This may be out of place, being posted in a horse forum, but many of you horse owners also own dogs. I have a question about flea medication.

One of our Jacks has very bad flea allergies, and cannot tolerate the application of most types of medication between the shoulder blades, onto the skin. The dip/ wash medications also bother him as well. With a minimal success, we have used Dawn for bathing and flea abatement, but it does little good for his allergies.

Yesterday at a Vet's visit, I was told about a product called "COMFORTIS". This is a pill that is swallowed by your pet and is supposed to kill adult fleas for one month. In an Internet search, I found that it does not kill larvae, and supposedly may involve, non life threatening side affects.

I have never heard of this product, and hate to give it unknowingly to my pet, without knowing more about it. The vet said "it won't hurt him". In my mind, that doesn't generate much of an endorsement.

I was wondering if anyone else has tried this product?

Thank you             Gard

Hey gard, fancy meeting you here!

I asked the better half about the comfortis and she and our vet said that since it does NOT kill the eggs, why use it?  She handles all of our dog stuff (15 as of now) and she has had good luck some type of garlic pills.  She is going to find the inforomation on it Friday and I will pass it on.  We use it for a while but with 15 dogs it was getting a little pricey.  We have been luck this year and have not had a bad outbreak of fleas or ticks....

HTB

We've used Comfortis for about a year now on an English Setter and a Springer Spaniel. We had a bad flea problem in the back year due to neighbors dogs and yard conditions and the liquid meds spread on the back had just stopped working. The Comfortis is doing a great job. These dogs are outside all day and sleep in the house at night.

I also was concerned about the med interaction but have not had any problems. I give the comfortis on the first of the month and heartworm med on the 15ht so as to have a little margin there.

Ike

We started using Comfortis a few months ago- our dogs swim all the time, and get a bath at least once a week so the topicals weren't lasting. Everyonce in a while you'll spot a flea, which we'll spray but it's worked great for how often they are exposed to fleas! For allergies, I have to give benadryl to my shep. mix. She loves to hunt, but hasn't adjusted to the heat & plants in Texas- so she'd come home all puffy and itching. She's 55lb and we give 1-2 as needed. Check with your vet, yours are a lot smaller, but you may be able to give half a pill and the generics work well so its an affordable solution!

I've been using Irish Spring for years. Being of Irish descent, I'm obliged to. This has helped greatly. I no longer have flea infested arm pits, and since I don't lick my butt anymore, my wife is much less embarrased to take me out to public functions.

BOL Gard

A follow up to my question about COMFORTIS. First, thank you all for your input. I was pleased to hear that others were using this product and were satisfied.

After reading your reports, I gave our Jack one of the pills. He chewed and swallowed it without difficulty, and exhibited no adverse reaction to its ingestion. It has been a few days since it was introduced, and I have only noticed a slight reduction in his flea itching and over all comfort level. Again, most of his problem is caused by allergies to flea bites, which goes beyond just a localized itching problem.

I have attempted to medicate him with generic Benedryill, and it causes him to be lethargic, vomit and go off his food. So I've stopped.

COMFORTIS is supposed to start working within a half an hour of first eating. I would be surprised that any wholesale flea eradications would quickly follow. He is improving, and that's a plus.

One other issue is cost. From our vet, a one month supply, one pill is $22 each. When I researched this product on line, there were various sources that sell it for almost half when you purchase a 6 month supply. It is a prescription drug, so you will need a script from your vet to place an order. If a family had a herd of dogs like Hogtownboss, this medication could be quite expensive.

Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences.

Gard

Gard, my Eng. Setter was scratching, itching... an we thought it was flea allergy. After Comfortis it got better because the fleas were gone but she continued to scratch and bite sometimes with no sign of fleas.

A vet inspection and some test led to a yeast infection in her skin.  Shampoo and meds from our vet and she is fine.  Shampoo is Chlorhexidine PS available over the counter for about $35....and med prescrip. is Ketalconazole.

Its working great for us. Check with ur vet. Good Luck.

I'll do exactly that! Thank you for the information.

Did your setter get hot spots at the base of her tail and chest? We have to these areas directly injected with a cortizone to give him some relief.

Gard

Just a thought.... lots of dogs have food allergies that cause itching.  Corn, wheat and soy are some of the culprits.

Marla

I guess that Tucumcari is just too small and too isolated to have access to those feeds.  It is impossible to find by-product free dog food here.

Marla

I'll do exactly that! Thank you for the information.

Did your setter get hot spots at the base of her tail and chest? We have to these areas directly injected with a cortizone to give him some relief.

Gard

Hot spots at tail base and on legs. Went thru the shot thing too....that always worked for a month or so then the scratching and hot spots would return. Sulfadine would provide temporary relief.

Also tried every diff kind of food thinking it was food allergy, but it did not make any difference either.

She is on Purina One Lamb now.....

After all this my vet decided to try the specific medicated shampoo and med I mentioned above and its working great. Took several trips before she hit on this treatment though.

Dog is back to her old self now and can sleep through the night without getting up an prancing all around the house itching. He hair is growing back too.....should have her nice feathers back by hunting season...so they can catch some cockleburrs.  

I  own a dog grooming business and have been at it 20 years now.  I have only come across One  dog that has the same problem as yours.  when this dog  comes into the shop I can,t even use  any flea treatment at all in the shop on that day !   Never seen anything like ti before.

I  NEVER  use any so called "new " product on the market unless it has been out there   for well over a year and has established itself to be safe .   NEVER on my own dogs  .

as for what you can use on your sensative Pooch .  MOST  of the Puppy shampoo,s and the Tearless shampoos will kill fleas even tho they  are not advertised as a flea killer .   those Milder shampoo,s  are very  safe and  can even be used Once a week if neccesary. just lather Up your dog and let it set on him 5-10 Min , make sure you lather the Head and Butt area first as  the fleas like to try and make a run for it in those safe areas . 

I NEVER RECOMENT ANY DISH DETERGENTS .  and the cheaper over the counter ones usually irritate the skin.   spend a little more for a good brand( not Hartz).

good Luck

If you read the possible side effects of any medicine you wouldn't want to take them!

No kidding.  One of my old asthma meds (advair) says one of its side effects is suddenly dropping dead.  That is one side effect I would like to aviod!  So now I use singulair.

Well, sometimes you aren't looking for an answer and find one one anyway. Our Jack Russell has the same problem as Gard's. Used Frontline Plus, then Revolution. Both helped at first, but eventually these topicals had no effect on the fleas and the subsequent biting and scratching. In September, we took our dog in to our vet for boarding while we were out of town. Since I had read this post earlier, I told my husband to ask our vet about Comfortis. The vet gave us one pill, and it has been a godsend. No fleas, and very little biting and scratching. Our dog's skin has healed and the hair has grown back. The cost of one pill is about the same as one dose of Frontline Plus.Thanks Gard for bringing this subject up and thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences.