Help with fleas

I am having meniscus surgery on my knee which was injured a month ago. In that time, my dogs have gotten involved in fleas. Here is my scenerio: Frontline about 2 months ago, then vet did AK test and found 2 of them allergic to it & Heartguard, put them on Sentinal. Used it and fleas really enjoyed it. Vet told me to use Frontline again, I did 2 weeks later and the fleas are having a ball. Used Sentinal again which obviously does nothing. Now the fleas are having their grand ball and I am going nuts. I have knee surgery Tuesday and my vet isn't in until then when I'm in the operating room. Her receptionist talked to her yesterday about my problem and she told me to use Frontline again Monday (3 weeks from the last time). I guess I am supposed to use Sentinal again on the 17th (month from last time). Washed them all with Dawn which killed the little critters but they are obviously in our house now and I can't bomb them until I can walk (use wheelchair and walker now). My friend, who was going to board them in her kennel while I was recuperating, suggested using Capstar which is supposed to kill the fleas in 30 minutes and can be used daily. My friend is a groomer at a vet clinic and she said all dogs coming in get the Capstar no matter what flea control they have had and there have been no problems. What I am getting at and can't ask my vet: Can I use Capstar Sunday, then use Frontline Monday? Capstar on line suggests using Program (which my vet doesn't carry). I hate to use Frontline too when they are allergic to it but I am going nuts. One Pug never stops spinning and digging & her skin is turning pink while the other two seemingly aren't bothered, even tho I pick fleas off them. I hope someone who knows something about flea solutions can figure out what I'm trying to say. I see I made a short story long!!! Oh yes, I have washed, then sprayed their bedding, nothing worked there either. Never have had this problem before, esp. since Frontline made its appearance. Oh yes, vet said not to use any flea spray on them (I have been spraying their necks and tail areas almost daily) to no avail. I just couldn't leave them at the kennel knowing I was introducing those nasty little bugs to her clean place. She's coming here to walk the dogs during recuperation and DH is doing a heck of a good job caring for them. Gosh, this is windy!

Joanne:
Here's a link that talks about battling fleas. Your real problem is going to be getting rid of them in your house.

Personally, I swear by Revolution--have used it on my dogs and cats for years with no ill effects (knock on wood).

I haven't had a flea infestation for a long time, thank goodness, but when I last had one, the real battle was killing them off in the house.

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/fleasgetridof.htm

If you have been using Sentinel, that stops the flea from reproducing. It will not kill adult fleas which is why the vet is suggesting using frontline plus. Capstar also kills adult fleas. However, your problem is that you have them in your house. Unless you treat the house to kill the eggs and fleas that are living in carpet, possibly on furniture, etc.., then you can treat the dogs nonstop but won't get rid of the fleas

Use Borax (laundry detergent) in the house to kill the fleas. Sprinkle on the carpet and let sit for a couple hours or overnight and vacuum up. It works like a charm. You can also use it in your yard if there are fleas in the yard. Just apply it when the grass is dry and let it set in. My mom had to do this a long time ago with a home she bought that was infested and it worked wonderfully.

I've been using a new product called Vectra 3D. My rescue peeps in Louisiana have also been using it because they've had no luck with Frontline anymore. The Vectra 3D is a topical and this is what it does:
1)Controls all stages of flea life cycle. Kills fleas in 6 hours.
2) Repels and kills 4 species of ticks (Rhinicephalus spp,Dermacenter variabilis,Ixodes spp,Amblyomma maculatum)
3)Repels and kills 3 species of mosquitos (Culex spp,Ochlerotatus spp,Aedes spp)

The main reason I use it is because of the nasty ticks we get up here and also for the added protection against the squitos. I've only seen one flea on Clara and that was when she caught a rabbit

I hit new topic and didn't relize until after the fact. So that's why I had to make up a title. I have horrible computer skills and did try to copy past and put it where it belonged. Amanda can you put this under Miss Pugg's post "Help with Fleas" for me please if you feel necessary too? Now where is that bag to hide my shame

Thanks,
Trish

Thanks to all of you for your great suggestions! I have the surgery Tuesday so can't do anything about bombing the house until later when we will leave for the night with the dogs. We bought the bombs today and also stuff for treating the grass altho I very much like the idea of using Borax. We looked for it today but didn't find it. I did end up giving them Frontline this a.m. and now Willow is getting Benedryl so she's not so itchy. I can't find any fleas on her but imagine she has some. I have a terrible thought that while I'm on the operating table, a flea will jump off me and onto the orthopod! I haven't found any of me yet but Jasmine, who naps with me, has plenty she'd be glad to share. The guy at Menard's also suggested vaccuming as the vibrations seem to make the fleas pop out of their homes.

Once you treat your house, you should vacuum and immediately take the vacuum outside and empty the bag. You should put a clean bag inside and repeat each day for 3-4 days. The reason for using a new bag is that you don't want eggs reproducing in the bag then you would just be putting them back in the house. Wash all the dogs bedding and your bedding in hot water.

I just dug up this old post and thought I would comment on it. Wow,was I windy person (still am). This was from two years ago. I used Borax then and it did the trick. I'm using Sentinal on my dogs since then except when Jasmine was alive, she had Revolution. Knock on woods, no fleas in 2011 or 2012 (crossing fingers they don't appear). My niece whose Toy Terrier is now fighting fleas says her vet said 8 out of 10 dogs who come into his practice have fleas this year. She had good luck using Borax at her sister's place whose cats had fleas. I was amazed at how well it did work.

I work at a vet's office in MN and we have seen a crazy amount of fleas this year. It's nuts. And yes, also we've seen that Frontline can't seem to keep up with both fleas and ticks. Glad you haven't had a problem in a few years!!

I haven't seen too many this year, thankfully. Apparently, there's a flea-borne strain of Typhus that is making an appearance in my city:

... eleven cases of flea-borne typhus have been reported among Long Beach residents, as compared to nine reported for all of 2011. Officials conducted a detailed investigation into the cases that have been reported, and believe that in all cases, exposure to fleas carried by opossums, cats, or rodents may have been the source of infection. Prior to 2006, flea-borne typhus was not known to be present in the City of Long Beach.

Given my profession, I am probably in a high risk group. How fun!

Now that is scary! Stay well.