Comfortis: Effective Method of Flea Control

If you are like me, you are constantly battling fleas.  My dogs spend a fair amount of time outside with me and are constantly getting reinfested with fleas.  This starts an endless cycle which nothing has seemed to control or eliminate.  One of my dogs has developed an allergy to flea bites and so even one flea causes days of scratching and chewing.  She spends half the time looking like something with which the moths have had a field day.

I was complaining to my veterinarian about the ineffectiveness of the sprays and spot ons that I had tried.  I have run the gamut trying Frontline, Advantix, Seargants Gold, etc.  All of them have some effect but it doesn't seem to last until time for the next application.  He suggested that I try Comfortis. 

Comfortis is a pill that is given once a month and kills the fleas before they can lay eggs.  It continues to kill fleas for the full 30 days.  It is suggested that you treat the environment as well but since my dogs have access to about 19 acres, it's impossible to spray it all. 

I tried Comfortis for a month.  It is expensive but VERY effective.  My allergic dog barely scratched at all for 30 days.  Her skin healed up and her coat grew back soft and healthy.  My other dogs showed no signs of fleas for over 30 days. Comfortis begins killing fleas within 30 minutes. 

The only problem that I have heard reported is that you should not give it with high doses of Ivermectin.  To be extra cautious I would give it at a separate time than monthly heartworm medication although in theory that is not a high enough dose of ivermectin to cause problems.

My dog with flea allergies typically suffers the worst in August and September.  I think I will probably use Frontline the rest of the year and then give everyone a dose of Comfortis for those two months.  I would love to see the cost come down to something reasonable as right now it costs me approximately $16 per dog per month.  That is VERY reasonable if you only have one dog but with 4 dogs it is cost prohibitive to keep them on it all year long.

I Am Planning Next Years Attack on Fleas!

photo courtesy of blmurch

In the last few years, it seems like there have been more and more fleas and they have been harder and harder to get kill. Being a groomer, my world revolves around fleas and flea control from June through November. Flea control is more of a challenge every year. I end up using harsher and harsher chemicals to kill the fleas on the dogs, in the shop and at home.

I have always been a huge natural dog care proponent and feed my dogs natural foods, farm raised eggs, goats milk and vegetables. This keeps them in glowing good health but then I sabotage it all by dousing them with poisons. This year, I am going to try something new.

Natural Flea Control

I have been studying natural flea control methods and products. Diatomaceous earth (DE) seems to be the big winner. This basically very fine crushed fossilized skeletons of microscopic organisms. They have very sharp edges. They are so small that they won’t hurt you or your pet but cut fleas up so that they dehydrate and die.

You can sprinkle DE on your pet, in your yard, your carpet, on your furniture and some people even give it to their dogs orally to kill internal parasites. DE is totally non toxic and the fleas can’t build up a resistance to it because it works mechanically (by cutting them up) instead of chemically.

With everything else that I do, I don’t have time to concoct my own so I have looked at prepared products. The product that I have decided on is sold by one of our sponsors, All Natural Flea Control for Dog & Cats at Only Natural Pet Store . The reviews seem to be mixed but I believe that part of that is a) incorrect application and b) expecting immediate results!

With any natural product, you are not going to see the immediate kill that you do with chemicals. It takes time for the fleas to come in contact with it and then to die from the exposure. You will also want to follow the directions with regard to the amounts to use on both pets and carpet. The last time I spoke with Dr. Swann, she was using DE to control fleas and parasites on her own animals.

This product covers all three zones, the dog, the house and the yard. You can't beat that.