Flea treatments

[stressed out]

We administered some Bob Martin Sopt on Flea treatment to our little dog but she appears to still be riddled in fleas, my mum gave her a bath and she said that some fleas came off but there was blood running off the dog down with the water! Since we've treated her for the fleas she appears lethargic and drained. I am concerned now as i have seen a bad review of Bob Martin's flea products and a harmful ingredient that is used where the owner's cat had seizures and died! I know Frontline is the best flea treatment to use as i used to work in a Vets and we recommended this for the clients and i used it on my pets back then and it was brilliant, however, it is so expensive that we decided to use cheaper brands. After we bought the Bob Martin my dad went to the local pet shop where the guy told him that the Johnson Flea Tablets are more effective so my dad bought some but now i am sure we cannnot give the dog this at the moment as we only gave her the Bob Martin on Wednesday.

Sorry this is long winded but i'd be grateful for some serious suggestions.

Thanks

[chicklin]

The cat you mentioned was probably treated with flea treatment meant for dogs instead of flea treatment for cats. That can kill them.
I know that vets can be expensive but in my opinion there is no comparison between products you get through your vet and those you buy from the pet shop - the over-the-counter ones are inferior and I've never found them to work very well at all. They are a waste of money. At least when you've got stuff from the vet you know its the right stuff and it'll do what its supposed to. Now, if my dog was lethargic and drained, I wouldn't be writing on this, I'd be at the vets NOW. If the dog had a very heavy infestation of fleas, it could be anaemic and may need an immediate blood transfusion.
Or, the flea treatment may have poisened it. I'm not trying to worry you, and I may be wrong as I haven't seen the dog, but going on what you've said, at the very least, I'd phone the vets and ask for advice.

[stressed out]

Just spoke to my mum about the dog and she says she's better today. We are registered with the P.D.S.A so if she looks out of sorts we'll take her as soon as possible.

[lankeela]

I'm afraid you get what you pay for. Also a lot of the 'spot on' treatments are a treatment which stops flea eggs hatching, but doesn't kill the adult fleas that are present. Frontline spray (not spot on) is the best, as it is a 'knockdown' spray which kills all the fleas present on the dog and then continues to work for several weeks.

The bath will have helped, do this again in a couple of days provided the dog is well enough. Don't hesitate to take it to the vet though in the meantime.

Don't forget to worm the dog as well, as the fleas will lead to worms.

[happy_face]

someone on here in another post recommended a website where they sold cheap Frontline. I went on it and managed to get 2x 6 pack for dogs for the same price as what I paid for one in the vets.
It's called www.petfleas.co.uk
They do cats too and sell worming stuff much cheaper too. Save your money on the Bob Martin as it's no good and go back to Frontline.

[Taran]

If you read the blurb on the Bob Martin packet, I think that it says that the product is a flea repellant and as such does not kill the fleas, The apparent running of blood will be the residual dried out by product of the fleas getting re hydrated, it does look like bleeding but it is not likely to be.

[Nigels Huni]

Please i beg you not to use Bob Martin products again as they are horrendous and will cause you and your dog endless amounts of problems, ive encountered lots of people inc myself that have had the same problems. my friend used the Spot on Flea drops for cats the one reccomended for kittens over a year and it was hospitalised in the vets because it had started to make her experience convulsions and fits, not a nice thing to witness. I always use on both my cats n dog its very safe and works excellently even if its a little expensive. As for treating her with the flea tablets i reccomend that you leave it at least 3 months. I hope this has helped

[Nigels Huni]

sorry i forgot to included the name of the flea treatment i reccomended its called Frontline and its approx �37 for the smaller breeds of dog, you have to purchase it at the vets, so that would also be a good time to ask any questions.

[lizzydrippin]

Although the effective flea treatments like Frontline or Stronghold etc etc are expensive compared to the pet-shop and supermarket products you must keep in mind that the cheap ones just dont work and can actually cause your pet more problems. Surely its better to pay abit extra for something that works well than paying any kind of amount for nothing in return (other than discomfort to the pet) . Best of luck in tracking down some affordable Frontline on line and I hope your dog is feeling back to her normal self now.