Flea and tick collars for dogs.

[dennis in se pa]

I have had 12 dogs over the last 45 years. The first one got a flea collar. I got him "used at about 1.5 years old. I was lead to believe that dogs should have flea collars. When I put the flea collar on him a few weeks after I got him I noticed a change in his behavior. After a week or so I took the collar off and he returned to "normal". It had slowed him down. Ever since I have not used them. I have never had a flea problem, and I have removed less than 10 ticks over the 45 years. So they are not necessary. At least not in my experience. Has anyone out there had a similar experience? It seems to be a big industry that has people convinced they need a product that in fact most do not.

[tabs]

My Airedales and Jack Russell never had any fleas.

[masraum]

We haven't used a flea collar in years. We use a monthly pill called Trifexis.

[Bugsinrugs]

My previous dog died of Lyme disease. Ticks are plentiful in my area. My present dog gets frontline in the spring and it works very well. I really don't like putting chemicals on my dog but watching my Lab suffer with Lymes disease was very sad.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by tabs

My Airedales and Jack Russell never had any fleas.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure fleas don't like the desert.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

My previous dog died of Lyme disease. Ticks are plentiful in my area. My present dog gets frontline in the spring and it works very well. I really don't like putting chemicals on my dog but watching my Lab suffer with Lymes disease was very sad.

I think that's one of the oils that you dab on the back of their neck and down their back? We've used one of those in the past with good results, but I think I've seen something about dogs having reactions to one of those types of meds. I don't know for sure.

[wdfifteen]

Some dogs have reactions to frontline, some don't. We use it every month. As my vet said, just because some have reactions is no reason not to try it. Our dogs still bring in ticks every now and then. Without Frontline they collected ticks with every walk in the woods.

[Laneco]

Bravecto for my dog. 12 weeks of protection in a chewy pill that he eats straight out of my hand. No fleas or ticks even with hiking in the brush. I find ticks on ME but none on the dog. Hey...wonder if it works for people.

angela

[BK911]

FDA grade diatomaceous earth.
Harmless to mammals but deadly to most little bugs.
Pretty cheap too and it WORKS!!!

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): Bug Killer You Can Eat!

[aigel]

Flea collars are utterly useless.

Usually dogs get fleas from other dogs, so if yours are isolated, chances are lower they will pick them up. But that still leaves ticks if you let them go off leash in the outdoors ...

My dogs are in the field a lot, I use Advantage. Never had a flea or tick on them regardless of where we hunt.

G

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by BK911

FDA grade diatomaceous earth.
Harmless to mammals but deadly to most little bugs.
Pretty cheap too and it WORKS!!!
[/url]

It woks if the bug crawls through it. It scratches their exoskeleton open when they walk through it and they dehydrate. I don't think fleas and ticks do much crawling.

[pwd72s]

Move to Denver. Fleas can't live above 5,000 feet.

[JavaBrewer]

We have used Frontline for many years with great success. I didn't even know they sold flea collars anymore.

[scottmandue]

Flea collars have never worked on my pets, always use the drops frontline or avantix, (much cheaper if you buy it online).

[targa911S]

flea collars cause a chemical haze around the dogs head, could be the reason for the change in temperament.

[Don Ro]

The previous owners, now dead, of my dog never gave any shots to their dogs. And mine (their dog) has never had fleas...and never sick (10 yrs. old).
I put collars on my two previous dogs for a few months, then took them off...no fleas.
When I had a horse I knew that some horse people fed their horses a systemic agent that killed bot flies...I never did, didn't want to chance it.
.
Anyone heard of feeding doses of garlic to dogs for general good health and flea abatement?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

The previous owners, now dead, of my dog never gave any shots to their dogs. And mine (their dog) has never had fleas...and never sick (10 yrs. old).
I put collars on my two previous dogs for a few months, then took them off...no fleas.
When I had a horse I knew that some horse people fed their horses a systemic agent that killed bot flies...I never did, didn't want to chance it.
.
Anyone heard of feeding doses of garlic to dogs for general good health and flea abatement?

Garlic is also used to keep parsites down in dogs, but garlic is also poisonous like onions, grape skins, etc...

[Don Ro]

So what to do? Ration according to weight?
I don't intentionally feed my dog garlic, but if I cook meat or veggies w/it and feed him some, then he gets that little dose.

[RKDinOKC]

My first Golden Retriever was allergic to fleas or flea bites. If she got bit her skin would turn red and swell up like a Shar Pei and she would run around scratchy and itchy. Had to give her a benadryl shot and follow it with benadryl tablets for several days. Vet told me it was an allergic reaction and showed me the places above her tail she couldn't reach they they were getting her. The monthly edibles didn't seem to help much either.

Tried all kinds of things and the one that worked the best was a cattle flea and tick ear tag. At first I just had it tied to her collar like a name tag or her rabies tag. Ended up getting a nylon collar for her that was double nylon thickness. Got a cattle flea and tick ear tag. Cut the tag into strips. Cut a slit the collar and fed the strips into the collar between layers of nylon. It worked great. Every 3 years I got a new collar and tag and repeated or she would get bit and have a reaction again. I also kept a benadryl syringe handy just in case.

She lived 18 years wearing those collars with cattle flea and tic tag inserted.

My second golden never had any issues just gave her the monthly tabs that also take care of heart worms.

Current golden is under 2 years old and she does not like the montly treats at all. Also doesn't seem to have an flea or tick issues either.


Took my first Golden with me everywhere. One time before the tag thing went to visit a friend and she stayed right beside me except as we were leaving she ran over to a bush in the next door neighbors yard. Immediately coming back and jumping in the car. When we got home she had started itching and scratching. I pull off more than 300 ticks. All from just that few seconds going over to that bush.

[WolfeMacleod]

Just a note, Hartz stuff has been known to kill, maim, and injure.

HartzVictims.org