# Do you use flea medication in the winter??



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I live in PA. Do you guys who live in states that get cold use flea treatment all year round? With frontline not working anymore, I need to come up with something else. I am struggling! 

I am doing Heartguard for heart worms every 45 days from april-oct. Then I am using a Preventick collar april-nov for ticks. But I need to find something for fleas….HELP!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

lfung5 said:


> I live in PA. Do you guys who live in states that get cold use flea treatment all year round? With frontline not working anymore, I need to come up with something else. I am struggling!
> 
> I am doing Heartguard for heart worms every 45 days from april-oct. Then I am using a Preventick collar april-nov for ticks. But I need to find something for fleas&#8230;.HELP!


Here in MA, I use everything year round. When Frontline stopped working, I switched to K9 Advantix II which works on fleas, ticks and mosquitos. Ticks are year round on Cape Cod, unfortunately. I use Iverhart for heartworm. Would like to give Tyler a break from these chemicals, however, he's been on them his whole life and it hasn't harmed him. I just don't like using them.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I've been using these chemicals forever too. Fred started having skin problems so it's forcing me to look at things that could be the cause. I'm in the process of transitioning his food back to raw and cutting back on chemicals. 

Frontline plus is still working for fleas but is not as good for ticks. I am considering staying with the frontline for the fleas and a backup for ticks in the cold cold months. Then adding the preventic collars in the warmer months. Ticks are bad because if we get one warm day they are all over the dogs! 

It is such a battle for me.....I hate putting poison on my dogs but I have had lyme myself 3 times and won't stop hiking them.


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

For Tiimy Advantix II year round. Linda my vet told me fleas were/are terrible this past season, worst she's seen ever. She suggested keeping Tim on Advantix year round since fleas and ticks are now around in the winter due to things being so mild. I do have Mae on two herbal deterrents which have been working okay. I'm trying to keep her off Advantix till the spring due to her size. Let me know if you want info on the products I'm using for Mae.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody usually only gets 2 applications of flea treatment about 2 months apart. It's winter here for so long that really seems to be all that I need to do. He's not had a flea yet (knock on wood). I honestly don't remember what brand I use. He doesn't get the heartworm pill because heartworm isn't an issue in this part of the province (in other areas it is).


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Thanks Jen. I wish I trusted the herb products. With hiking where we do, I'm afraid the deer ticks would still get on them. With the boys being black they are impossible to see!


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

For you hard-core anti-chemical people like me, I live in South Carolina _ quite possibly the flea capitol of the USA and I don't put chemicals on my dogs. I treat the yard with DE during most of the months. Once every couple of years I put out an insecticide and keep the dogs off the ground until rain washes it away. I am only writing to say it can be done, so with diligence it's possible not to use poison on your dogs. 

They do pick up a flea every now and then, but a good bath will take care of that and treating our fenced in yard keeps the flea pop. at bay. And I've never had a flea infestation in my house. Ticks are easy to control. Just brush out and go over your dog after being in the woods and you can pick them off before they have had a chance to latch on. With all the hair ticks have a harder time getting to the skin.

PS, this past summer I broke down and gave them 1 Comfortis and they scratched and chewed so badly from a reaction to the pill that I swore I would never use it again. Wasn't worth it.


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## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

I stop using flea meds once we get the first hard freeze. What I use is ineffective against ticks anyway so that's out of the equation.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I took my guys hiking 3 weeks ago with my foster Kenny who was white. He came back covered in deer ticks. They were so tiny you could barely see them. They were a speck of dirt! My guys are black and even if I comb them the ticks are too tiny. I would have to use a flea comb and to do that daily for all 3 of them would be impossible for me. I hate using chemicals but I live in the deer tick capital of PA. My guys hike in the woods and pick up everything…..I guess if they were house dogs or went on normal walks it would be different.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

I live in the mid-west where it is very cold now and 2 of my friends dogs have fleas. I give my dog REvolution, it's the flea and heart worm all in one.


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## tra_po (Aug 14, 2013)

I do. But my home backs up to a forest and we have deer (and ticks!).


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## chataboutthat (Jun 6, 2013)

tippi has been on trifexis (yeah, i know. some dogs have had bad reactions to it) all her life. i don't give it to her from 12/15 - 3/1 and if it's still really cold on 3/1 i may extend that to 3/15. i also give it to her every 5-6 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. she's done really well with that dosage. she's never had a flea and nashville is the flea capital of the western world.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I live in NC and still only do flea meds about 5 or 6 times per year! Typically skip December - March the apply April, June, August, September, October and maybe November. I really only do so when it's essential. Haven't had flea or tick issues in years. Tend to do Heartguard March-November. So far so good. I really try not to use more than essential.


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