Flea Dips
Question:
I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink. Carol
Response:
>I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no >other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend >a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink. >Carol
You may want to look further into alternatives. Would _you_ bathe in flea dip? Of course not! Many, if not most, racing greyhound kennel operators and trainers use Adam’s Mist, which is available by mail order for less than half what some pet stores charge. GPI has had very good success with it, and if it is mild enough to use on a greyhound, you can _probably_ (no guarantee!) use it on _any_ breed or mix. — – Hal & Karen, Volunteers for Greyhound Pets, Inc. (GPI) Turner (Make A Turn) Issaquah, WA: 206-392-9114 Time (High Time) Coeur d’Alene, ID: 208-667-4043
Response:
> >I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no >other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend >a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink.
What kind of dog do you have? If you have a sighthound, you can’t use flea dip on them, it’s too strong (even the mild ones) and will make them sick. Treating and retreating and retreating the dog will do nothing unless you also treat your house. Dipping and redipping the dog will just be a waste of money. It may work for a few days, but to get *rid* of fleas you need to treat the house too. — http://www.halcyon.com/mganson/
Response:
It is safe to use Paramite dip by VetKem on sight hounds. The only difference is; we soak them good, scrub up the hair real well with our hands then rinse them off. Most dips recommend you allow the dip to dry on them, we do not do that. In spite of the fact that everyone around us if fighting fleas something terrible, we have managed to almost irradicate fleas from our 25+ greyhounds using a combination of Paramite dip and Torus spray. beth — Route 1, Box 6056A (817) 748-2020 Springtown, Tx 76082
Response:
>I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no >other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend >a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink.
Ivory dishwashing liquid does a wonderful job on fleas. The secret is that you must leave it on for 15 minutes (that is an eternity with a wet cat!) If you leave it on, say 10 minutes, the fleas look dead, but they come back to life in the towel. Now having said that, I would highly recommend that you look into the insect growth regulators for controlling the fleas. You obviously care if your dog (and yourself) are around poisons, and I don’t blame you. We were using some really strong garbage before we found the IGR’s. There are a couple of them available: Obviously Program which is a pill that you get from the vet. It will help break the cycle, but for me, it has some disadvantages. I have more than one pet, so it is too expensive. You still have to use the traditional controls, at least for awhile (some people claim for ever), but you can use less over time. Secondly, if your dog is not isolated and the flea bites another untreated animal, it can lay viable eggs within days. Anyway, that really isn’t necessary since there are two others that are at least as good. Precor has been around for awhile and does a nice job in the house, but if your fleas are developing outdoors, it is essentially worthless. The best thing that we have found is Torus. It is an insect growth regulator that you spray in the house and in the yard and fleas will not develop for up to a year at a time. Most people use it the first time along with a good insecticide, so that the insecticide kills off the adult fleas and the Torus stops them from ever coming back. Since this is not our first year of using it, we just spray with Torus each spring. We went from a massive population of fleas and ticks to none with just the first application. I can’t recommend it highly enough if you are the type to not want to use any more poisons that necessary. It is really neat to not ever have to use a spray, dip, bath, bomb, granules, or anything else for fleas! For the first time, we don’t have any even here in the south. The FAQ on fleas has a mail order number where you can get it (and free information) if you can’t find it locally (and you probably can’t). They list 800-658-6699. That is where we got it and they were wonderful. BJ
Response:
CWOLF said: > I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no > other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend > a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink.
I don’t blame you for avoiding dips, but there are situations when nothing else will do. Whatever dip you choose be sure not to repeat it for at least a month. Dips can be immediately harmful to a dog’s skin, but then so can a massive flea infestation. Have you tried a daily flea combing? Of course, nothing is even nearly permanent if your house/yard is infested. —
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> CWOLF said: > I’ve been avoiding using flea dips on my dog but I guess there is no > other way to control the problem so I wondered if anyone can recommend > a mild dip that works on fleas but doesn’t make her stink. > I don’t blame you for avoiding dips, but there are situations > when nothing else will do. Whatever dip you choose be sure > not to repeat it for at least a month. Dips can be > immediately harmful to a dog’s skin, but then so can a massive > flea infestation. > Have you tried a daily flea combing? Of course, nothing is > even nearly permanent if your house/yard is infested.
My guess is that you are trying to combat a flea problem or you wouldn’t need to be dipping the dog, right? The difficulty comes from the fact that less than 15% of the fleas in your house and yard are on the dog. The rest are in the form of eggs, larva and pupa (as well as those fleas who happen to be off laying eggs at the time that you dip your dog). For this reason, using an insecticide alone will not do the job unless you spray the place (not just the dog) every 14 days or so for a couple of months as those juvenile fleas hatch out. Since most insecticides should not be used more often than once every 21 days or more, you can see how easy it is to lose ground in the flea fight. I did it for years, and just like you, was loath to use a poison if I didn’t have to. We read about the insect growth regulators on a bulletin board (I hadn’t found the net at the time) and somebody recommended that we try the Torus. It is an enormous improvement over precor, since precor breaks down in sunlight and you can’t use it outdoors. With Torus, it is UV stable and doesn’t break down, so you can use it safely indoors and outside as well. It stops the eggs and larvae from developing into biting, breeding adults. It lasts up to a year at a time. Now we don’t have to spray, bomb, bathe, dip or poison our yard, house or dogs. The FAQ on fleas has a mail order location where you can get it since it is often difficult to find locally (and since there are no taxes over the state line, you can even save money by ordering it). It was at our door in two days. I hope this helps BJ For getting rid of the current fleas on the dog, just bathe him in Ivory Dishwashing liquid. It kills fleas. The secret is to leave the suds on for 15 minutes. Have somebody else time it — it is just about forever. I just turn the dog loose in the yard and rinse him off after 15 minutes. No more poisons at our house. I still use the Ivory even tho I don’t have fleas because the dogs look so good afterwards.
Response:
in a few weeks, my precious 6 year old american eskimo will be going to a "doggie B and B" (ok–kennel) for the first time! (sniff sniff). needless to say, *I* am pretty anxious about this, but I will post my fears on a more appropriate dog group. My health question concerns flea dips. I hear dogs come out of kennels with lots of fleas, and a friend told me whenever she boards her dog, she has her dipped before taking her home. It sounds like a good idea, and my dog’s skin isn’t especially sensitive or anything like that. In general, are flea dips OK/safe? Are they effective? Any horror stories out there about having your dog dipped, and all the dog’s hair falling out? Thanks! francy (and laika–who does not know her holiday fate…) 
Response:
> in a few weeks, my precious 6 year old american eskimo will be going to a > "doggie B and B" (ok–kennel) for the first time! (sniff sniff). > needless to say, *I* am pretty anxious about this, but I will post my > fears on a more appropriate dog group. > My health question concerns flea dips. I hear dogs come out of kennels > with lots of fleas, and a friend told me whenever she boards her dog, she > has her dipped before taking her home. It sounds like a good idea, and my > dog’s skin isn’t especially sensitive or anything like that. > In general, are flea dips OK/safe? Are they effective? Any horror stories > out there about having your dog dipped, and all the dog’s hair falling out?
I’ve been dipping my animals for years with no problems. You’ll need to bathe her first, then dip her – if you do it yourself I recommend using Vet Kem products (I’ve tried several and these seem to work the best). Good luck, Melissa (Brinks’ Mom)
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