Preventatives

FroxerMom

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I'm currently "in-between" vets, but am wondering what others use for hw prevention, flea & tick, etc...

I was not given a choice previously as my vet only carried one product, so would love to hear pros and cons of what you've used or not used and why.

I live in a very tick and mosquito prevalent area and tend to lean towards more natural products, but I've also had to treat a past adopted dog for heart worms and it was seriously no joke and so hard on the dog. I definitely want to protect my guys the best I can.

If anyone would care to share what they use with success, I'd appreciate it!
Thanks,
Hattie
 

Honeys Owners

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I use K9 Advantix II topically for flea and tick prevention from April on ,and Intercept Spectrum for heartworm ( and other worms ) orally every 2 months from June on. My vet recommended Advantage Multi topical for heartworm instead of the Intercept Spectrum, but I like the idea of the Intercept Spectrum hanging around for only one day instead of the Advantage Multi hanging around all month. Vectra 3D topical solution is slightly more effective than K9 Advantix II but I haven't tried it yet. I know @2BullyMoma uses it.
 

FroxerMom

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I use K9 Advantix II topically for flea and tick prevention from April on ,and Intercept Spectrum for heartworm ( and other worms ) orally every 2 months from June on. My vet recommended Advantage Multi topical for heartworm instead of the Intercept Spectrum, but I like the idea of the Intercept Spectrum hanging around for only one day instead of the Advantage Multi hanging around all month. Vectra 3D topical solution is slightly more effective than K9 Advantix II but I haven't tried it yet. I know @2BullyMoma uses it.

My (former) vet only sells Advantage Multi and that's what I use for heartworm and flea and tick (he said it isn't marketed for all three but his opinion was that it took care of all three). I do not like that it is topical because it is a whole production the day it goes on, they have to spend time in their crates until it dries so it doesn't get all over everything. I was hoping to find something taken orally that was equally effective. He claims there isn't anything. Thanks for the info!

- - - Updated - - -

Heartgard and Bravecto.

Thanks for the info, Tgirl!
 

Cbrugs

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I use Sentinel which covers fleas and heart worm. I don’t need to worry about ticks.


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Honeys Owners

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You could give Nexgard Spectra orally if you want a single pill to cover fleas,ticks, and heartworm very effectively. I prefer to give the topical K9 Advantix II over the Nexgard since I feel it's a bit safer. Nexgard (Afoxolaner) is similar to Bravecto in covering fleas and ticks, but has to be given monthly, so if your dog has a reaction to it it's out of his system quicker. The Spectra component of Nexgard Spectra is milbemycin which covers heartworms.
 

lisamarie118

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[MENTION=3191]FroxerMom[/MENTION] when I was younger my mom ALWAYS used frontline for our shar peis. My first two frenchies were given frontline twice and then I asked her if we could stop doing that because of all the horrific things I have read. We have a very big fenced in back yard with a pool and the boys are constantly outside playing. When it started getting warmer outside I began googling all sorts of holistic alternatives to the well known flea & tick preventatives.
I came across many many articles talking about organic rose geranium essential oil.
I made a DIY tick preventive spray that is made with organic jojoba oil and organic rose geranium. I spray this on my three boys 2-3xs a week and they're good to go! I've picked off 2 ticks in the last almost 2 months. definitely do some research! the bottles of EO only cost me $20. my boys smell great and the oils make them so soft :)
 

Cbrugs

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If you want to go the essential oil route, here is a mix I know several people use with success:

14 oz witch hazel
12 drops lavender
15 drops citronella
15 drops lemongrass




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2bullymama

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If you want to go the essential oil route, here is a mix I know several people use with success:

14 oz witch hazel
12 drops lavender
15 drops citronella
15 drops lemongrass




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Was just going to look for this!!! :up:

We also use Sentinel. Fir ticks which is big concern here, we use Parastar. Used to use Vectra 3D


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Honeys Owners

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Was just going to look for this!!! :up:

We also use Sentinel. Fir ticks which is big concern here, we use Parastar. Used to use Vectra 3D


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Any reason why you switched from Vectra 3D to Parastar? I thought Vectra 3D ( and K9 Advantix II ) kills the ticks and fleas much faster.

I think Sentinel doesn't make too much sense- the milbemycin ingredient is great for the heartworm and some other worms, but the lufenuron ingredient takes about a month to kill a flea infestation on your dog because it's just a birth control pill for fleas. I prefer to use milbemycin alone or with praziquantel for worms, and use a separate product for fleas and ticks. Just my opinion.
 

2bullymama

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Any reason why you switched from Vectra 3D to Parastar? I thought Vectra 3D ( and K9 Advantix II ) kills the ticks and fleas much faster.

Our vet stopped carrying it [emoji20]. The Parastar actually works well use less and is less greasy


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FroxerMom

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I never get over how much everyone is a wealth of knowledge on here. This is all great info. I'll look into these options and those recipes for the natural sprays sound great too. Thanks again!!
 

antbkny

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Henry would lose his appetite about a week after giving him sentinel so I started using heartgard plus and nexgard. Way more expensive but so far so good!
 

TeresaW

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I need to get some more stuff this month and you guys have me thinking. Right now, we are doing Sentinel, which has worked fine, but I have used Advantix II in the past which I like because it also repels mosquitoes. Now, I am thinking of doing something just for Heartworm and the Advantix II. What is a good one for Heartworm only?


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