Quiltingboard Forums - Flea Collars

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Quote:

Originally Posted by patski (Post 6088648)

If you want to stay away from chemicals try rubbing eucalyptus oil on your animal or sprinkle on dogs bedding. Its' a natural way to get rid of them, also I just read that coffee grounds are good, just be sure to brush them out after rubbing into dogs fur

Just so you know, eucalyptus is TOXIC to both cats and dogs! You should NEVER rub it in your pets or their bedding. http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison...ucalyptus.aspx

Flea collars aren't good for use around children - they end up with the chemicals on their hands. I use Advantage on the back of the dogs necks. They have a bath a day or two later so there is no residue - no fleas, no ticks, and we have LOTS of squirrels in our backyard.

be careful what you use. not all products sold are safe for all pets. check with your Veterinarian first.

One more comment on flea collars. In case they are still made the same as they were years ago, they do not break away if caught on anything. A cat can get her lower teeth under the collar while grooming herself and be stuck. About 40 years ago I came home after being away a couple of hours and found my poor cat struggling in this situation. The edges of her mouth were bleeding because she had been wrenching her head back and forth and pawing at the collar trying to get it off. If she had been an outdoor cat she might have died before anyone found her. I didn't use them again on a cat. I don't know if it's possible for a dog to get caught in it in this way, but I would use caution.

talking about getting stuck, my Loki used to wear a harness because he went out on a leash. His tags were on the collar and he would wash himself. he got the tags stuck in his bottom teeth!! the collar came off and his tags went on his harness. I have 3 cats now and so far, so good with them. Good luck finding something that works and isn't harmful.

My DH works for a vet and over many years they have concluded that for the most part they do not work. The fleas just migrate to the other end and you have that poison band around the dog/ cat s neck, and then the grand kids play with the pets and contaminate themsleves with a dangerous poison. The safest and most assured is to use something like Frontline once a month. Yes it is costly but one thing that is well worth expense.

I do not work or have any dealings with the makers of these products. Just years of owning many pets.
peace

I have 6 cats and only use Advantage drops on my furbabies...

I remember a long time ago we used flea collars. But, they were outdoor dogs and one of them got really drenched in the rain and got a horrible rash that looked a lot like mange. Vet told us to never get the collars wet.

When we lived in Florida we gave our Australian Sheppard a good soaking in warm water and Avon's Skin So Soft.

When we moved to Alabama they had started coming out with the drops to put on the shoulders and we started using that. Still had to pick ticks off once in a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jo Anne B. (Post 6089322)

Tothill---We used Revolution last year for our dog, took her in In Aug for her vaccines, they did her routine Heart worm check and she tested VERY Positive for Lyme disease, she had to take an antibiotic 2x/day for 30 days. She was very lucky she did not get sicker than she was( I did notice for 2-3 days her eyes were tearing and she seemed a little lethargic, nothing hugely alarming..
From what I understand from the vet Revolution is proving not to be effective against ticks, we were promptly switched to Frontline Plus, Which can be purchased at Sam's Club and Menard's for considerably cheaper than my vet anyway.
i think I would check with my vet before I would attempt washing my animals with dawn for a flea control measure. I would worry I could be asking for other health issues.
From what I also understand a flea will only spend 20% of it's the time on the animal, 80% off the animal(AKA house, carpet, yard,)
Fleas also carry diseases, cause anemia, and worms(tape worm). Why fool around?

Dawn, the original is very good for fleas and is used by many breeders but has to be done often until whole area is treated. They are really bad here in central FL this year, winter was too warm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boston1954 (Post 6086970)

I asked Jim if instead of the spray bottles we've been buying, should we get the dog a flea collar. He said that they do not work. What is your experience? What brand names have you tried?

Annie, I have raised many litters of dogs, that also live in the house, and the best thing was when the topical parasiticides for dogs came out. I use Revolution as it is kills fleas, parasites, worms and ticks.
Jeanne