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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on December 19, 2007 at 10:38am

Mocha and Vienna are on sentinel, it's a monthly heart worm and flees Rx, 5 years ago we had the problem you describe, so we bought a handheld steamer and steam everything in our house, sofa, carpet...etc. then we gave them a bath, applied front line and that was the end of it, Mocha no longer have flees, so my suggestion is get a steamer from walmart, it looks like one of those electric cattle, with a steam spout like a vacuum on the other end and steam clean everything, that should kill everything. Anyone else have other suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by Sam on December 19, 2007 at 5:55pm

I have always had much better luck with Advantage. I too live in FL. Frontline has not been as effective for me. Rotating them helps too. Regarding the boric acid you may obtain this power in a "do it yourself" pest control store. Many have found this helpful to use in the carpets for a time then vacuum. The other consideration is the areas you take your dogs. If you frequent places where many other dogs congregate this may be the problem. It may be that you need to consider spaying your yard. I do have to say I like to use as few poisons as possible around the dogs but if you have fleas one must make a choice. Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Candy on December 19, 2007 at 6:43pm

Okay... so I found the boric acid store without having to use products for Farms....
Its called 20 Mule Team Borax. Im going to try it now on the carpet. And the dogs are now on Vectra.
You are right Sam (the trainer), it is the places I take them. But I have no other choice, since I live in an apt, and the common grass area is shared by many other dogs, with all owners not picking up after them.
It is frustrating to know that I will go through all these trouble to make my home and dogs fleas- free, while the grass outside is full of it!!

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Permalink Reply by Becky S on December 19, 2007 at 7:07pm

We used boric acid years ago to get rid of roaches (works really great) and bought a big, very inexpensive bottle right at Walmart or some similar store - it's in a powder form that should vaccum right up later on. But read the label carefully I don't think you want your pets ingesting any of it, so if it's on the carpet, they walk across it and then lick their paws... but it should be pretty easy to find. Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Corgi Mom on December 19, 2007 at 7:10pm

You want to check with local vets to see who sells CAPSTAR it is Not a replacement for a monthly flea preventative product. It is a short/quick-acting flea killing product to help with the times you need a little extra help. The 20 Mule Team Borax will help. Spread it in your carpet and brush it in with a broom to get it down to where the fleas want to try to live. Being that you live in an apartment and the common areas aren't treated regularly for fleas it may continue to be a minor irritation.

However, what you can do about once every 2 - 3 weeks is to set off bug bombs (a.k.a. - foggers) in your apartment. Read the label to see how many you may need for your square footage. People and pets need to be out for 2 hours. This is what my boss (a vet) does at her home and it works. Using 20 Mule Team Borax and/or foggers is a whole lot cheaper than using a pest control professional. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren + Winston on December 19, 2007 at 8:08pm

Everyones suggestions are awesome but I would like to tell you to talk to your vet first before you do a lot of over-the-counter things. I've read horrible stories of people using over-the-counter sprays and such and their dog passed away because of the chemicals. I would feel terrible if something like that happened to you! So before you do anything always ask your vet :D

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Permalink Reply by Candy on December 19, 2007 at 10:13pm

THANKS.
Ive talked to my vet, and she recommended the Boric acid and the bug bomb too.
She put the two dogs on Vectra.
I hope that thing is as good as they say it is!

I know it will be very frustrating bc this will be a constant problem due to the common areas.
I cant understand why people just cant pick up after their dog, esp knowing that they share the area with others.

Anyways... I may have a solution to my problem. Ive thought about it all day!

Right outside my front door, I have a little garden like area....
Right now I covered it up with mulch.
Im thinking about putting grass there.
AND
I will walk my doggies there.....
WHAT DOES everyone think??!

If I need to de-bug that little bit of grass area, I can.

What do u suggest??

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Permalink Reply by Corgi Mom on December 20, 2007 at 8:08pm

Planting that small area with grass would be great. Especially if it will be just your area and the other residents won't have access to it. You can get bug/flea granules at any lawn and garden department - spread the granules on the grass - water to activate - then 24 hours later your doggies will be able do their business there. If you do that about every 2 - 3 weeks you'll be able to control the fleas much better. Good luck.

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