Whither Flea & Tick Meds for Shelties?

[Kiyomi]

Vicky & I posted the following article to our blog at Lathe of Dreams, but we were hoping that our good friends & Sheltie folks here might be able to better advise us.

Kiyomi will be 7 months old this November 5th. She has lost all of her puppy fur and now has all her adult fur. Her last puppy tooth (upper front canine) came out a few weeks ago, so now she has all her adult teeth coming in as well. Since she has an inverted vagina, she may be prone to vaginitis and urinary tract infections. Two different veterinarians have recommended we allow her to go through one menstruation in the hopes her vagina develops before we get her spayed. She’ll likely go into heat sometime between November and January, so Vicky & I are keeping an eye on her.

Both Kiyomi’s breeder (Jade Mist Shetland Sheepdogs of Davidsonville, MD) and other Shelties owners have scared us about the harsh effects of chemical flea & tick repellents on Shelties. We have heard about seizures and death as a result of Advantix and Frontline Plus. Out of concern, Vicky & I have been using Liquid Net for Dogs sprayed onto Kiyomi weekly and rubbed into her fur… so that Kiyomi smells like citronella and lemongrass most of the time.

Since Kiyomi has been spending alot more time outdoors with us, we’re trying to find the best possible flea & tick medication/repellent for her time spent in dog parks, taking walks outdoors, and in the brush with Vicky & I. One friend recommended Frontline which he uses on his Sheltie and Dachshund. Our veterinary tech recommends Advantix. With both, we’ve been asked to watch her for possible side-effects or reactions.

To other Sheltie owners and breeders, what medication or repellent would you recommend for your Sheltie? Kiyomi is a 7-month-old, 13-inch, 15lb female Shetland Sheepdog. She is currently on Interceptor monthly and sprayed weekly with Liquid Net. We’d like something a little stronger or protective for her time spent outdoors, but won’t hurt our little fur-kid.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Any thoughts or recommendations from Sheltie Nation? Reading the thread by RetiredProf at Sheltie Nation: Suddenly Paranoid about Flea Meds reinforces our concerns. Is this common among Shelties? What do other Sheltie owners and breeders use to prevent flea & ticks?

 

[Sharon]

Flea Meds

I use on boy my boys K9Advantix flea and tick and have had no problem with it all. Sting is only 14 months old and Shadow 7 yrs.

 

[Sumac3890]

I use Critter powder, I get it from a friend out in Washington state but she sells it on Ebay. I tried to get the link here but would not go.
You just go to ebay and in the search put in Critter powder and click pets and it should take you to a 1 lb bag. It is all natural.

I have other friends that used it to and had great success, it does not kill fleas it prevents them.

 

[Ann]

A number of us here on the Forum began using Natures Defense or Natural Guardian (both the same product) this year. I started using it on my Sheltie who has canine epilepsy since I didn't want to use chemicals on her. I've used it all season with good results. It's made of all natural products and the dogs do smell like cloves for a few days but it's a nice smell! Some dogs seem to object to the smell the first time or so you use it, but it does work on both fleas and ticks. You can find it online.

There's a pretty extensive thread here you can review called Holistic Flea and Tick Repellants....check that out too.

 

[take4roll10]

I use k9advantix on my 5 month old. she's been on it since she was 11 weeks old and no problems.

 

[Fergusmom]

I use Frontline on both my shelties. Fergus is 2 yrs old and been on it since I got him at 3 1/2 mo old. I've only had Baxter about 2 months and have no idea if anything was used on him previously or if there were any issues. The vet records I got through the rescue from the previous owner were minimal. So far neither of them has had any problems with the Frontline.

 

[mbfrench]

We have Trapp on Advantage Multi. He was givin his first complementary dose in his welcome puppy kit from our vet. We had weighed the thoughts of putting him on Revolution,but our vet is not stocking it any more. They feel the Advantage Multi is better.

It is a new 3 in one topical,that takes care of heartworm,fleas,ticks. The revolution is the same. The reason our vet is not stocking it,is due to some positive heartworm tests,after some dogs were givin the topical. But he did tell me,he felt strongly that it was an application issue with the dog owners. As if it is not applied properly is will not dispercse thru the heavy thick coat of a sheltie.
You can google both products,Revolution has high remark comments,from some very satisfied customers.Our Earnhardt was on it,and we loved it,as we did not have to purchase seperate products for preventative treatment.

To be totally honest,we do not do preventative all year here for fleas,or ticks. Earnhardt is seldom outside,only to potty in the summer months.(totally a spoiled when it comes to the AC),but since we live in what folks term as the "Sandhills" of Cheraw..we did use it in the summer months,and of course did preventaive for heartworm all year.

Our feeling is..if ya don't have a problem with fleas,and we never have,then why bother to use a product.
Trapp has done very well with the Advantage Multi,and will continue,as well as Earnhardt.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

I've used Advantage for fleas for years on our dogs and cats with no ill effects. Our cats are no longer with us, but both lived to the ripe old age of 16 and 17. Our one cat was particularly sensitive to chemicals but had no problem with Advantage. The only thing with advantage is that it treats fleas only.

I tried Nature's Guardian on Sadie a while back and it worked like a charm for fleas, mosquitos, flies, etc, but I found that she still got ticks. Although my husband and I found the smell pleasant (cloves and lemon grass), Sadie hated it enough that I eventually returned to using Advantage, which she has no problem with.

I would definitely recommend Nature's Guardian to those who would like to get away from using chemicals, it just did not work for us.

 

[mbfrench]

I've used Advantage for fleas for years on our dogs and cats with no ill effects. Our cats are no longer with us, but both lived to the ripe old age of 16 and 17. Our one cat was particularly sensitive to chemicals but had no problem with Advantage. The only thing with advantage is that it treats fleas only.

I tried Nature's Guardian on Sadie a while back and it worked like a charm for fleas, mosquitos, flies, etc, but I found that she still got ticks. Although my husband and I found the smell pleasant (cloves and lemon grass), Sadie hated it enough that I eventually returned to using Advantage, which she has no problem with.

I would definitely recommend Nature's Guardian to those who would like to get away from using chemicals, it just did not work for us.

Same here with us. Earnhardt was drivin crazy by the strong oder,as well as a foster Chocolate lab we had at the time. Both dogs would roll,rub up against fencing,anything to get away from the smell. To us,upon putting it on the dogs,it brought tears to our eyes just being in the same room with them. As pure as it is,and I'm sure may work,we did not continue using it,because of the strong scent. But to some it may be just fine.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

Same here with us. Earnhardt was drivin crazy by the strong oder,as well as a foster Chocolate lab we had at the time. Both dogs would roll,rub up against fencing,anything to get away from the smell. To us,upon putting it on the dogs,it brought tears to our eyes just being in the same room with them. As pure as it is,and I'm sure may work,we did not continue using it,because of the strong scent. But to some it may be just fine.

Sadie would pace and try to run away from the smell. The first time it lasted 2-3 days. Afterward it lasted 24 hours but I wasn't sure the stress it caused her was worth it.