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Do you put flea medication on your dog in the winter?

JumpinJack

JumpinJack

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I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
 
JumpinJack said:
I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
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Of the five dogs I've had, I have never given any of them preventive flea medication. The few times I've had a dog who's gotten fleas, I've used Frontline -- I think that's the name -- applied in the back of the dog's head and left to transpire. One application has always done the trick.

I have never given my dogs heart worm medication. I was about ready to give it to our new rescue boy, Teddy. I even bought it. But when I said I'd give it to him until the first really hard frost, the vet said, Oh, no! Year-round. Got to protect the boy from winter mosquitos." Really?? Give me a break.
 
JumpinJack said:
I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
Click to expand...

We give heart worm meds the first of every month year round, and the pill we use also has a flea and tick killer in it as well.
 
JumpinJack said:
I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
Click to expand...

I've never really understood why people use this stuff year round.
When we get new pets, we treat them for what they have and there is never another occurrence.

Seems like a scam almost.
 
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Harry Guerrilla said:
I've never really understood why people use this stuff year round.
When we get new pets, we treat them for what they have and there is never another occurrence.

Seems like a scam almost.
Click to expand...

Well, here in Texas, the fleas are horrible for most of the year. I've tried using natural treatments or going without, but the fleas were literally hopping all over the house, jumping on my legs, the dogs were scratching in misery a lot of the time.

Heart preventive is necessary because of mosquitos, which give heart worms. A lot of dogs will get heart worms without the preventive, so it's necessary. I used to not give it in the winter because there are no mosquitos, but that's only about 3 months, and they CAN get the worms from the occasional mosquito, and the vet says if you go off the preventive, they have to test for heartworms before you can give the preventive to them again (it could kill them to give the preventive when the dog has heartworms), so I might as well continue it year round. Better for the dog, and more cost effective.
 
JumpinJack said:
Well, here in Texas, the fleas are horrible for most of the year. I've tried using natural treatments or going without, but the fleas were literally hopping all over the house, jumping on my legs, the dogs were scratching in misery a lot of the time.

Heart preventive is necessary because of mosquitos, which give heart worms. A lot of dogs will get heart worms without the preventive, so it's necessary. I used to not give it in the winter because there are no mosquitos, but that's only about 3 months, and they CAN get the worms from the occasional mosquito, and the vet says if you go off the preventive, they have to test for heartworms before you can give the preventive to them again (it could kill them to give the preventive when the dog has heartworms), so I might as well continue it year round. Better for the dog, and more cost effective.
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I'm in Georgia, but have never had an issue.
Our pets are inside pets though.

Could be the discrepancy.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
I'm in Georgia, but have never had an issue.
Our pets are inside pets though.

Could be the discrepancy.
Click to expand...

No...my dogs are inside dogs. Just going into the yard to use the bathroom was enough for fleas to hop on them, and then multiply. I also walk them every day, but it was yard where they picked up the fleas. I don't put poison in the yard (organic, and totally safe for critters and dogs), so that's how fleas got in the yard (from squirrels and such).

It could be because of the dry weather here. Maybe fleas produce more in dry weather? Dunno.
 
JumpinJack said:
No...my dogs are inside dogs. Just going into the yard to use the bathroom was enough for fleas to hop on them, and then multiply. I also walk them every day, but it was yard where they picked up the fleas. I don't put poison in the yard (organic, and totally safe for critters and dogs), so that's how fleas got in the yard (from squirrels and such).

It could be because of the dry weather here. Maybe fleas produce more in dry weather? Dunno.
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Weird.
Only time I had parasites on some animals, were when we lived in the sticks and had outside dogs.
They'd be covered in ticks.

Otherwise, it's never been an issue for us.
 
I can see where geographic location would make a difference. I live in a cold weather climate in the winter so I do not do the flea stuff in the winter.
 
We haven't had a flea problem at all for years, pretty much since we started this stupid drought and stopped having grass in the back yard. Before that, we had fleas every summer, but in the last 5-6 years, not a one. We've even stopped putting flea collars on the dogs.
 
JumpinJack said:
I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
Click to expand...

Nope. Fleas aren't a problem where I live. The combination of the altitude and low humidity make it really tough for fleas to survive. I've known people who have sent their pets here to stay with friends/family for a few weeks to get rid of a persistent flea problem.
 
JumpinJack said:
I give my dogs their heart preventive year 'round. (I used to stop that in the winter, but my vet convinced me to do it year 'round.) But I usu. stop with the liquid flea prevention in the winter (Frontline, Advantage, etc.). I do that because there are no fleas in the winter, and the flea preventive is poison, after all.

If you have dogs, do you use the flea preventive year 'round, or do you stop in the winter?
Click to expand...

It is possible for dogs to get fleas in the winter. If they are indoor dogs, fleas love the warmth of the indoors.
 
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