Worming and flea protection

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happihorse

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I have always following the recommended guidelines for both worming (Drontal Plus) and flea protection (Frontline) for my dog. However, after doing more research into the horses' worming programme, I have realised that this is not always the best course of action so have changed to doing egg counts for the horses and then only worming when necessary. What I was wondering is, do dogs really need to have worming and flea treatments so often?

My dog lives in the house but spends a lot of time outside. She is exposed to fleas and worms to a certain extent (eg from other dogs while on walks (although I always keep her away from other dogs), catching rabbits (but normally only in the spring and summer), etc.
 
My dogs get neither.
I feed garlic every other day to keep fleas and ticks away and never had a problem.
They have 6 monthly fecal's done to check for worms and bloods taken yearly.

I am not OK with filling my dogs body with unnecessary chemicals.
 
we were on frontline and milbemax on the trip to the vet yesterday we got changed to advocote. It will protect against everything except tape worm but tape worm is low risk unless your dog hunts. Easier to remember now just one pippet once a month instead of one been 3 monthly and another been 1 or 2 monthly depending on time of year/ where we are going. I didnt get the tape worm tablet I will just look out for them and treat as neeced
 
If your dog catches rabbits then it is a must for you to keep up a worming programme IMO, but speak to your vet. Advocate does fleas, lice, ticks, mites, ear mites and round worm but as your dog hunts you'd still have to treat for tape worm so probably better to stick to a separate flea/worming programmes. With regard to fleas, my parents dogs have never had them (and never been treated to prevent them either!!), yet my cats will walk in with them the minute their frontline has gone past the re-treatment interval!!! Cats are more likely to pick up fleas and bring them into your house, so if you have cats I think it would be best to stick to using the frontline regularly. Again my opinion, but with fleas once they are in your house, it's a big thing to get rid of them, having to treat every soft furnishing!! Better to prevent I think!!
 
We have two terriers who're always out and about, so plenty of opportunity to pick up stuff.

We were on Frontline back in the summer; and then one day I noticed the poor dogs were crawling with fleas, and they'd got in the house as well and the whole place was absolutely hopping!

A friend said to ditch the Frontline, as she'd worked for animal rescue and they'd all known for a long time that Frontline was as useless as a nun in a punch-up, also that the vets and Frontline themselves had known their product was FA useless!!!

We asked at the vets to change to Stronghold. Had to keep asking, and asking; the main problem being that most vets (plus vet nurses/receptionists etc) seem to be paid to promote Frontline, and don't seem to care if your house is like a pest control zone. But we got it eventually - and hey presto, surprise surprise, no fleas since!!!
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
We have two terriers who're always out and about, so plenty of opportunity to pick up stuff.

We were on Frontline back in the summer; and then one day I noticed the poor dogs were crawling with fleas, and they'd got in the house as well and the whole place was absolutely hopping!

A friend said to ditch the Frontline, as she'd worked for animal rescue and they'd all known for a long time that Frontline was as useless as a nun in a punch-up, also that the vets and Frontline themselves had known their product was FA useless!!!

We asked at the vets to change to Stronghold. Had to keep asking, and asking; the main problem being that most vets (plus vet nurses/receptionists etc) seem to be paid to promote Frontline, and don't seem to care if your house is like a pest control zone. But we got it eventually - and hey presto, surprise surprise, no fleas since!!!
Click to expand...

You really do surprise me about this, and no vets/nurses etc are not paid to promote one product, it's just a matter of what they stock, I know alot of vets and nurses who use frontline and have never had an issue. Stronghold is the equivalent to advocate (so not really comparible to frontline in some ways), yes it is a good product, does far more than frontline and is a POM so only available from a vet. Advantage is another flea control (same company as advocate) but doesn't do the whole lice/mites and roundworm, Advantage is the quivalent to frontline, I've used this too and never had a problem.
 
My surgery do not get paid to sell products either:rolleyes: and we stock alot of products for fleas and worms, I personally use frontline spray (never spot ons) and drontal and I never have flea infestations with 4 cats and 10 dogs.
I also spray the house with indorex every 6 months.
 
I use Practic on mine as it's also very effective at tic control too, which if you are near sheep or deer are always a nightmare! She hasnt had any since I started using it (touch wood)
 
Dunno what it is with the fleas this winter, but i'm seeing way more now than I did all last summer!!! So wondering if there's something better on the market than Frontline?

Meanwhile, re worming -- vet I used to work for did faecals. Perhaps ring your vet and ask them if you bring in a stool sample can they run a faecal for you? At least if there are worms present then you know what kind to give treatment for - and if not, then no treatment necessary.
 
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