New puppy - a few questions

We are currently using Parastar & have had good success we were using Frontline but our Doc suggested the switch. We live in a very high tick area & have had several found crawling on us starting back in March. Dogs with Lyme and other tick borne diseases are very common here. Fleas are not much of an issue. Parastar says apply to puppies over 12 weeks of age.........

I don't like to use insecticides on my dogs unless I HAVE to (Aussies react to some chemicals) and mine aren't exposed to overly "buggy" places - but I WILL comb them with a flea comb nightly if they start scratching. Granted, a flea comb doesn't work on long-coated dogs; but for a Lab puppy, it would?

The flea comb also gives me an idea of the number of fleas on the dog - if I start finding more than a couple - THEN it's time to get something from the Vet. I know I can order stuff online, but I trust my Vet.

We typically use Frontline on our Shepherd mix. Tried Advantix Plus a couple times. Each time, within a minute or so of applying, he started pacing and acting agitated. This would last a couple hours. Back to Frontline and no problems.

On the eating, just watch her after she eats. If she starts hiccuping after meals, then she's probably eating air along with the food and that can be a problem. The other thing to watch is any food that is even remotely within reach of her or the other dogs. If she is that food oriented, she will likely be a food thief.

My Bat-dog is a food thief and inhales her meals - she is definitely not starving, but the desire for any and all food is extreme. At first, I thought it would make for an easy training tool, but she also tends to get possessive with food in her vicinity so it can create problems with her brother. I have caught him, Moose-dog, knocking food off the counter (she can't reach it) and then just letting her eat it (it was chocolate the first time - and he never even tried to eat any himself)... I suspect he's actually trying to kill her as she is a little snot.

On the flea issue, is there something that is stronger than Frontline with less side effects than Advantix?

We have tried one of the tablets, either Trifexis or Comfortis, and it smelled so horrible that the dogs wouldn't go near it.

Oaklevel wrote:
Not sure of a good answer for a dog that eats like there is no tomorrow. Our sons dog is a Ole English Bulldog / Norwegian Elk hound mix & he is the same way tried the bowls designed to slow them down & placed a heavy toy in the bowl really not sure that either helps much.

Good Luck.

So it must just be how she is wired. One of the reasons he moved back home is because his roommate's girlfriend thought he wasn't feeding the puppy enough because she always acts so ravenous. She would feed the puppy in her crate while my son was at work and the puppy would have accidents in the crate as a result. He tried explaining that it is just the way she is, she is getting plenty of food and that you can't feed a dog without giving them the chance to go to eliminate afterwards.

Not so happy that we aren't empty nesters anymore but happy that he is doing the right thing for the puppy. The puppy and our younger dog wear each other out which makes our older dog very happy because she gets to sit on the couch and do nothing. :)

dturm wrote:

352 wrote:
You are aware that what kills the fleas kills the dog? Bluntly put. Research it!!!!!!!

I was going to let this go, but I just have to respond :)

This is a very sensational statement long on drama and short on facts. If you have research supporting your assertion, show it.

Have there been deaths reportedly associated with flea products? YES.

These terrible situations have been thoroughly investigated and fit into categories of:
1. owner error (using dog product on cats), improper dosing (using large dog dose on small dog)
2. specific product related problem (a specific Hartz product was implicated a few years ago)
3. use on a sick/debilitated animal
4. use of a product that was tampered with - specifically counterfeit product usually purchases cheaply on the internet from unknown sources.

What these sensational stories/statements fail to mention is that serious diseases ARE transmitted or spread by fleas and ticks and are a threat to people as well as your pets. Fleas and ticks are not just a nuisance.

Responses have mentioned Lyme disease, but other diseases happen as well: Bartonellosis, Erlichiosis, Rickettsial diseases (several including Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever), Meningoencephalitis, tapeworms, and most frightening to me is that there are new ones showing up that we don't know about.

One other note, in 37 years of practice I have not seen a single death from a flea/tick product; and that includes many years when the products used were not as safe as the spot ons we now have.

Reactions were not usual, but not uncommon - those being topical irritation where the spot on was applied.

BTW, advantix is labeled for use in puppies as young as 7 wks of age. Just make sure you use the appropriate size for the weight of the puppy.

Doug, DVM

I agree with you, to a point. What you do not mention is the use on an older dog(what is the definition of an older dog, who knows that answer?) The companies that sell these products, readily agree, they could cause damage to an older dog... Not just the sickly dogs as is commonly believed. The drugs filter through the liver and kidneys. As you well know, the older we get, the older the organs. As an example, children have better longevity after chemo because their organs are younger. Whether it be chemo or flea medicine, what you put into the body to kill the causative organisms can kill the user. After we lost two of our healthy older best friends from kidney failure, who were treated with top of the line flea products, advised and monitored by our DVM, we started our search. Like you, our DVM was not sold that it was the flea products, until he himself started to see his older clients passing away from one particular top of line product, usually from kidney failure. He no longer refers his clients to flea products after the age of seven years.

Thanks for your view Doc I for one was hoping you would comment. There is so much false hype and misinformation on the internet. Then it gets spread....

Not sure of a good answer for a dog that eats like there is no tomorrow. Our sons dog is a Ole English Bulldog / Norwegian Elk hound mix & he is the same way tried the bowls designed to slow them down & placed a heavy toy in the bowl really not sure that either helps much.

Good Luck.

The puppy (Nora) is an 8 week old black lab. She is my son's first dog and unfortunately, he got her when she was only 5 weeks old. She has adjusted just fine and crate training is going well.

He takes her to the vet on Friday and I will have him ask for flea med recommendations for the puppy. We have found that Frontline isn't very effective for our dogs so wanted to try Advantix, especially with all the news about ticks lately. Good to know that it is safe for 7 week old puppies. We also have some Zodiak house spray that I will use when the dogs I can put the dogs in their crates for a while.

One other question, is it normal for her to gobble her food down like she hasn't eaten in days? We have been told this is a "lab" thing. We keep food in our dogs dishes for them to eat whenever they want and they can ignore it for a day before eating it. I know we can't leave food down all the time with a puppy. She freaks out about food every feeding. She is fed 3 times a day and probably a little more than what is recommended on the bag.

Thank you for the advice.

dturm wrote:

352 wrote:
You are aware that what kills the fleas kills the dog? Bluntly put. Research it!!!!!!!

I was going to let this go, but I just have to respond :)

This is a very sensational statement long on drama and short on facts. If you have research supporting your assertion, show it.

Have there been deaths reportedly associated with flea products? YES.

These terrible situations have been thoroughly investigated and fit into categories of:
1. owner error (using dog product on cats), improper dosing (using large dog dose on small dog)
2. specific product related problem (a specific Hartz product was implicated a few years ago)
3. use on a sick/debilitated animal
4. use of a product that was tampered with - specifically counterfeit product usually purchases cheaply on the internet from unknown sources.

What these sensational stories/statements fail to mention is that serious diseases ARE transmitted or spread by fleas and ticks and are a threat to people as well as your pets. Fleas and ticks are not just a nuisance.

Responses have mentioned Lyme disease, but other diseases happen as well: Bartonellosis, Erlichiosis, Rickettsial diseases (several including Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever), Meningoencephalitis, tapeworms, and most frightening to me is that there are new ones showing up that we don't know about.

One other note, in 37 years of practice I have not seen a single death from a flea/tick product; and that includes many years when the products used were not as safe as the spot ons we now have.

Reactions were not usual, but not uncommon - those being topical irritation where the spot on was applied.

BTW, advantix is labeled for use in puppies as young as 7 wks of age. Just make sure you use the appropriate size for the weight of the puppy.

Doug, DVM

I'm glad you did speak up. I can't imagine going back to the days of ineffectual flea dips, collars, and Hartz products. There are also additional products like Zodiak yard & kennel spray and Zodiak household spray that can be used in conjunction with the topical products - if done per instructions, you can completely eliminate fleas in and around your home for years.