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Can't Get Rid of Fleas?

I have tried everything and can't get rid of my dog's fleas. I treat all of them with Advantax or Frontline once a month and then supplement with the chewable flea treatments that can be given safely every 24 hours, but my pets still had fleas. I've washed all their bedding in hot water, but my pets still had fleas! I took them to the vet who then told me I am doing everything correctly, but I should try spraying my yard, which is poisonous so I would have to kennel my dogs for a few days until the treatment completely dried. I did that and my dogs are still suffering horribly from fleas. I'm desperate! Help!

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
July 3, 20180 found this helpful

Wow! It sounds like you are doing everything right.

One question...are you in a multi family house (like with party walls or an apartment) if so, they may be coming from an outside source and then you need to get the other party to help combat the issue (both in the other home and the outside).

If you are in a single family home, it may (and this is my last resort since I try at EVERY cost to NOT have chemicals in or near my home--try a pest control company. There are some that focus on less caustic solutions...but let's face it, if they are killing something they are all dangerous to some degree.

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If you have to do this, for safety purposes you may want to find another place to stay for a few days (all of you, just not the pets).

Avoid putting the pets in a kennel as they could be bringing them back unknowingly and this could be causing the re-infestations.

Be sure to talk to a few professionals before settling on one (get personal recommendations from friends in your area also) to help you pick one and ask if they offer coupons or discounts (like if you are a senior or a veteran, etc.)

Good luck!

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
July 3, 20180 found this helpful

I would take the vets advice. If you dont want to spray try getting rid of any debris or overgrown shrubbery

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July 4, 20180 found this helpful

Advantage and Frontline did not work for me. They would kill most of the fleas but never all of the fleas. Fleas are really good at evolving to resist whatever we are using to kill them. I had to take my cats to the Vet and ask him to try something that would work. He did and it did work. He was reluctant to agree with me that the older flea treatments dont work anymore, but I could tell he knew they dont.

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Some Vets will apply the treatment for you for just the cost of the treatment (no office call charge). If your flea treatment doesn't get 100% your flea cycle starts all over again. Try a new Vet and try some of the products the Vet has access to.

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July 5, 20180 found this helpful

It seems you have tried so many things; did I understand correctly that you even had your yard professionally sprayed? If that is the case then your fleas must be hatching somewhere in your house.

  • Fleas love sofa and chairs as they can hide all around and under the cushions so maybe this could be part of the problem?
  • But if fleas are not biting you then they may be hiding in the carpet.
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  • I highly recommend Capstar flea treatment but apparently you have used this and still have fleas. This is an excellent flea treatment so I would not abandon it too quickly as you will still need treatment on your dogs even if you find a way to stop the onslaught in your house.
  • I would say to start with a good vacuum of all rooms and try to vacuum under sofa and chair cushions and under furniture as much as possible.
  • There are several products you can use to kill fleas in your house but I highly recommend Diatomaceous Earth (DE) (food grade only). It is easy to use and safe for humans and pets.
  • Diatomaceous Earth: This works in the same way as detergent, by drying out adult fleas and their larvae. Use food grade diatomaceous earth. This can also be dusted on the animal's coat, but only sparingly, as it is very drying to their skin.
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  • Diatomaceous Earth can be purchased at many big box stores, Ace Hardware, most pet supply stores and online. If you will use this you will definitely kill the fleas in your house.
  • Check out these sites for details on how to use.
  • www.thebugsquad.com/.../
  • www.fleabites.net/.../
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July 10, 20180 found this helpful

Everything you have suggested I have tried. We practically bathe our dogs in diatomaceous earth and spread it in the backyard. I live in a single family home (4,000 s.f.) We have sprayed our entire front and back yards with outdoor flea treatment. We have vacuumed all furniture. We have wood floors and tile; no carpet. Just a couple of days ago I took both of my dogs to the vet again and she suggested a stronger flea medicine. It has been two days after the medicine was given and my poor pups are still scratching and biting.

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I have examined them and they definitely still have fleas! The weird part about this whole ordeal is that not one single human in our household has been bitten by a flea. I truly believe that the fleas have become immune to all of the flea treatment medicines because NOTHING is working. I live in Texas, I wonder if geography makes a difference in how fleas can be killed.

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
July 10, 20180 found this helpful

This article was written by someone at Texas A&M vetmed.tamu.edu/.../prevention-of-fleas-important-year...

Maybe they can offer you a solution. There is an email address at the bottom of the message. Good luck!!

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July 11, 20180 found this helpful

This sounds like you have more than the normal invasion of fleas and you may be right - they may have developed some immunity to the main ingredient in flea meds.
Diatomaceous earth works slow but I have always found it did the job if scattered on floors around baseboards and under furniture (no carpets floors) if meds were used on dogs but you seem to have tried all of this so it is really puzzling.
I have only heard good things about Capstar (24 hour med) and you have used that so all of this is really unusual to me.
The link that Pghgirl40 gave is excellent but it seems that you have followed all of their suggestions so it looks like you always end up back at square one.
My vet asked if you tried Bravecto Chews as those are what he recommends with tough cases similar to yours. He says he does not always recommend it because it is expensive but it does last for 12 weeks. Just an idea.

When I had rental property and had a flea problem, we had to retreat everything in the house at least 3 times (every 6 weeks) as the fleas could live that long (rehatch) even without animals or humans around so I know this can be a big problem.

It is really surprising that you do not have fleas bites???
Also, it seems that such a bad infestation could make your dogs ill but apparently not as they have regular vet visits.
Good luck with your pups - maybe the last treatment will work but it may take a longer period of time.
Please let us know if you find anything that works for you as this relates to a common problem that many readers have.

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 107 Posts
July 25, 20180 found this helpful

try beneficial nematodes They are some kind of creature you buy who eat the larvae, my friend swears by it that they completely eradicated the problem

you could also try dusting with diatomaceous earth, that should also do the trick

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