The Weather in Georgia is finally warming up, so I don't have to pack my sweater when I go to work. This would be all in good but warm weather brings worries to Mom about mosquitos-those biting annoying nasty creatures that like to give out gifts of heartworm. Mom is always torn, torn between giving me heartworm and flea preventive and the possible health dangers from the products, whether pill or topical. Notice I didn't include flea collar because that is a big no-no with Mom. As I have posted to y'all before, Mom doesn't like collars on dogs, only harnesses, and, never, never collars on us little guys. When I was rescued from the Shelter, I had been given a topical flea and heartworm (combined) product. Mom decided to stay with this same product as I never had any adverse reaction to it. And, it works as stated. Mom has asked me to urge my readers to regularly Google the type of flea/heartworm product you are using to see if there are any reports of problems with the medication, with the manufacturer, reports by the FDA, reports of problems by other users, and just to get general user feedback. Mom checks at least every 3 months, and always before getting a refill! When it is time for a refill of your flea or heartworm medication, ask your vet if they have received any negative reviews or warnings from the manufacturer. Google the name of the medication and the words "recall" "opinion" "reviews" "FDA" "adverse". Mom gives me the heartworm medication because of my long ago brother that did get heartworms and had to undergo treatment. He survived! She did not want any other dog to experience this. So, Mom remains torn between possible unknown health issues from these medications and concern that without them, I could get heartworm. I live in the south, so we have longer warm seasons. Stay safe my friends. Enjoy summer, the outdoors, and the pool, but if the mosquitos are bad, go inside.
Take care,
Tuck the Law Dog
http://twitter.com/TuckTheLawDog (Tweet me! I luv to meet new Twitter anipals)
http://wwwgeorgialaw.blogspot.com
http://criminallawyercherokeecobb.com (where I work and am the "managing partner"
Take care,
Tuck the Law Dog
http://twitter.com/TuckTheLawDog (Tweet me! I luv to meet new Twitter anipals)
http://wwwgeorgialaw.blogspot.com
http://criminallawyercherokeecobb.com (where I work and am the "managing partner"
Hi Tuck,
ReplyDeleteA google search regarding flea season in GA brought me to your page. I've been in Augusta GA since last July, when I rented a carpeted home, and in no time my dogs seemed to be covered in fleas, despite being treated monthly with Frontline. I went searching for another type of flea prevention and stumbled upon a product called Flea Treats. They are basically a B-complex vitamin formulated for dogs. It works by creating a smell (non-detectable to humans) in the dog's skin that repels fleas and ticks. After about a month of twice daily doses (I put in their food) they seemed to be flea free but by that time it was fall, so cooler weather may have played a part. Now, it's nearly June again and I check them for fleas daily (they love the flea comb) and haven't found a single flea or speck of flea dirt yet. No ticks either, despite many a weekend hike in the woods. I'm still skeptical, but can't deny it seems to be effective. They haven't been on any other flea product since August of last year. You might want to have your mom check it out. For us, it took a larger dose and longer to become effective than the manufacturer suggested, but in the end, seems to be a success. I give my 75 lb Lab 7 tablets a day and my 32 lb beagle-schnauzer mix 6 per day, so it seems to vary how much a particular dog would need. If you try it, I hope it works for you. I've always hated using topical flea products.