Are you having major flea problems this year? I have one dog and two indoor/outdoor cats. We've done Advantage on all pets last week, and even called the vet for the OK to do another application on our dog, yesterday. Still, I've got fleas jumping on me. At first I'm thinking they were bailing off of the dog. Now I'm not so sure. We are bombing the house tomorrow, and considering doing the yard. Tell me your story. The HORROR!
I started using Program back when I lived in Houston, for my cat (I've had friends use it on dogs, too). It doesn't start working right away, but after about 5 or 6 weeks I never saw another flea again. IMO its a miracle product, considering how bad we've had them in the past. ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
Whatever turns you on, dude. ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
The fleas seem to be pretty fierce this year. Our cats don't go outside so we don't really have the problem indoors, but I have seen it outside and in our office where, ironically, there aren't any animals. One thing you can do is encourage the growth of friendly insects (ladybugs, mosquito hawks, etc) that will help eat the fleas. Advantage and Program are fine but the real problem is we humans bringing the fleas in with us! Bombing the house will help but try not to pesticide the yard if at all possible. You can put it right around the edge of your house and form sort of a barrier, but doing the yard creates as many problems as it solves because it has the tendency to kill off other insects that help diminish your population of aphids, mosquitos and chinch bugs which destroy your plants, bite you and eat your lawn, respectively. ------------------ And then, depression set in...
I use the suspended animation beneficial nematodes for the yard. Have you heard anything harmful about that. A&M developed the product, I believe. I'm thinking our cats are bringing them in, because it is such a bad year. Here's one site that describes it: http://www.naturescontrol.com/flea.phtml [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 23, 2001).]
If I were an old timer I'd say, (in an old timer's voice) "You know, we didn't a really good hard freeze this year, so those lil suckers didn't freeze up and die off" but we did have a good hard freeze, for a few days... so I don't know... My dogs use Advantage and we've been fine so far. My cats don't seem to bothered and I haven't really checked them... I would also check around you... who else owns pets around you? Next door neighbors, behind you, etc... sometimes those people that don't take precautions can be the problem... put Advantage/flea meds on THEIR necks!! rH ------------------ Homecourt will always be 'The Summit' to me!! Until we move downtown!! The Psychedelic Groove House of Rockets Basketball Love! President, CEO & Charter Member of Rocketholics Anonymous
In my early teenage years living at home with the parents, I had a black Labrador mix that...I swear to God...brought the fleas inside one flea circus at a time. I used to wash the dog, bomb the house, and bomb the backyard once every week or two when it was really bad. I used to have fleas in my socks, in the carpet, on my skin... everywhere. It was horrible. This was before Advantage so if that works go with that. Now, I have my own house with two Rhodesian Ridgebacks. I have absolutely no flea problems whatsoever. I give them Sentinel tabs once a month. They also have really short coats of hair. Don't know if that factors in but I'm sure it helps. You would figure I would have some fleas with two indoor house dogs. None whatsoever. I feel very fortunate. I don't think my backyard is an ideal habitat for fleas, however. I have annual Rye grass back there...not St. Augustine sod. It all dies in the summer and I'm left with a dirt pit . Sounds like the Advantage collar and bombing the house to get rid of current flea infestations is the way to go there. Surf ------------------
