse reactions, but personally, I would be scared to death not to use use an effective and prescription-only flea & tick control on your pup! (FYI My 7 pound dog has no bad reactions to Frontline Plus in full dose, and if you do have reactions, you can speak with your vet about alternate dosing.)

Think about the risk/benefits: ticks and fleas are SUPER effective carriers of disease. That's why they are such a health problem, beyond the nuisance aspect. Many dogs that come into rescues from the streets need multiple rounds of antibiotics to clear them from diseases and infections caused by the massive tick colony on their heads. Plus, I've seen too many *horrifying (by which I mean, absolutely repulsive) photos of ticks* that are engorged on a dog's ears and head, to ever avoid using effective flea & tick control medication on any creature that leaves the house.

In addition, there's an amplifier effect due to parasite's amazing reproductive ability. Once a single flea or tick lands on your dog and enter your home, you're going to have such a nightmare eliminating the eggs and pupae! The pupa stage of fleas is actually extremely hard to destroy, so you have to wait for the pupae to hatch before killing the adult fleas in your home. Hiring a professional exterminator and doing massive loads of laundry and mattress cleaning would be awful.

I certainly don't mean to scare you, but the risks of not protecting your dog from blood-sucking parasites are simply way too high compared to the benefits. Regardless of whether your fluff is sidewalk-only, a dog that goes outside is at some risk. (Also full disclosure: I am terrified of parasites.) :smscare2:
[/B][/QUOTE]


A thorough explanation and well said! :thmbup: :smheat:


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Down here in the Southeast, fleas are terrible. Even indoor pets need to be on flea treatments. Fleas jump and yes, they can easily jump from the grass to the sidewalk. They come through screens, even hitchhike in on your pant legs. Just one flea picked up at the vet's office can lead to an infestation in matter of weeks.

If fleas aren't too bad in your area, you could try some of the natural flea repellents. Southern fleas just laugh at them, though!


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

No, it is not necessary to apply a pesticide to your dog's back. Yes, everyone says that flea meds aren't harmful, however it is still a pesticide. 

I live in the Southeast. I keep Nikki inside for the most part, but we go to doggie meetups once in a while, and we have friends with dogs who visit us. I keep Frontline and Capstar here in the house. I used Frontline once this year, when we went to an all-day outdoor event. The rest of the time, I use Ark Naturals Neem spray on her if I take her out for a walk. In the 18 months I have had her, we have never had a flea problem on her, or in our home. I have seen fleas jump on Nikki, and jump right off of her. They don't like Neem. I don't blame them. It smells yucky. But it is not poisonous, just a repellent. 

You have to decide for yourself what is best for your health, and your dog's health. No one can make that decision for you.


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## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

I do not use a tick preventative and fortunately have never found ticks on my dogs. My dogs are almost never in areas where ticks are most commonly found and lyme disease is not common here. Also, ticks need to be attached for about 24 hours before they can transmit a disease. If you hold, brush and pet your dog every day you ought to feel and find a tick if it has attached and can remove it before it has had a chance to transmit disease. Ticks just aren't a problem for my little dogs...they aren't running through woods or tall grass so I don't treat for that. I only treat for fleas.


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

I live in southern california and i do NOT use flea or tick meds for this reason. I have never had an issue with it and mine are wee wee pad trained. Also we are not a heart worm area so no need for that either unless a lot of foreclosures where people let their pools go but your area is very nice just north of san francisco as our friends live there so doubt there is an issue. It is deer ticks that are the biggest concern and i doubt you have that concern where you live. If you want to use something natural then i recommend www.touchofmink.com minksheen as it has natural flea and tick prevention so where we live this would be the most i would do. The areas that are more of concern where we live are the beach areas due to sand fleas. 


QUOTE (mochi @ Sep 18 2009, 04:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831284


> I'm a new maltese owner. Mochi is 13 weeks old. Last weekend, I took him in for a health check with the Vet. She recommended that I start him on Flea/Tick medication and said "Frontline" is the best as it does not wash off. I'm hesitant to use this kind of medication because of what I have read on this forum...that it can make dogs sick/vomit.
> 
> I'm wondering if it is really necessary to treat him at all since I plan to keep Mochi on wee pads indoors and when I take him outside for walks, I plan to keep him on the pavement and not in the grass. Am I being naive to think that as long as he stays away from grass, he should be safe from catching ticks or fleas? He will be starting puppy training classes in 2 weeks and that will be his first exposure to other dogs since I've had him. Is it possible he could catch fleas/ticks from the other puppies? I'd really love some advice on whether or not I should treat him.
> 
> ...


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

No fleas or ticks where I live so I don't treat. Having said that Rylee goes outside to potty and then runs back in. I do put her in a stroller because I do not want her walking on the dirty sidewalks.

You need to check the area where you live to see if these products need to be used. My vet sends flea medication to his mom in Louisiana so she can test and see how well it works.

No heart worm is necessary here either.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

I haven't used anything for fleas & ticks on Boo or Hannah in about a yr or more. In the past I had used it only during the warm mths. I do keep Frontline Plus & Capstar on hand,just in case & will use it if needed.I mainly keep them indoors or in their fenced in playyard & an occasional walk around our own 2 acre yard. We do take them other places,vets,petco,relatives,even cookouts,etc., but they haven't picked up any fleas or ticks so far. The occasional doggie guests who visit are also flea free or they are not allowed. We've been very lucky so far, but I don't expect to never have to use anything. I'm just not going to use pesticides on them unless I have to.


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

We do not have a heart worm issue here in california so sentinel I would not recommend. Also even having flea protection on a dog does not prevent an allergy dog from being bitten as it takes 24-48 hrs for the topical to kill and adult flea. It is only used to stop infestation of fleas by killing off the off spring so why i chose NOT to use it on my allergy dog because i took her down by beach with revolution and my other two had NO flea protection on and my allergy dog with revolution had the most fleas so i was furious and called the company asking why she had so many fleas and my others did not and she had the protection on and they said it does not kill the flea instantly it take 24-48 hrs and i said then what is the point she is still getting bitten and i am putting a chemical on her already sensitive skin what up with that so after that i said to heck with this so if i take them out anywhere i check them over real well and if i ever see a flea which has been like 3 times in 5 years one of being the above i just bath them in natural flea shampoo and that is the end of it. 

I think dogs that have a poor immune system are more affected by fleas as allergies is tied to a poor immune system as well and why my other two had like one flea and dd had like 15 with flea protection. 

This was my experience in using flea protection with mine and the dermatologist and i have battled over it but NOT doing it and dd gets a weekly bath and she never has fleas so not willing to risk it. 

NEVER EVER MIX flea products as we lost a yorkie on our yk group a month ago from california as he went to yt meet up and for the first time owner used frontline and when it did not work she went to a pet store and bought a spray and used and the dog died shortly after application of the spray as his body could not handle it. So it does not go without risks as anything you put into the skin (THE 3RD KIDNEY IN THE BODY) is absorbed into the body and into the blood stream 


QUOTE (MyFairLacy @ Sep 18 2009, 04:59 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831296


> No it's not necessary for all dogs. It depends on your area...how bad are fleas where you live? Do you live in a complex where other dogs share grassy areas? Some people are fortunate and never have a problem with fleas. Here where I live, fleas can get really bad so I treat for half the year starting in April and ending in October. We usually don't have a problem in between there..although some people around here do. Fleas are a pain in the butt once you get an infestation though so that is something to consider. And I have a dog that is very allergic to fleas so that's another reason I'm pretty vigilent.
> 
> Have you thought about using Sentinel which takes care of heartworms and fleas? Then you wouldn't have to use a topical. I never had much luck with frontline but different products seem to work better or worse depending on the area and if the fleas there have gotten resistant. I like advantage for a topical for my dogs and area. But my favorite is a newer product that is a pill that you give once a month called comfortis. The dog must be at least 5lbs though but it really worked great this summer and fortunately no side effects[/B]


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

QUOTE (Nikki's Mom @ Sep 19 2009, 08:37 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=831553


> No, it is not necessary to apply a pesticide to your dog's back. Yes, everyone says that flea meds aren't harmful, however it is still a pesticide.
> 
> I live in the Southeast. I keep Nikki inside for the most part, but we go to doggie meetups once in a while, and we have friends with dogs who visit us. I keep Frontline and Capstar here in the house. I used Frontline once this year, when we went to an all-day outdoor event. The rest of the time, I use Ark Naturals Neem spray on her if I take her out for a walk. In the 18 months I have had her, we have never had a flea problem on her, or in our home. I have seen fleas jump on Nikki, and jump right off of her. They don't like Neem. I don't blame them. It smells yucky. But it is not poisonous, just a repellent.
> 
> You have to decide for yourself what is best for your health, and your dog's health. No one can make that decision for you.[/B]


We also live in Southern California and I do not medicate for fleas regularly (keep it on hand just in case, partial dose between 2 dogs and throw away the leftover). One important note: Frontline is not a flea repellent. It will just kill the flea if the flea bites your dog. Lemongrass oil or neem oil are great flea repellents.


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## mochi (Aug 20, 2009)

A big thank you to eveyone for your advice. It's nice to know I have other options. Now I just need to decide what I'm going to do :thumbsup: 

Mary~


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Frontline gets on the fleas or ticks as they crawl through the hair. They don't actually have to bite to be killed. 

Can't wait to move out of flea central...


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

I used to use the topical once a month stuff down their back, but have since stopped cuz we never see any fleas around here. Of course, there are no pets allowed in our apartments (except mine cuz we have a doctor's note to own her for my son), so other animals aren't even around to share grass or domciles. I certainly won't hesitate to use repellant again if we do start seeing the nasty little buggers, however.


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

thanks jmm i am going to call them on this as i believe i called frontline plus as well as derm wanted dd on this and i always call the company and i believe they told me the same as revolution that it took 24-48 hrs to kill an adult flea but will check on this again as i want to know in case I ever move or need to use 


QUOTE (JMM @ Sep 23 2009, 03:31 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=832943


> Frontline gets on the fleas or ticks as they crawl through the hair. They don't actually have to bite to be killed.
> 
> Can't wait to move out of flea central...[/B]


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