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When to start a flea prevention program?

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  wyoung2153 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
When's a good age to start my boy on some sort of flea prevention program? And what do you recommend? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
We used Frontline in the past, recently I bought some Advantix to use. It was on sale at Fosters and Smith at the Amazon price. More so than fleas I want it to help with ticks, Spring is high time for them. Our dog gets out a good amount, around our property and walks along wood edges. We need to keep on top of it here in WI.

Advantix gets good reviews, easy to buy. I plan to start very soon, at temps just above 40 or so ticks are active.
 
#4 ·
Lol, ApselBear! Yup, that'd work too.

OP, do you need flea prevention? I know it totally depends on your own situation and location, but my vet doesn't recommend adding to the toxins our dogs are dealing with already, and his advice is to treat once there's an issue. My first GSD had flea allergy dermatitis, so that would need a different strategy too. But otherwise, I soak my dog's leather collar and also a bandana in essential oils (neem & lemongrass, mostly) to deter fleas and ticks. So far no fleas and only 2 ticks here.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I will add, in the past I've used Frontline. Sometimes it works alright, but seems like more often than not, the most it does is repel fleas and ticks for only a day or two. I've heard advantix does well, and will probably give it a shot this summer, after I try some Vectra sample that my vet gave me last week.

I am definitely interested in trying out an alternative to chemical treatments such as the following thread's focus.
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/holistic-homeopathic-practices/264346-my-no-chem-garlic-preventive-journey.html

As far as when, I would think it'd be better to get a jump on the flea season. Prevention sounds better to me than treatment. As soon as it starts averaging above 40F as a previous poster suggested would be a good idea, but flea and tick season still vary from field to field.
 
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