My dog has fleas despite Comfortis and Hartz collar. What to do?

You can use a Preventic collar, a Seresto collar, or a topical medication such as Frontline or K9 Advantix along with Comfortis for tick coverage. Or, if you prefer to stick with oral medications, you can switch from Comfortis to Nexgard or Bravecto - both of these cover both fleas and ticks, and are also very effective.

Hmm - it's odd that the Trifexis doesn't seem to be working as well, because it actually has the same active ingredient as Comfortis. The only difference is that it has an added ingredient for heartworm prevention, otherwise it's exactly the same drug. In my experience, both are extremely effective for fleas. I wonder if perhaps Tessa is continuing to pick up fleas from somewhere in the environment? It does take a few hours for a flea to die after biting her, so if she is continually being re-infested from the house or yard, it's very possible that you might see live fleas on her even if the medication is working properly. If you think this might be the case, I would recommend treating your house and yard with a premises spray such as Knock-Out. If you still want to get her something else for fleas, I would not recommend giving a Comfortis dose on top of the Trifexis, because this would just be giving a double dose of the same drug - I would be concerned about possible side effects from overdosing this medication. Instead, you could consider using a topical flea medication this month such as K9 Advantix, since this is a completely different medication that doesn't interact in any way with the Trifexis.

Hi, The truth about expiration dates is that they are usually not based on any studies and the drug is likely to be just as effective years after. I can't say for sure, but it's likely that Comfortis will work. However, the fleas should all be dead within 24 hours, so if you are still seeing live ones jumping around, then it likely didn't work well. You can definitely use the flea collar with Comfortis and this may help to rid her of the remaining fleas. I recommend waiting another week after applying the collar to assess if the treatment worked. If you are still seeing fleas crawling around, then you can try a different flea product like Frontline. Avoid any products that contain ivermectin or any other avermectins for at-least 4 weeks after giving the Comfortis - you can check for this by looking at the active ingredients on the package...any name that ends in "-mectin" should be avoided. I hope that helps and Maggie if flea-free soon.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fleas can be frustrating to eradicate even when using a quality product like Bravecto. You may wish to consider a product like Capstar or even a topical flea medication in addition to the Bravecto. Products like Frontline Gold, Vectra and Advantix tend to work well. The flea life cycle sometimes necessitates that you also treat your household and even your yard to fully eradicate the infestation. Regular laundering of pet bedding can help but you may still end up needing to have an exterminators help. Finally, make sure all pets in the household are treated with a safe, quality flea preventative as often house cats that have not been treated can harbor fleas. Good luck!

Hello! I'm sorry to hear that Bliss is still struggling with fleas. They can be really hard to get rid of! It is usually safe to give Capstar with Seresto, but if your dog has any medical conditions, I highly suggest that you contact your vet first. Seresto and Frontline used together should not interact, but it's never a bad idea to wait a day or two between removing the collar and applying the Frontline. This is my suggestion for your next few days: First, give Bliss a good bath. I do not recommend using any flea or tick shampoos - a regular dog shampoo or baby shampoo should do the trick. Leave the soapy lather on her skin for several minutes before rinsing, and use a flea comb to get rid of as many fleas as possible. Next, give Bliss the Capstar. Immediately after, be sure to wash all her beds on the hottest cycle. Beds that can't be washed should be dusted with diatomaceous earth or borax powder (away from pets). You can do this with carpets, too. Let the dust sit for an hour, then vacuum everything really well. Borax and diatomaceous earth should not harm your pets, but it's best that they don't ingest a lot of it, so try to keep them away while you do this. Throw away your vacuum bag or toss the contents outside in a dumpster right away. If Bliss is an outdoor dog, I highly recommend spraying the yard with an outdoor flea and tick killer, like Advantage Yard and Premise Spray. These cleaning steps are really, really important as the flea life cycle allows flea larvae to live and eat off of fibers in your home for 3 weeks. You should do this cleaning step again in 2 weeks to get any remaining flea eggs or larvae. After 24 hours, apply the Frontline. You should always wait 24 hours after a bath to apply Frontline as the natural oils in the skin need to regenerate before it will work properly, and bathing removes these oils. It is not unusual to see fleas on your dog even after this process, at least for a few weeks. Fleas only jump on your dog to feed, which is when they will come into contact with the Frontline and within 24 hours. Any fleas or larvae remaining in the home will eventually find their way to Bliss, but the Frontline should get them. If these steps don't work, it's time to involve your vet, and possibly a flea removal specialist, like Orkin. I really hope that Bliss is flea-free soon!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Bella has the tapeworm from the fleas. You need to treat her for the fleas with a good preventative, I recommend Comfortis, Bravecto or the Seresto collar. You need to treat ALL the animals in the house hold. Below is a link to a dewormer that gets tape worms. I wish you and Bella the best! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3464

While some flea collars are generally safe to combine with topical flea medication, I do not recommend using either of those products on Khloe. Both are poor quality products that do not work well at all, and Hartz is especially poor. Many animals have had bad reactions to Hartz products, as well as still having problems with fleas. I can give you the flea treatment program I always recommend, which works very well and is safe for Khloe. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!