Fleas! Curse them!

Yep, he's got 'em. I had been noticing my Pudge was itching a lot and I was hoping it wasn't the inevitable fleas. I took him to the vet about 2 weeks ago or so and sure enough, he had fleas. They gave him some Revolution stuff that they said should get rid of them. They seemed to be reduced or gone for awhile but now they're back. I recently caught two that I saw crawling through his fur....he also cleans the rear area, especially the ingroinal (sp?) aka around his crotch a lot.

I've been reading more about them and it seems the best options are Frontline or vet meds. But I've also heard of some Citronella bathing stuff. I actually need to start taking him baths since he hasn't really had and official bath yet.

I'm not sure if I should use any soap or Citronella or what but I do want to get rid of them asap, because they are obviously driving him nuts. Also, I took him to puppy class because I thought/hoped the Revolution had taken care of them. It may or may not have at that time, but they are definetely back and I want to get rid of them soon so I can take him back to classes and stuff.

So what are some of the methods you guys have used to get rid of fleas?

Frontline or something similar is what I would use. I use it on Sadie and she doesn't have a problem with them.

That's cool. How much does it cost and how long does it take to get rid of them? or does it just prevent them?

Where I live it costs $45 for a 3 month supply. It gets rid of them very quickly. From what I understand, it won't stop the dog from getting bit by a flea, but once the flea bites the dog it dies. It keeps the dog from becoming infested with fleas. Or you could talk to your vet, they may recommend a different brand. Hope it works for you and your doggie

Definatly Frontline!
I get 6mo worth for around 50$

Frontline is what I use and it works

Frontline is what we use

Does anyone know about the less expensive brands? I bought some Hartz 4 in 1 thing that was probably 8.99 for a 3 month's Supply. It seems a lot cheaper but I'm not sure if it works. It claims to get rid of Fleas, Ticks, mosquitos, and Flea Eggs!

I would love to save money but if the stuff doesn't work or if the quality is questionable or the product unsafe, I'll definetly go for what works.

Also, I had some suggest using flea bombs for the carpet. I was planning on just getting one of those carpet cleaner machines (the stuff with a detergent/soap and water) and spraying and vaccuuming the carpet. Also I was going to wash the bedding and any clothes they might be on a few times a week. Is there any special or effective procedure that works best...Should I use Flea bombs (of course I was told to leave the house for a at least 4 hours) or just vaccuum/clean the carpet?

Nothing compares to the REAL thing baby! You get what you pay for sometime.
How big is your dog? I just happen to have some on hand. I could send you one.
If I remember correctly (my mind is gone) you have a small type dog and this is for large dogs.
I could possibly find you a 3 month suppy fairly cheap. Lemme know if you want me to do that. You will have to buy online but I will only refer you to the place I get mine from.

We use a dog shampoo which has a mild amount of tea tree in - and it seems to wipe them out - but flees only seem to make an appearance in spring here. I wash the bedding in a hot wash....kill all those little eggs - yukk!!

If you want to have an ongoing and constant war with fleas forever, then the cheaper solutions will fill the bill, if you want to get rid of them "period", then get Frontline.

Agree !!! You get what you pay for !!! Besides, the shampoos, sprays etc etc add up too ! Back when we could only get Hartz products , it was a waste of $$ . I use Advantix .

My dog is a large breed but a small puppy right now. I would say about 20lb -25lb. The Hartz I bought was for dogs from 16-31 lbs, which I'm certain covers his current weight. That was actually another thing I was concerned about was if I should get something based on his current weight or something based on what his final weight will be?

Anyways, I'm just going to take back the Hartz crap since everyone seems to agree that Frontline is far more effective. I didn't see any Frontline at Meijer, but that was at midnight last night so today hopefully I can go to a petstore or somewhere.

Get through vet.... go by today's weight ... not when fully grown .

Grammy is right. The cheap products are a waste of money and they can be very toxic. Please don't use them.

Frontline and Advantix are the best things to use by far.

Be sure if you bathe that you wait 24 hours to apply the product (both products spread much better if the dogs skin has it's natural oil present)and you leave the collar (if it is absorbent like nylon or leather) off for 24 hours after you apply the product or it will absorb into the collar and do little good. It won't spread over the pup effectively if it is in the collar.

You also need to look into having him tapewormed since he has had so many fleas.

One other thing that you undoubtedly need to do owing to the infestation you have had is to treat the environment. Fleas only live on the dog long enough to eat and then jump off to propagate. Treat the carpeted areas and treat the yard or you will have a very hard time getting ahead of the population that keeps hatching.

Hope this helps a little. Fleas are so awful. Just glad we have better products than we used to!

I wouldn't buy anything by Hartz - they are a disreputable company and I won't support them with my money. Glad your taking the product back.

I use Advantage when needed.

Good thing you're taking it back.

Hartz kills animals. http://www.hartzvictims.org/

Holy CRAP!! That scared the crap outta me! I'm glad I checked here before using it...that's even worse than I thought! I was thinking it would just take more usage or not be as effective but if I had put it on him and he ended up with any of those symptons, I would never be able to forgive myself.

Thank you so much for warning me, Everyone!

I will NEVER use Hartz flea & tick. We thought we were getting by cheap buying it at Walmart when Rocky was a puppy and he had a really adverse reaction to it. He ran around the room and would try to rub his back off on the couch, floor, etc. He was also making horrible crying noises. My husband and I got really worried because he did not do this with Frontline. We rushed him to the bathroom and soaked him in the tub. He was fine after that, but we use Frontline now. 1800petmeds have it on sale quite often. For Rocky's size, 6 months supply is aound $35-$40.

Wow, that's a really good deal!

I went to my sister's vet today with her. They sold us a 3 month box for about $39 but then my sister got a discount so I ended up getting the 20lb formula for a whopping $33!! I thought it was a pretty good deal. I'm definetly taking Hartz back after going to that website! I can't believe the stuff they do to dogs, it's an outrage--I was severely pissed off after reading some of those stories, and now I'm going to do 2 things!

1. Thank everyone who warned me for quite possibley saving my puppies life or at least a high vet bill...Thanks Everyone!
2. Tell everyone I know who has a dog or a cat to NEVER, EVER get Hartz! I already told my sister and family.

p.s. I was also curious about some other brands you can usually get at commerical pet stores like Bio-Spot. I'm not going to buy it or anything, but I was just curious if it had adverse effects like Hartz does. ALso my Vet used Revolution, I've never heard of it but he didn't charge me extra for it and luckily it didn't have any adverse effects on him.

Also, can you get Frontline at commercial pet stores? I know the Petland I used to work at carried it, but my sister said that you can only get it from Vet's from her experience.