Why aren't Frontline or Seresto getting rid of my dog's fleas?

Please do not feed garlic to your dog, it can cause blood disease in dogs! Here are instructions for flea prevention: Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons and/or chews Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Simparica, Nexgard Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well)

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The good thing is that there are many things that can be tried to help in this case. I highly recommend that you consider using a product called Capstar which helps to kill a lot of fleas at once and it can be given every day to effect. I would not give up on the Seresto just yet as it may be failed because of heavy flea exposure and it would otherwise work well. However, if this occurs again especially under regular circumstances then that would be the time to consider other flea preventative products such as Bravecto or Frontline day plus for example. The most effective way of cleaning the house is by vacuuming all the surfaces that have contact with Riley on a daily basis until no fleas are seen. You can now use a comb to remove any fleas or flea dirt. This is very likely going to help. I hope you find this information helpful. Good luck and have a great day!

Flea infestations can be really frustrating to manage! It sounds as though you're doing all of the right things to manage this issue. However, in recent years, I have not found Frontline Plus to be as effective as it once was. Consider talking to your vet about switching to an oral flea preventive, such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Credelio or Simparica. (All are prescription-based, which is why you'll need to first talk to your vet.) I find these medications MUCH more effective at rapidly killing several flea lifestages, which helps to break the flea life cycle (adults lay eggs, which become larvae, then pupae, then adults, which lay more eggs). Consistently giving flea preventives is the best way to resolve a flea infestation. Over the counter oral medications like Capstar are great at killing adult fleas, but only last for 24 hours. K9 Advantix II is an over the counter topical option that works well, but isn't quite in the same league as the prescription orals. Also be sure to wash any blankets, pillows or bedding that is machine washable on the hottest setting allowable. Try to wash these things at least once a week. If all else fails, consult an exterminator to treat your environment. Flea baths are largely ineffective at treating fleas. Many of these flea shampoos cause skin irritation, so I would just try using a regular dog shampoo every few months to wash off any dead fleas or flea dirt. Also be sure to talk to your vet about checking a stool sample for tapeworms, as dogs can ingest tapeworm eggs if they eat infected fleas. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Atlas! https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/flea-infestation-1/

I'm sorry you are having such problems with fleas! I have personally found, as have a number of my colleagues, that there is resistance to Frontline and pets continue to have problems with them despite applying the Frontline. I will give you the flea treatment program I typically recommend and have found to be very effective. First, I would give Shadow 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, this is very important. Wash his 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. You may have to flea bomb the house a few times to kill all the fleas. My brother had a problem with fleas in his home, and the exterminator had to visit three times before they were all gone. I hope this helps!

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!

I'm so sorry you are having a hard time with Boogie! Capstar is safe to give daily, but ONLY kills adult fleas. More fleas will be jumping onto Boogie daily until all of the viable eggs in the environment have hatched or been rid of. Frontline (and Advantage and Revolution) kills adult fleas AND makes the eggs laid by the fleas that are on the dog unable to hatch once they are in the environment. That's why it takes some time to see results, whether you are using Frontline, Advantage or Revolution. That is also why Capstar continues to be beneficial in killing the adults that are on the dog. Think of it this way. Adults fleas get onto the dog. They eat, mate, poop, and lay eggs. The poop from the fleas, and the eggs, both drop off into the environment. When the eggs hatch out, which takes 2 weeks, the larvae (baby fleas) feed on the flea poop that was dropped into the environment. They ultimately develop into the adult fleas that will again find an adult host to infect. Since an adult flea can lay 50 eggs a day, you can see how important it is to treat the environment and break the life cycle. You may find this article helpful. http://www.petsandparasites.org/dog-owners/fleas/ To specifically answer your question, Frontline doesn't "get stronger" with time, but it takes consistent treatment to break the cycle of new fleas hatching out in the environment and getting back on. Until you've got better control, apply either Frontline (or Advantage, or Revolution) as frequently as recommended by your vet; typically this will be about 2 week intervals for 4-8 weeks. Again, consult with your vet for specific advice on your individual dog's needs. Also, vacuum and wash bedding, carpets, couches, etc. I hope that clarifies things for you a bit. Don't hesitate to post on the forum again or request a consultation for further assistance. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Capstar will only kill those fleas that are on the dog and sucking blood once. Getting rid of fleas is relatively easy but entails work for a few months: Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly )Bravecto/Nexgard/Seresto will last longer) 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons: Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto/Nexgard spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) House spray: Indoorex Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you so much!