[emilymk]

Hi, I read the thread about Bio Spot Spot On and I have another question. I have fleas in my backyard and they are very hard to get rid of. My 12 year old English Pointer now has fleas! I washed her with flea shampoo and applied Spot On- but she went back outside and picked up the fleas again. I waited a few days, washed her again with flea shampoo and reapplied the Spot On. When she went outside she picked up the fleas again! So I picked off the fleas, and she has been getting walked in the street until I can fix the backyard with exterminators. Frontline has worked in the past and I want to go back to it. My question is- how long do I have to wait before I can put Frontline on her instead of Spot On? Also- She has had a diarrhea and vomited this week, could it be related? She got sick the day after the second treatment and then a couple days after that- but not consistently. Thank you and sorry for the long entry!

[labman]

Too bad DocWill couldn't tolerate this site. I never used Bio Spot and figured I could trust what he had to say. Since both products are once a month things, I would think you could apply the Frontline in a month. Safest thing would be to call the vet you got it from.

Check around where you like to buy lawn and garden supplies. Some places have people that can give good advice. I would still read the label before I treated my backyard with anything. Sevin may be good. You may need to treat the house too.

Better a long question than one leaving out important things.

[emilymk]

Thank you so much and I will take your advice!

[teachnk]

The main active ingredient in Bio Spot is a pesticide known as Permethrin (it is used in more than 18 similar products, including Bayer K9 Advantix, Defend EXspot, and Hartz Control OneSpot). Flea shampoos also have pesticides in them. Applying two doses just a few days apart in addition to flea shampoo twice within those days could very well be the reason your dog has become ill. Try washing off all the pesticides with a GENTLE soap such as Dawn and rinse really well. Please contact your vet as soon as possible. Good luck and let us know how your dog is doing.

[RubyPitbull]

teachnk took the words right out of my mouth! Your dog's reaction is typical of a pet who has been given too much treatment. I hope you washed it off as teach suggested. Do not give your dog an application of Frontline until you speak with your vet regarding the time frame. Personally, after that kind of reaction, I would wait one month to apply a topical treatment again.

Since you have fleas outside, there is an animal living or visiting out there that has them. Without a host, fleas will eventually die off. I don't know where you live, so check with your vet about what products are best to spray outside in the garden area that won't be harmful to animals. My vet actually sells a product as a treatment for furniture & carpets that works incredibly well. I can't remember the name of the product but I know I have never seen it sold anywhere else. I don't see any reason why it can't be used outside as well, but you need to keep your dog away from the area for a day. You can also follow labman's good advice about picking up a product in a lawn & garden center. There should be a few products available to choose from. If you can't find anything that works, call pest control experts in your area and get a few estimates as to what they charge to treat the yard and house. One of them may tell you what you can purchase on your own without having to hire them. Good luck!

[froggy7]

There is a nematode that eats flea larva, so if you are looking for an organic method of flea control in the yard, you might want to look into that.

Also, for people who have mixed dog/cat households, PLEASE be careful using the spot-on flea treatments. Permethrin at the levels that are used in dog flea treatments can be toxic to cats. If the cat snuggles up with a dog who has recently been treated, they may get a large enough dose to kill them.