Are all fleas the same?

OMG Mark - I love you!!! I didn't realize there was such a thing - I immediately emailed the link to my sis-in-law. She's not fond of using poisons (neither am I) - but clearly, she has a serious flea problem AND she has a feral-turned-housecat who comes and goes during the day. They live in a VERY upscale neighborhood, in a BEAUTIFUL house - but all the lavish landscaping has just created the perfect habitat for flea-carrying critters.

I'll give these a try at my house this summer, too!

Sounds like you need to treat your in law's yard with nematodes. We did this for my in law's yard to help prevent our dogs from getting fleas when we visited.

nabi wrote:
poor Jimmy...fleas and ticks are miserable little beasts to deal with...Izzys cardiologist was telling me that the ticks here seem to becoming immune to Revolution...its strange how some dogs just attract fleas/ticks...one corgi down the street from us picks up ticks everyday on his walks on the malecon...she never lets him step foot on the beach... He wears a tick collar, gets some sort of rub on med..gets daily tick checks...and weekly tick baths..its a full time job for his momma LOL

Maybe some dogs are tastier than others?? I'm pretty sure it's that way with humans and mosquitoes - 3 of my daughters are Korean, and the skeeters MUCH prefer them over me.

Eons ago, my sister had a half-arabian mare who was allergic to mosquito bites, would develop huge welts. My sis fed her brewer's yeast (?) which was supposed to make her less tasty??

poor Jimmy...fleas and ticks are miserable little beasts to deal with...Izzys cardiologist was telling me that the ticks here seem to becoming immune to Revolution...its strange how some dogs just attract fleas/ticks...one corgi down the street from us picks up ticks everyday on his walks on the malecon...she never lets him step foot on the beach... He wears a tick collar, gets some sort of rub on med..gets daily tick checks...and weekly tick baths..its a full time job for his momma LOL

And another (amazing) update: we went back to my bro-in-law's house for Dec 24th/25th, where my dogs first picked up the flea infestation that started Jimmy's allergic reaction. (They have TONS of squirrels, opossums, raccoons, etc that live in their neighborhood)

My dogs would go out into their backyard to potty - and come back into the house. Within a few minutes - DEAD FLEAS would surface on their fur!! I was stunned that the Bravecto worked that fast!

Unfortunately, my suspicions were correct, though: in order for the Bravecto to kill a flea, it has to bite its victim. So Jimmy still has multiple itchy welts from the bites - but he doesn't have the angry-hives reaction he had from my first post. He still scratches a lot - but isn't chewing/tearing at his skin like he did before. He's back on Benadryl at night, to make things more peaceful for ALL of us.

Ben, who doesn't seem to have flea allergies - is fine. He spent two days gathering fleas, and didn't bring any home to our house ;-)

Just popping back in to report that Jimmy has been off the Benadryl for a day-and-a-half, with no licking/biting/scratching. I'm sure it's inevitable that he will pick up fleas, and they need to bite to die (as I understand the way Bravecto works). I was concerned that the occasional flea bite could start the allergic reaction again - but so far (fingers crossed) - that's not been the case.

Deb and Ed M wrote:

xteacher wrote:


I will have to ask my vet about Bravecto.

It wasn't cheap - $55 per tablet (but we're in a sort of upscale area, so might be priced accordingly?); but if it had been $100/tablet, I would have gladly paid the price for how much more comfortable Jimmy is.

Wow, that's what I paid for the Sorresto collar that lasts 8 months. I don't blame you for paying it though, given your circumstances. Thanks for the information.

xteacher wrote:


I will have to ask my vet about Bravecto.

It wasn't cheap - $55 per tablet (but we're in a sort of upscale area, so might be priced accordingly?); but if it had been $100/tablet, I would have gladly paid the price for how much more comfortable Jimmy is.

Fleas and ticks are definitely the scourge of the south! I live in Georgia, and some of the vet prescribed flea/tick meds have quit working (Frontline Plus and Frontline Tritak). The monthly chewable, NexGard, works well, but is insanely expensive. I decided to try the Sorresto Flea/Tick Collar when they went on sale at PetSmart, and so far, so good! If they don't get wet, they will last up to eight months. I take it off whenever I bathe the dogs, and they don't stay outside long enough in the rain to worry about it.

I will have to ask my vet about Bravecto.

I just did a "tummy check" on Jimmy, searching for fleas, and I see none. His skin looks less red and angry, but the insides of his back legs and tummy still look hive-y. Spots that he chewed raw, now look "calm", with healthy-looking scabs.

I guess the million-dollar question going forward, is if every flea bite will cause more hives? Obviously, time will tell. My understanding of Bravecto is that it kills feeding fleas, so they will still jump on Jimmy and bite. While I'm not keen on having a systemic insecticide residing in my dogs, it's more important to have them comfortable and not chewing themselves to shreds. And since Ben also had fleas - he's sort of my "control" dog. He shows no effects from the Bravecto except that he no longer stops what he's doing to scratch at a flea. So far, I'm pretty impressed with the product.