A Eureka Springs woman earlier this summer spent $200 on a well-known product from her veterinarian that she applied on her two dogs to kill the fleas and ticks. It didn’t work. The dogs are miserable, constantly scratching. And she feels like moving out of a home she has lived in for decades because she is so worn out from the severe flea infestation.
The active ingredient in the product that woman purchased is fipronil. Dr. Tony Pike, owner of the Animal Hospital of Eureka Springs, has found that local fleas have developed a tolerance to it so it doesn’t work.
“I have customers who say it is working for them, and people in other parts of the U.S. say it is working for them,” Pike said. “I used to use it and loved it. I started having resistance problems. Flea products are just like antibiotics. The fleas develop resistance to them. If something is not working, stop using it. There is no sense exposing the pet to chemicals when there is no benefit.”
Vets are the first to learn when a product is no longer working.
“When you are dealing with as many different animals as vets do, as soon as something stops working, we’re seeing not just your animals but a whole bunch of other animals,” Pike said. “And we don’t want to sell you something that doesn’t work. We’re looking for something that works. This is true of all vets in the area. If you have a flea problem, go to your vet and ask what you should do. I’ve had very few situations I can remember in my career where it wasn’t fairly easy to get under control.”
He said it is absolutely imperative all animals you have are on some good flea adulticide, of which there are many. Personally, he likes oral products for dogs because sometimes you have problem with topical ones if the dog have a lot of fur.
Pike said flea bombs in the house often don’t work because it won’t kill fleas in the cocoon stage, and chemicals don’t get underneath places where immature fleas thrive, such as under the couch. He recommends area treatment.
Pike was reluctant to name brands saying he carries some that are good, but there are others he doesn’t carry that are also effective.
Diane Ferguson, who heads Unconditional Love Pet Rescue, has dozens of dogs under her care. She recommends K-9 Advantix II.
“That has been really successful for us,” Ferguson said. “It is a bad year for insects this year, especially for ticks. It is one of the worst years yet. It doesn’t just affect dogs. A lot of cats are getting bobcat fever from tick bites.”
If you have fleas in the house, she recommends a product called Knockout. Product information on for Knockout says it is “an inverted aerosol house spray containing pyrethrins and permethrin to kill active flea and tick infestations. Also, contains pyriproxyfen (NYLAR® Insect Growth Regulator) to prevent flea infestations from developing for up to seven months. One 16 ounce can covers 2,100 square feet.”
Another solution Ferguson recommends is shaking Borax Mule Powder all over the house and then vacuuming it up.
“And garlic pills work for dogs to prevent ticks,” she said. “We once had a dog rescue where a lot of dogs were living outdoors in an area where there were a lot of ticks. But they didn’t have ticks because they had garlic in their food every day.”
Fleas and ticks are not only a nuisance, but can be a serious health risk to both animals and humans, said Troy Johnson, president of the board of directors of the Good Shepherd Human Society.
“We are constantly fighting it at the shelter,” Johnson said. “We have to use economical measures at the shelter, which can include a dip bath for a new intake, followed by a monthly regimen of meds. We don’t have much dirt there where we house animals, which is good and bad.”
A flea infestation on a property is a serious problem. Treating the animals will not help. You have to drain the swamp, so to speak, Johnson said.
“You have to really quarantine the animals for a few weeks in a flea-free zone to treat them, so find an appropriate location in the home or yard where you can treat before you quarantine them. Unfortunately, the cost of getting rid of fleas on a property is not super cheap, but it is worth the price.”
If a yard infestation is bad, a professional should be called in, Johnson recommends.
“They can spray pretty big areas for about 100 to 200 bucks,” Johnson said. “This is a nuclear option because it uses chemicals. The other option, which could be used after the spray of the yard areas, is to scatter diatomaceous earth everywhere, and repeat that process after rains. You can buy this at Walmart and it is not expensive. This recommendation is for clearing an outside area prior to using it as a quarantine zone.”
For a house, he has the same recommendations. If it is bad infestation, you will probably need chemicals to get rid of them. If the infestation is not super bad, you can literally scatter diatomaceous earth on the carpet and floors, let sit for a few hours, then vacuum up. You should do this several times to be safe. The animals should be quarantined while this occurs. But a day in a kennel will be worth it for them.
“Personally, I would take the animals to a vet and have them treated (dipped) if the infestation was bad, while I did the clean up on the yard and/or property,” Johnson said. “Once you get rid of the fleas, maintenance might be required depending on the area. Some people have to spray once or twice a year in the yard, others not. Some just use the diatomaceous earth and that works well. For the animals, we use a medication called Nex Gard which is a chewable.”
While deer and other animals contribute to an influx of fleas and ticks, Johnson said he lives in the woods with all kinds of critters and does not have a flea issue at all, which is a huge blessing.
“We have our yard sprayed annually and treat the dogs consistently,” Johnson said. “No problems.”