For those of you that live in climates that have a cold winter, do you apply flea and tick prevention all year round?

I have debated this and I am not sure what I should do. I use K9 Advantixx II on both my dogs. I was thinking of skipping January and February since it gets pretty cold here. It has been a fairly mild winter so I decided to apply it in December, and sometimes March can be warm (like last year when we had 2 weeks of 70-80 degree days!).

Do you apply year-round or skip the really cold months? They don't go to many places that they could pick up fleas or ticks, just to the pet store a few times a month. If they went to doggy daycare or something I wouldn't question it at all and just apply it every month.

The stuff is very expensive, and even though I get it on Amazon for about 60-70 bucks for 6 doses it is still pricey!

I was wondering the same thing myself. I was going to skip January, but I changed my mind cause Lucian went in for his neuter, and I didn't want to chance him picking up fleas from the vet. I would think it would be a possibility for them to pick up fleas from the pet store. If someone brings their dog with them that has fleas, and one jumps off it would probably survive long enough in the warm store to jump on another dog. Or even if a dog has them and goes to the dog park, they could be transferred to another dog it was playing with. Maybe I'll just stick to year round flea treatment, lol.

Mine were due on the 15th for their January dose and I havent given it to them yet. Skipping 2 months would save about 40 dollars total, but then again taking the chance on having to get rid of fees it is not worth it LOL.

If my dogs spent alot of time at a dog park or at daycare and was around a lot of other dogs I would not consider skipping, but since my two are mostly just at home then I am thinking of just skipping Jan/Feb

I only dose mine in high risk situations - like when we go to the show. Right now all they have on is their essential oils. I also give a dash of garlic in meals every other day and ACV.

But, I use comfortis when we go to shows. We are talking about it in this thread:

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t5759p20-found-a-damn-flea#127857

I haven't done any research on flea/tick pills. I have always just used topical and the pill for heartworm. I use K9 Advantixx II, and I am still on the fence on whether I should skip treatments during the really cold months. I don't know how common it is to get fleas this time of year. I know that getting ticks isn't really common, but I thought fleas could live all year round. I also thought about buying the really cheap stuff that just repels fleas for the cold months and save the Advantixx for the summertime.

Don't buy the cheap stuff. The majority of that crap will kill your dog.

I don't give anything in the winter months unless I"m at a show.

Look into Comfortis. I firmly believe, through lots of research, that it is much safer.

We live in New England where generally we have very cold winters. Up until a few days ago, it's been on the milder side for us. We treat Q with Frontline Plus monthly. After going for a walk the other day, I noticed something wierd on his face. Sure enough he had a tick attached. I wouldn't take any chances.

djannitto wrote:

We live in New England where generally we have very cold winters. Up until a few days ago, it's been on the milder side for us. We treat Q with Frontline Plus monthly. After going for a walk the other day, I noticed something wierd on his face. Sure enough he had a tick attached. I wouldn't take any chances.

WOW! I wouldn't think ticks would still be alive this late! Where in New England are you located? I used to live in RI. The winters near Chicago seem to be colder than when I lived in Providence.

I put a drop of tea tree oil on their collars every two weeks when it's flea season, otherwise I don't treat them. I learned that from somebody on here, I'm terrible with names though!

Otherwise lavender oil also works. I use rose geranium for ticks, we even put a drop on our shoes before camping and I put a drop on two hair ties and kept them on my wrists. Nobody got ticks that year!

I don't think we've treated since October or November. We probably won't until the rain starts

I live in the south and I don't even use flea/tick prevention year round. And when I do use something, 95% of the time it's essential oils. Only on rare occasions when we go hiking in heavily wooded areas in the summer months (May - September) will I consider putting chemical flea/tick products on my dogs. I use K9 Advantix when I do use a topical. In 2012, I used oils only twice and only used Advantix once and none of my dogs got any fleas or ticks. I am quite impressed since we travel frequently, are exposed to lots of dogs, go hiking a fair amount, live in the south, go out for walks frequently in and around the woods, and our house backs up to woods so there is no shortage of fleas and ticks to worry about. We do treat the yard regularly but I am very happy to have almost eliminated the need for flea/tick products...even oils. I mainly rely on my dogs' good health to keep them pest free these days and it's working.

It was Valeria that told me about the oils

I live in Nebraska, and I always stop with the flea/tick around October/November time frame and I don't start again until March ish. I never knew about the oils before, so I'm going to stop with the topical all together. Half the time it doesn't work at ALL.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

I live in Nebraska, and I always stop with the flea/tick around October/November time frame and I don't start again until March ish. I never knew about the oils before, so I'm going to stop with the topical all together. Half the time it doesn't work at ALL.

I don’t know at all about the oils either, never heard of it. I first used Frontline, and it did not work at all, I’d pull dozens of ticks off him at a time. I switched to K9 Advantix and since then I haven’t seen one tick. Someone on here said something about Comfortis which is a once a month pill, but I read the side effects and they seem worse than the topical, plus that stuff is over $100 bucks for a 6 month supply; I can get Advantix for half that.

So you don’t apply it in December, January and February? I thought about skipping those months too, since the average high temp here is anywhere from 25 degrees to about 35 degrees.

It's your choice what you use, I use comfortis for a lot of reasons and many of these are beacue it really is safer. The neurological damage that can ensure from topical is terrifying, not to mention a good friend of mines dog literally bled out and died after applying a topical. Thankfully the vet was able to revive her in the parking lot.

To each their own.

This year I stopped in October and I won't be using it until March probably. They don't go anywhere were they could pick up fleas, so the less chemicals I put on them, the better. There really is no reason to apply it in the colder months. Advantix didn't work for me when I tried it.

While the side effects are a little scary, there are lots more dogs who are affected by topical treatments then by pill treatments it seems like. Choose whichever, but make sure you are fully aware of both the good and the bad of each.

mheath0429 wrote:

It's your choice what you use, I use comfortis for a lot of reasons and many of these are beacue it really is safer. The neurological damage that can ensure from topical is terrifying, not to mention a good friend of mines dog literally bled out and died after applying a topical. Thankfully the vet was able to revive her in the parking lot.

To each their own.

OK, I am not promoting one type of flea prevention against another one, but stating that using topical treatments are dangerous is not an accurate statement. When used correctly the incidence of severe and fatal effects from using the topical solutions is very low, especially when you compare the number of incidents vs. the number of dogs it is used on. Using the incorrect dosage, or using the dog formula on a cat or vice versa can be harmful. Also, if the dog has an underlying illness or on another drug that might react badly with the topical. I don’t believe that using the topical treatments on my dog is going to kill him.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

This year I stopped in October and I won't be using it until March probably. They don't go anywhere were they could pick up fleas, so the less chemicals I put on them, the better. There really is no reason to apply it in the colder months. Advantix didn't work for me when I tried it.

While the side effects are a little scary, there are lots more dogs who are affected by topical treatments then by pill treatments it seems like. Choose whichever, but make sure you are fully aware of both the good and the bad of each.

Most of the incidents of dogs having medical issues with the topical are from improper use. Each dog is different and some things work for one and won't work for another. I will probably not use any until March though.

That's actually not true Jason. Topicals are poisonous pesticides and are very harmful. I've done a lot of research on this, most of it prompted by Val as she also subscribes to a more holistic approach to pet care.

Sure, these products are effective and useful but they are not safe. We have to remember that we are not just pet-parents, we are consumers and the vast majority of these products are marketed by large scale pet pharmaceutical companies like Merck and Merial. These are also the same companies that write veterinary textbooks. I know, because I own multiple veterinary textbooks.

It's comparable to the raw/kibble debate. Vets are not educated about many of these things from anyone but the manufacturers.

I am in no way attempting to offend you, but I don't feel it is correct to state that they are safe.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-dangers-of-flea-and-tick-products/#more-8337

mheath0429 wrote:

That's actually not true Jason. Topicals are poisonous pesticides and are very harmful. I've done a lot of research on this, most of it prompted by Val as she also subscribes to a more holistic approach to pet care.

Sure, these products are effective and useful but they are not safe. We have to remember that we are not just pet-parents, we are consumers and the vast majority of these products are marketed by large scale pet pharmaceutical companies like Merck and Merial. These are also the same companies that write veterinary textbooks. I know, because I own multiple veterinary textbooks.

It's comparable to the raw/kibble debate. Vets are not educated about many of these things from anyone but the manufacturers.

I am in no way attempting to offend you, but I don't feel it is correct to state that they are safe.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-dangers-of-flea-and-tick-products/#more-8337

Actually it is true. That website is the opinion of one vet who is promoting the use of holistic products. If these products are as dangerous and as poisonous as you claim they are, then they would be banned,; however they are used by probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pets in the US. If you look at the incidents regarding topical treatments, the percentage is very low, probably comparable to Comfortis. And of that percentage, the reason for the adverse reaction is mostly often because the product was applied incorrectly.

It is one thing to suggest an alternative to using these products, but you make it seem like I am a bad pet parent for using it on my dog, and that they should be avoided at all costs. I think that is an untrue and unfair assessment.

I never said you were a bad pet parent at all.

I just asked you to look at it from a view point that was different. No where did i every say you were a bad person for using it. I use comfortis, which also has bad effects.

Did you read the whole article? It wasn't based off her opinion, it was based off of studies and facts.

I think there is use for these things. I just don't think they are safe.

Sorry if you found that offensive, as I never once said you were a bad person or that people on this site who use topicals are bad people. I have used them. But, I know without a doubt, no pesticide is safe.

I know you didn’t say that people using these products were bad pet parents, but it came off that way. I said it you make it seem like I was. Regardless, Yes I did read the whole article, and I read the statement from the FDA regarding flea and tick products as well. In 2009, there was some concern with reports of increased bad reactions. Like I said, most of these is from people confusing dog and cat formulas, or using the wrong dosage, i.e. using a large dog dosage on a small dog.

The link to the report seems very one sided. I came across similar websites and reports in regards to neutering. It was very clear what side of the argument they are on. I never feel there is a right or wrong way in regards to how people care for their pets (as long as your not neglecting them).

Your example that a good friend of yours’ dog bled out and died after applying a topical can be taken as instilling fear into people so they quit using it, or to give me an example of what might happen to my dogs if I continue using it. And your other comment stating as a fact that they are very harmful is an example of insinuation that I am harming my dog by using them.

I was just trying to point out how your reply can be taken, and that those products are not going to kill your dog, because if they did the FDA would not allow it to be sold.

I personally don't even find that topicals work anymore. Perhaps it's just here in our climate... We use comfortis when fleas are about and preventic collars when ticks are an issue...

Essential oils never worked for us, again, could be the climate.

We will agree to disagree then.

Here is an interesting study from the EPA:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0229-0023;oldLink=false

jschrader wrote:

I was just trying to point out how your reply can be taken, and that those products are not going to kill your dog, because if they did the FDA would not allow it to be sold.

I just want to point out that this isn't as "true" as we would like it to be... How long did it take to just get a recall off of these chinese chicken dog treats? There have to be enough "incidents" for them to take a better look and "investigate."

I am no more towards topicals, orals, or essential oils... But I don't want my dog to be an "incident."

The best we can do is arm ourselves with as much information as there is available and make the best choice for our current state with the most current information we have available.

mheath0429 wrote:

We will agree to disagree then.

Here is an interesting study from the EPA:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0229-0023;oldLink=false

That is similar to the report I saw on the FDA website. It was mainly because of the labeling of the products, that people were confusing the dog/cat versions and using incorrect dosages. That was my point regarding the adverse reactions, that it was mostly due to people not using the product correctly.