Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Al Dogs what flea meds working this summer?

the pill offered by the vet isn't working, and the pill offered by the hardware store isn't working and the topical from tractor supply ain't working. I know fleas can adapt to whatever is thrown at them over the course of a few flea generations ... i'll look up the names of the meds my two dogs have had ...

75-80% of your flea problem isn't on the dog. I see it almost daily where I start an animal with a flea problem on prevention and they call a few weeks or a month later and say it isn't working. It takes time before the stages of the life cycle all hatch out, and feed on your dog and die, before laying more eggs. That's the whole premise with flea prevention, they have to have a blood meal to lay eggs. So when they feed on an animal with prevention, they die before laying eggs. It can take months to rid an area of fleas.

Nexguard seems to be working for us. Its stupid expensive, IMHO.

Yes it is. I don't say this because I sell preventative products, but if you can buy it over the counter, it's chances of efficacy are diminished. I've watched it with Frontline, Frontline Gold, Seresto, etc. When they start selling them OTC in the big box stores, they lose efficacy, despite the manufacturers telling you they are the same product. I have my theories on why this is, but it is something I see everyday.

I always hate to give them the stuff anyway, but can't have them eaten up with parasites.

thanks, y'all.
odo: I forgot the Life cycle business. much appreciate the explanation ...

The life cycle is what makes them such a PITA. If it was just killing adult fleas, about anything will do that. It's all the residual. I really Nexgard Plus for dogs, as it's an all in one, unless the pet has had any history of neurological disorders. All of the newer class drugs will have that stipulation. In the almost 10 years I've been using it, only had a handful dogs that exhibited neurological signs or seizure activity after administration. For those I like Advantage Multi topical, which is an everything but tick control. I've been using the Nexgard Combo topical on my cats who are indoor and outdoor and have never had a flea issue at all. I live in town, but kinda in the woods and pastures which can make it problematic with wildlife acting as a reservoir.

Biggest thing about pet flea preventatives, is just that, it's a preventative. Not a one pill cure, but the most important tool to working towards ridding an infestation. If fleas can't suck blood, they cannot produce eggs, problem will solve itself. Pupa can stay viable pretty much indefinitely in Alabama becuase it never gets too dry to dessicate them out, even in hot temperatures.

much appreciate the tutorial ...

Thanks for the info odocoileus! Question for you please; I currently have two Bostons aged 10 and 9, both boys and are brothers that are on Spectrum Sentinel 25/50 lb dose once a month. I really dont ever have an issue with fleas and since the Spectrum does not do anything for ticks, they occasionally may have one or two ticks on them a year, sometimes not. The Spectrum does not kill fleas but just makes them sterile so they cant reproduce.
We recently got a new little female Boston thats 12 weeks old now, 4.6 lbs when we got her but is 7 lbs now and had her first dose of Simparica Trio while doing her 9 weeks shots-( I got her microchipped as well at that appt), thats an all in one tablet but it looks to be very pricey . It was a freebie sample from our vet at Alford Ave Animal Hospital. All my dogs are basically inside kids about 90% of the time. Whats your recommendation for the new gal , just do the Spectrum on her like the other two or go a different route? Heartworms would be my main concern but we sure dont want fleas inside either!! And have you heard that Spectrum is being discontinued or not?
Im sorry paulfish, I did not mean the hijack your thread.\
Thanks very much!!

So I have never been a fan of insect growth regulators (lufenuron) for flea prevention. If the flea still has to bite the animal to get the drug, why not kill it instead? Yes they are both essentially doing the same thing in reducing future flea populations, but I would rather have dead fleas than sterile ones. IGRs typically will take longer to rid a flea infestation than adulticides too. Maybe in cooler climates where fleas aren't a 365 day a year problem they are a good choice, but I still prefer adulticides. Also, when fleas bite, their saliva acts as an anticoagulant, which to some dogs and cats is extremely allergenic. So ability to bite multiple times is theoretically counterintuitive.

When it comes to preventatives, there are SO many out there in varying combinations of active ingredients. Doesn't help that these veterinary pharmaceutical companies buy each other out all the time, so constant changes in names. I don't have experience with many of them, because I tend to pick a couple of products, and stock those. If someone wants something different, I can approve a script. I will say, if you are ordering products online, be VERY careful in where you are buying from. I've seen several cases of counterfeit preventatives, one such case that almost killed a dog. It's like everything else, if it's a pricey product and in demand, it's getting faked somewhere.

I prefer all in ones, because it really helps with compliance for heartworm prevention. Can't tell you the number of dogs I've diagnosed with endstage heartworm disease, pet dies, owner gets a new puppy, and we have the whole talk again about heartworms and prevention. Three years later I diagnose that one with heartworms. It's frustrating. Fleas are a nuisance, but heartworms are deadly. I'd much rather have a dog on heartworm preventative if that's all we could do. Sure heartworms can be treated if caught early in the course, but at considerable expense and with the potential for lifelong consequences. I've been using the 6 month heartworm injection( ProHeart 6) for a couple of years with good result. Haven't tried the 12 month variety yet. Supposedly there is an all in one injection for fleas/ticks/heartworms that last months, I have no experience with it because the price is so high for it.

When I first started practicing, I always said that no matter what preventative you use, it's going to be about $10-12 per month for heartworm/intestinal parasite prevention, and roughly that same number for flea and tick prevention. Those number's have now increased to about $15-18 per component currently. Medicine prices are frankly getting out of hand. Comparing the first 6 months of 2025 to 2026, my cost of drugs and supplies has increased 38%.

Been using
https://www.bing.com/search?q=simpa...mp;FORM=QBLH&sp=1&ghc=1&lq=0
Works on small dogs that stay around the house and my big dog who goes EVERYWHERE.
Been using it for three years.

I’ve also been ordering from Budget pet care for the last three years.
No issues other than slow getting it sometimes.

I have my OMC, Sadie, on Nexgard and Heartgard, both once per month chews.

Never have any issues at all with fleas or ticks.

I have my dogs on simparica trio. I am happy with it so far, but the price is insane. Odocoileus thanks for the info I am going to look into the ProHeart6