Need advice on flea and tick products!

[Susan Crespo]

OK so I take my 9 week old pup to the vet for a check up and the vet tells me he will need this flea and tick treatment that you apply to the back of his neck. She goes on to say to keep the children away from the pup for 24 to 48 hours and to make sure I also do not touch the area I applied the treatment to.
So tonight was the first night I tried to apply it and accidently got some on my fingers. So of course I panicked and go online to see if this could be harmful to me. Well wouldn't you know it the internet was full of articles that this stuff was not only harmful to humans but to pets as well. It had a list of possible side effects and described how it could effect the pups organs, cause cancer and a host of other things. So again I panic and wake up my sleeping pup who was exhausted to give him a bath to get the stuff off of him. Some people online had recommened home remedies to keep flea and ticks away such as adding garlic and brewers yeast to the dog's food. Does anyone know anything about these flea and tick products? What do you use? What does your vet say? I guess part of me feels that some vets may pedal these products due to incentives they get from the pharmaceuticls. Anyone have any adivice? Would be greatly appreciated.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Susan, there have been many discussions here about this topic. Here's the results of a search on past discussions.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topic/search?q=flea+%26+tick
I use Frontline, because for me, the risks of disease from flea & tick infestations is greater than the risk from the topical products. Dogs can die from flea infestations, they can get develop a serious disease called flea allergy dermatitis, and ticks carry Lyme disease, which can also kill a dog or leave permanent organ damage. Puppies are more at risk for developing serious illness than adult dogs, as their immune systems are immature.
Others choose to try natural preventatives because of the reported dangers of the topicals. There is no "natural" preventative that is proven to work effectively, but many people would rather take their chances rather than expose their dogs to the spot-on products. I think you have to consider how prevalent fleas and/or ticks are in your area, and your particular dogs overall health & risk factors. Everyone has to make the choice they are comfortable with.
One thing I can assure you of, though, is that the vets are not pedalling these products for monetary gains. First of all, they are all available over the counter and on-line without a prescription, so there is no pharmaceutical company incentive.
I believe the vets recommend them because they are what is guaranteed to work.

[Adina P]

Any time I've gotten any on my fingers I've just rinsed and washed it off with soap & water--what brand did you use? Now I just pull on a pair of latex gloves so I don't have to worry about it at all. I use Frontline Plus. My vet has never tried to sell any flea/tick preventive to me. I'm sure Frontline promotes their products to vets...as all the other companies do, but I haven't seen much to prove other things work as well and I'd rather avoid fleas if possible.

There are some DK members who prefer a more 'natural' approach. If you go to the main forum page and type in "Frontline" or "flea" into the search box and hit enter you'll find all sorts of past discussions with other alternative suggestions.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree with the answers you've gotten. We have many deer ticks here in NJ and Lyme disease is serious. I use Fronline plus and have had no problems with it. I am sure some dogs may have had bad experiences but you can find all sorts of misinformation on the web. The benefits of the prevention outweigh the risks. If you get some on your fingers just wash it off. The area is on the skin so casual contact is unlikely but certainly avoid that area of your dog until it's thoroughly dry and an extra couple of days is probably wise. Just wash your hands or have the kids wash theirs if they pet the dog in that area soon after the application.

[Holly St Pierre]

I too use Frontline plus & have for years, I had a 3lb maltese prior to Gunner & even with his size, he never had a side effect. There are dogs that do, however that can happen with any product, food, etc. Just ensure you wash your hands after applying regardless of whether you think you got any on your fingers or not. Trust me, the cost of getting rid of fleas will cost you dearly. My friend just spent over $3500. If your puppy does have a reaction to Frontline, there are other products you can get from your vet. I would highly recommend using something. My neighbor just got a doberman & they get a pill from their vet for flea preventative, keep in mind, this doesn't do anything for ticks, just fleas.

[Kevin Lackey]

Brody gets Frontline also. I must admit, I'm a bit green to this discussion, being a new dog dad again for the first time in more years than I care to admit.

I remember when dogs just wore a white flea/tick collar that you could buy at a grocery store.

[Susan Crespo]

Thanks for all the advice. Maybe I over reacted however those articles are really scarry. My vet gave me Advantax but it seems everyone thinks frontline plus is the way to go. I wish there were a pill for both flea and ticks.

[F, Calla & Luca]

A pill might not be any safer.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Actually, Susan, the pills are more invasive in terms of how much chemical gets into the dog's bloodstream than the spot-on products.
I have been using the topicals for years and have never even thought about a risk if some of it gets on me or my family. And we've never had any reactions, or avoided hugging & petting Jack, although I wouldn't advise letting kids get the stuff on their skin.
Jackdoodle's specialist actually recommended Advantix to me as being one of the products with the least safety concerns, but I am using up the Frontline that I already have first.

[Karen & Lucy]

Well Susan, here is how I look at this......... I would rather Lucy have the benefit of not having fleas or ticks by applying Advantix topically once a month then worrying about all of the side effects. I also have the vet give her Lyme's vaccine b/c we live in a high deer tick area. There are side effects to that too, but I also do not want her to get Lymes disease. There are many many side effects to ALL medications, canine &/or human, BUT the benefits outway the side effects when the medication is needed. If everyone was afraid of the side effects of the medications they need, we would not take them and be in poor health or worse, not around any more. There are many medications to apply for fleas/ticks so, if your doodle has a reaction to one then you would use something else. I am a nurse and maybe that is why I feel the way I do.