[DocWill]

I wrote this from the guys who said ouch my dogs has fleas on March 25, 2007

They have fleas in Arkansas too? Just kidding for such a little thing they sure are a pain in the tail.
Be very careful applying grocery store offered topical flea medications. I can't stress that enough. Its not far off from actually feeding your dog poison. These readily offered products enter the bloodstream. I know pet owners wouldn't have any desire to add insecticide directly into the bloodstream. But that's actually what's happends. Small bread dogs are the first to show foamy mouth vomiting tremors, seizures and the last is not very pretty way to leave this life. So now we know that doesn't work. The money I saved you there will be needed to purchase one of 3 different effective topicals sold at your Vets office.
Revolution: www.revolutionpet.com
Advantage: Bayer Advantage Flea Control nofleas.com
Frontline & Frontline Plus: www.frontline.com
Each Vet has his or her preferance, although Revolution does require a Rx. Its coverage expands too much more than fleas. The other 2 do not. Some dogs and cats have an allergic reaction to fleas, and can commonly require earlier applications then recommended. My lab is a good example. One flea on him and its like 100lbs of itching maddness. Dips can be effective, but literally for a short time of hours. This also includes the same for shampoos. The reason I shy away from those is very simple, You have to wash the dog so often it is time consuming, unhealthy to his skin, an doesn't break the life cycle of the flea at all. After 2 months of the advantage,revolution,or frontline, you have really pissed off the grand pappy flea in your house because his live is minutes from the big flea farm in the sky. Good luck with your new found info and flea killing spree.

Yes I know my lab is obeast,, I am a horrible parent, he just won't get off the couch when the food network is on TV.

[AKaeTrue]

I applied this morning, so far no negative side effects.
I have a Rottweiler, Lab/chow mix, and a Chihuahua mix.

I read somewhere on the internet this phrase - white feet don't treat.

This doesn't pertain to any of my pets, but is this a true statement?

[DocWill]

You know what's funny, In pet medicine, just when I thing I have say naw, that probably doesn't apply to you, Some crazy dog proves me wrong. I don't know why. Example; About 4 weeks ago, a chihuahua shows up in the ER. Owner tells me little jr got into the trash and is not feeling well now. I tell them we are going to do a little blood work and snap a pic of his abd. I tell my staff, get busy I am going to talk to this crazy cat woman and be there to help soom as I finish. Long and short of it was that's chihuahua was 4 lbs and had swallowed WHOLE a rib bone about 4 inches long. I thought the staff was messing with me because seriously, how does a dog with a 3 inch esophagus shallow a 4 inch rib bone? I still don't know how he did it. After surgery I returned the rib bone and a gold loop ear ring to the owners the following morning. So I don't know how or why dogs have the ability to do some of the things they do but, they seem to amaze me week after week. I kept that radiograph as a teaching tool, for others that think , BS no way, never.

[labman]

Did you ever meet a Chi that thought it was a small dog?

[DocWill]

Nope, or min pin, they think I taste good too, not the smartest breeds.

[AKaeTrue]

LOL my little half pint Chihuahua is the best guard dog I have.

[labman]

If you get sued for it biting somebody, it would be laughed out of court.

[AKaeTrue]

Unfortunately I'm reporting that bio spot is not working 100% for my animals.
They don't have a full blown infestations, just one here and there biting them.
When I was at the vet office today, they said the fleas are relentless here because of the climate and they are strong to resist over the counter treatments.

I'm really surprised though because it has the same active ingredients as K9 advantix which I know works 100%.

Does the inactive ingredients have something to do with how effective the treatment works???

Well, I ended up buying the Frountline plus which hasn't let me down so far.
I guess because of the area I live in, I have no choice except to buy the expensive stuff:(
They said it would be fine to apply it without washing the bio spot off and I was also wondering why that is...

Thanks everyone

[RubyPitbull]

Sorry to hear that Akae. Very strange that you have a "resistant" flea in your area. :confused: Never heard of that. But, you need to use what works best for you. I would be hesitant to put on anything else so soon. I am surprised the vet told you it would be okay. Even though this stuff gets absorbed through the skin, you may want to wash the area that you placed the biospot on if you do decide to use the other product. Maybe wait for labman to respond to see what he thinks. I am just a bit worried that it would be too much of a dosage in such a short time frame. I don't want to see your pets get sick.:(

P.S. the inactive ingredients don't have any bearing on this. It is the active ingredient that creates effectiveness/ineffectiveness.

[AKaeTrue]

I guess I should clarify that the fleas are not 100% resistant.
They die, but some fleas it may take longer. They don't have a chance to breed, but some live long enough to bite.
Sorry for the confusion.

[RubyPitbull]

So, with Frontline Plus, they don't even bite? I didn't find that when I used it. They did bite but died. So did the mosquitos. And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, they didn't keep my families dogs from getting biten and infected with Lyme disease. I guess you just have to go with what works best for you.

[AKaeTrue]

LOL well supposedly fleas (told to me by vet techs) are suppose to paralyze before biting using Frountline plus and k9 advantix. Frountline plus to my knowledge does not protect against mosquitos only the k9 advantix (which has the same active as bio spot).

Ruby I'm so confused right now LOL
I did give them a flier of the kittens and spoke to them for a while:D
I have to wash the kittens in Dawn soap just in case they have any on them.

[RubyPitbull]

I am glad that you made that flyer. Seek out other vets too. The more you can get that flyer out and about, the better chance of being able to find good and responsible homes for them when they are ready to leave.

I don't know what to tell you about the tick & flea stuff. You have used Frontline Plus and have found it to be effective. It does have a different active ingredient than the BioSpot or Advantix. So, maybe for your area, it is more effective. I can only tell you what my personal experience has been. I wish I could be more help to you on this, but I don't know what else to say.

[AKaeTrue]

Ruby, you're a great help! I'm glad I've had a chance to chit chat with you!
I'm almost wondering if I maybe applied it wrong. I put it all on the back of the neck before I read that you were suppose to put it at the neck and tail (the bio spot)...
And like I said, I only saw one here and there. By this I mean I saw 2 red looking fleas on one of my cats and a (1) black flea on one of my dogs.
They've been scratching, but this is all I've seen.
I guess I'm just very weird about bugs in general... and to think they're on my animals just creeps me out... The fleas I saw could have very well died 2 minutes later... LOL (and I may have just wasted 107 $)

[RubyPitbull]

Gosh, I am sorry we didn't speak about the proper way to apply it. I apply it in a strip, from the back of the neck down to the base of the tail. That is what the package directions are. I have to keep my dog from rolling around and rubbing it all off before it has a chance to get absorbed. LOL. I put it on and give her a kong stuffed with treats to keep her busy.

As I told you, I don't have any experience with it on cats although a friend of mine swears by it for her cats.

I don't blame you for being weirded out by bugs. I am too and I check my dog every time she comes back in from a romp. I am usually doing it at the door before we walk into the house.

[labman]

I forget what all my vet told me when I asked him about flea treatment Aster's first spring back with us in 04. I knew from previous treatment on a visit here, the strip of cream all the way down the back made a mess of her coat lasting almost until the next treatment. He knew she had a flea allergy from back before the good stuff was in common usage. He recommended Revolution because it prevents the first bite, comes as a little 2 ml dose, and is a cost effective way of treating heartworm too. I don't know if she would have problems without it, but I do know she has done well with it. I just paid $95 for a six month supply.

[AKaeTrue]

You know Labman, the revolution is making sense...
I may not be able to buy the less expensive flea treatments,
But I could save in not having to buy heartguard which is really expensive as well.
I'm going to look into how much I'd save going that route.

[jcribbs]

One other thing to consider... and you can find this online.

IF you decide to use this on your dog, AND you have cats in the house...

If your cats lay down in the same spot as your dog, it can cause them to convulse and die. Biospot for dogs kills cats in the same household.

Read this link about biospot consumers trying to get this product off the market. And do your own research. The cheaper price is not worth the health of my dearly loved pets... I returned mine and bought frontline plus. I will never use anything else. I nearly made a big mistake and I hope you don't subject your animals to the POSSIBILITY of harm to save a buck. Educate yourself. Frontline plus is more expensive but with less hazzards.

Adverse Reactions from Flea & Tick Products - Vol. 1

[labman]

Before panicking, I would review the material on the first page particularly DocWills posts. The web site referenced is not a large well know organization. There is so much absolute garbage out there on the net, I like to look twice at all reports of trouble.

[jcribbs]

If there are pages and pages of "trouble", that is all I need to NOT buy a product. I will always err on the side of caution when it comes to my dogs health.

And that is not panicking.