Attack of the Killer Fleas

[KaimelarFeylove]

My Tamis has immortal fleas. The poor gilr is getting almost weekly baths (got one today) and it seems impossible to kill them all.. and it only takes a few days for her to be as bad as she was before. and when i say bad, i mean you can see the little bastards crawling around on her head. its horrible..

That stuff for teh back of her neck doesnt work, and thats just as well cause i hate it. its nasty and greasy and i hate putting it on her. the flea shampoo we have is good, but i cant get it to where the fleas can get rigth aroud her eyes and all... though it works really well..

Its also getting to us.. She sleeps on my bed most nights and so i'm getting bitten up , as is the rest of the family.

I've heard of teh yeast thing.. i want to start that, but i have to get it first and i want to read or hear a little more about it.

But does anyone have anything thats worked on bad flea problems for you?

thanks,
Kai

[WickedBttrfly]

Aaaah! I hate fleas!!! I feel your pain. I heard that a little dish washing liquid is supposed to work really good. Just a little though, you don't want to use too much cause then it's harmful for the animal.

[violet rain]

The best advice I have is vacuum like its going out of style, and wash your bedding like every other day, and spray flea killer, try a flea collar to keep them away from her face and then when you wash her it won't be on her head as bad, if you do have her outside at all that is probably where she picks them back up and then brings them into your place. Also try putting garlic in her food that helps alot too. good luck those things suck!!!

[KaimelarFeylove]

thanks, i'll have to try those...

[Shanti]

I had bad fleas once. Did everything even bombing...nothing worked till I ripped out all the carpet. I will never had carpet again. I have bare wood and linolium with just throw rugs I can pick up and wash! Since I have gave up carpeting I have no fleas!

[Gebo]

You should try Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo. Kills fleas fast and it will not burn your furry friends eyes. I also think I have a recipe for a food additive that will cut down on the biting. I will look to see if I can find it. If I do, I will pm you. If you want to use it great, if not no biggie. Good luck, I know fleas can be really troublesom.

[KaimelarFeylove]

I had bad fleas once. Did everything even bombing...nothing worked till I ripped out all the carpet. I will never had carpet again. I have bare wood and linolium with just throw rugs I can pick up and wash! Since I have gave up carpeting I have no fleas!

hmmm but everywhere except our bathrooms and kitchen has carpets... and we have a big house.. and my sister and i are clumsy, so hard floors are a bad idea.. lol but my mother has been spraying obsence abmounts of flea killer in the carpets at night

[KaimelarFeylove]

You should try Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo. Kills fleas fast and it will not burn your furry friends eyes. I also think I have a recipe for a food additive that will cut down on the biting. I will look to see if I can find it. If I do, I will pm you. If you want to use it great, if not no biggie. Good luck, I know fleas can be really troublesom.


johnson's woul dbe good... i'll try it all if i have too.. and thanks again fo rteh recipie

[KaimelarFeylove]

. Also try putting garlic in her food that helps alot too. good luck those things suck!!!

when you say garlic, do you mean crushed garlic cloves or what?

[Isil Darkmoon]

crushed cloves are fine; you can also use garlic powder. Either works. And you should add more garlic to the human diet as well--it just makes you smell and taste less appealing to the fleas, and if they're not biting, they're not eating and breeding as much.

Which on-the-neck product did you use? Only Advantage and Frontline from your vet are ones I'd trust. Most if not all "off the shelf" version either are useless and don't kill the fleas, or are really dangerous and can kill or permanently damage the DOG!

Some flea collars can be toxic too, so please be careful with which ones you use and what the active ingredients are.

I've had pretty good luck with Zodiac brand flea shampoo and room spray, myself. It seems to be one of the more efective brands out there.

[MoonWillowMagic]

I truely feel your pain!!!! Last summer my house was infested because of stray kittens we took in. We bombed, bathed, collared, used the greasy stuff, powder (which is crap and turned all the black cats grey for 2 days)... It took us 4 months to finally rid EVERYONE including carpets.

The greasy stuff for the back of their necks wont work if they've had a bath within 3 days.... 3 tubes in I finally decided to read the directions o_O. I also finally called my vet and they gave me a pill to give each animal. At last we had just one room left and the last of the fleas contained in it.... they finally met their maker when I was at my wits end and Bleached them with clorox (if your carpets are colored might want to patch test with non-clorine bleach before covering the carpets with it.)..... NO fleas since w00t.

[SilverMaiden]

Sprinkle borax in the carpet and around pet bedding. Push it in good with a broom. It'll dry out the fleas and the next time you vaccum you'll be vaccuming up dead fleas.

I use Frontline plus on my dogs.

[zakzekezedd]

An exterminator actually told me to put a mixture of table salt and baking soda on the carpets. It needs to stay for a couple of days, but like the borax, it dries out the flea eggs and pupae and keeps the next generation of buggers from hatching out. I spray the carpets and furniture every 3 weeks or so, and try to get something on the cats as often as the product recommends. Next payday I'm going to try the Frontline spray. Of course, the fact that I have a couple of cats that will run and hide for days on end when they see the sprayer come out means I may never be 100% flea free..but I figure if I keep the population down to a "managable" number I've accomplished something..

[KaimelarFeylove]

crushed cloves are fine; you can also use garlic powder. Either works. And you should add more garlic to the human diet as well--it just makes you smell and taste less appealing to the fleas, and if they're not biting, they're not eating and breeding as much.

Which on-the-neck product did you use? Only Advantage and Frontline from your vet are ones I'd trust. Most if not all "off the shelf" version either are useless and don't kill the fleas, or are really dangerous and can kill or permanently damage the DOG!

Some flea collars can be toxic too, so please be careful with which ones you use and what the active ingredients are.

I've had pretty good luck with Zodiac brand flea shampoo and room spray, myself. It seems to be one of the more efective brands out there.

the neck stuff was some crap my grandmother bought.... then kept putting it on Tamis after i asked her not to... grr... and my cats dont wear collars (except Tamis when shes in the car. I use a restraining/leash system with her instead on a carrier in the car. shes usually pretty good about it.)

is there a certian place to get this Zodiac brand? is it in common stores? I've ben useing Hartz, and its good, it kills them, but i cant get them all caus ethe things get to close to her eyes

[KaimelarFeylove]

I truely feel your pain!!!! Last summer my house was infested because of stray kittens we took in. We bombed, bathed, collared, used the greasy stuff, powder (which is crap and turned all the black cats grey for 2 days)... It took us 4 months to finally rid EVERYONE including carpets.

The greasy stuff for the back of their necks wont work if they've had a bath within 3 days.... 3 tubes in I finally decided to read the directions o_O. I also finally called my vet and they gave me a pill to give each animal. At last we had just one room left and the last of the fleas contained in it.... they finally met their maker when I was at my wits end and Bleached them with clorox (if your carpets are colored might want to patch test with non-clorine bleach before covering the carpets with it.)..... NO fleas since w00t.

hmm, that might be a good way to get rid of the ugly pink carpet i've got now.... :hmmmmm: "But i have to bleach it. the person on the message board told me to" lol

[KaimelarFeylove]

An exterminator actually told me to put a mixture of table salt and baking soda on the carpets. It needs to stay for a couple of days, but like the borax, it dries out the flea eggs and pupae and keeps the next generation of buggers from hatching out. I spray the carpets and furniture every 3 weeks or so, and try to get something on the cats as often as the product recommends. Next payday I'm going to try the Frontline spray. Of course, the fact that I have a couple of cats that will run and hide for days on end when they see the sprayer come out means I may never be 100% flea free..but I figure if I keep the population down to a "managable" number I've accomplished something..

I'll probaly end up trying them all... Borax, table slat/bakeing soda... anyting to get rid of them

[Isil Darkmoon]

the neck stuff was some crap my grandmother bought.... then kept putting it on Tamis after i asked her not to... grr... and my cats dont wear collars (except Tamis when shes in the car. I use a restraining/leash system with her instead on a carrier in the car. shes usually pretty good about it.)

is there a certian place to get this Zodiac brand? is it in common stores? I've ben useing Hartz, and its good, it kills them, but i cant get them all caus ethe things get to close to her eyes


Frontline and Advantage, as neck drops aren't nearly as greasy as off the shelf kinds. The area will feel wet and slick for maybe two hours, but after that it's fine and you'd never notice it. And it really does do a good job in killing all life stages of the fleas. However, I only use even these as a last resport, as there have been a couple cases of death or illness even from these two (which use a different formula than most over the counters)

Zodiac can be found at most pet stores; I know Petsmart carries it. While it's still not as good as "from the vet" stuff, it's one of the safer 'off the shelf' brands. I ONLY use the house spray, though, nothing that goes ON the animal. Try the Borax first, t hat's a healthier solution if it works.

also: as a carpet powder, I have never tried but have herad EXCELLENT things about a combination of equal parts wormwood, rosemary, pennyroyal, and peppermint. It's good as a "flea powder" for the animal, or to put under your sheets. It doens't really kill the fleas, to my knowledge, but repels them from that area. That, in combination with the boraxing of the rugs, might help you get some bite-free sleep.

PLEASE stop using any form of Hartz immediately. It's one of the really dangerous ones. Bio-spot (usually a neck drop, which you don't use) is one of the other worst offenders.

http://www.hartzvictims.org/ it's a pretty depressing site; a LOT of sick or dead animals from Hartz products...

hartz room spray specifically: http://www.hartzvictims.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=407
hartz shampoo http://www.hartzvictims.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=282

Check your ingredients on all products; Phenothrin is THE most common problem in flea control, and the most lethal to both cats and dogs. NEVER use anything with phenotrinin it; it's a pesticide that can't distinguish between the nervous systems of cats and fleas, so it harms both. http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html is as good site, mostly on bio-spot, but it's informative about phenotrin products as a whole.

While I'm not trying to be a fear-monger, I've seen a lot of flea-control damage, even at the shelter where I volunteer, and I don't want to see any more people lose their beloved companions because of misinformation and greedy manufacturers.

[KaimelarFeylove]

Frontline and Advantage, as neck drops aren't nearly as greasy as off the shelf kinds. The area will feel wet and slick for maybe two hours, but after that it's fine and you'd never notice it. And it really does do a good job in killing all life stages of the fleas. However, I only use even these as a last resport, as there have been a couple cases of death or illness even from these two (which use a different formula than most over the counters)

Zodiac can be found at most pet stores; I know Petsmart carries it. While it's still not as good as "from the vet" stuff, it's one of the safer 'off the shelf' brands. I ONLY use the house spray, though, nothing that goes ON the animal. Try the Borax first, t hat's a healthier solution if it works.

also: as a carpet powder, I have never tried but have herad EXCELLENT things about a combination of equal parts wormwood, rosemary, pennyroyal, and peppermint. It's good as a "flea powder" for the animal, or to put under your sheets. It doens't really kill the fleas, to my knowledge, but repels them from that area. That, in combination with the boraxing of the rugs, might help you get some bite-free sleep.

PLEASE stop using any form of Hartz immediately. It's one of the really dangerous ones. Bio-spot (usually a neck drop, which you don't use) is one of the other worst offenders.

http://www.hartzvictims.org/ it's a pretty depressing site; a LOT of sick or dead animals from Hartz products...

hartz room spray specifically: http://www.hartzvictims.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=407
hartz shampoo http://www.hartzvictims.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=282

Check your ingredients on all products; Phenothrin is THE most common problem in flea control, and the most lethal to both cats and dogs. NEVER use anything with phenotrinin it; it's a pesticide that can't distinguish between the nervous systems of cats and fleas, so it harms both. http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html is as good site, mostly on bio-spot, but it's informative about phenotrin products as a whole.

While I'm not trying to be a fear-monger, I've seen a lot of flea-control damage, even at the shelter where I volunteer, and I don't want to see any more people lose their beloved companions because of misinformation and greedy manufacturers.


ooki... thanks for that info

[MoonWillowMagic]

hmm, that might be a good way to get rid of the ugly pink carpet i've got now.... :hmmmmm: "But i have to bleach it. the person on the message board told me to" lol

:nyah: bleach is an accident waiting to happen with ugly carpets... that's how I got the bedroom carpet replaced :shhhh:

[KaimelarFeylove]

:nyah: bleach is an accident waiting to happen with ugly carpets... that's how I got the bedroom carpet replaced :shhhh:

what really scares me about this carpet is that spots on it glow under a black light.... but i just hate pink anyway

[Mnemosyne]

I use Advantage on my dog. When I put it on her, she doesn't have any fleas. The only drawback is that stuff is quite expensive.

[KaimelarFeylove]

just thought i'd say, i took her to the vet for her distemper boosters and while there discussed this flea problem. he gave me a sample of Revolution (which gets lots of internal parasites as well) and told me that garli (which a few of you mentioned) is auctully not a very good thing to give that cats. Said soemthing abotu it screwing with the red blood cells..

so i guess form now on it will be Frountline or Revolution (probaly which ever is cheaper considering my income)..

now i just have to get teh house flea free...

thanks,
kai

[Crazy_Sage]

hey I feel your pain, my legs are covered in fle bite scars. Frontline work pretty well, also get one of those furnitur spray, the ones that last for twelve months. That should take care of the little sods! :imout: :viking: :fpraise:

[OriginalWacky]

just thought i'd say, i took her to the vet for her distemper boosters and while there discussed this flea problem. he gave me a sample of Revolution (which gets lots of internal parasites as well) and told me that garli (which a few of you mentioned) is auctully not a very good thing to give that cats. Said soemthing abotu it screwing with the red blood cells..

so i guess form now on it will be Frountline or Revolution (probaly which ever is cheaper considering my income)..

now i just have to get teh house flea free...

thanks,
kai
That's the best way, FrontLine and Revolution (and Advantage) are all comparatively safe for the critters, especially compared to Hartz (that stuff should be pulled off the market!).

Something else to think about, if and when you do need to bathe your pets, put a drop of mineral oil in each eye. Also, a wad of cotton buried in the ear. That protects them both from shampoo in case some does get in their eyes.

Apparently, the flea problem is much worse this year in a lot of places than it has been in the past. We've never had fleas until this year. We used Advantage and it got rid of almost all of them, and will probably be using it one more time in the next couple of weeks to finish off any last stragglers that somehow managed to make it through.