Hi everyone,

I have a very sweet four year old border collie I got at a year old. He has always had a very sensitive stomach, and does best on a raw diet which he is on. I have not done anything but titer him since he received his rabies shot at a year, but there is still the problem about what to do about fleas. Miles has very bad reactions to the topical flea products, Advantix, Frontline, etc. Last time I gave him a low dose (he is 50 lbs so right between packages and I opted for the lower one) he got very ill, vomiting water and bile, loose stools, temp. He didn't even get up to play ball and he is a ball nut. It lasted about five days, he lost weight that he didn't have to loose since he refused all food. It was horrid. That was by far the worst time. Now I don't use the stuff that often, I live in upstate New York, the ticks have not been bad this year and my vet said it covers fleas for three months.

My current problem, my mother and I took our dogs out and I found some fleas on hers. I got some Frontline since it is supposed to be less harsh the the advantix, and when Miles saw the package he ran to his crate. When I called him, my poor dog belly crawled over, tail tucked, shaking. He NEVER does this. He isn't abused, he takes getting his nails dremeled and coat brushed, neither of which he likes, just fine, with minimal drama. After I put it on he kept twitching his ears and snapping and imaginary flies around his head. I can help but think he remembers what happened last time, and I refuse to put it on him again.

I asked my vet about a different more natural flea stopper and she looked at me like I had two heads. My shepherd and my mothers dog handle it fine and will have frontline on and those are the main dogs he will be around other than at agility, but there he is not loose with any of the dogs. He refused his dinner tonight and I can only think that is a sign of what I may be in for.

I am not looking for 100% solution like the frontline would be, just something to give him a little protection without the reaction.

Thanks a bunch! :-)

Hi Sarah,

Fleas and ticks are awful, but I share your dog's dislike of those topical pest treatments... I just find them noxious. I'm lucky to live in a somewhat urban landscape where I can get away with not using them - I stopped a few summers ago and now just rely on thorough and regular body checks to spot bugs. My dog never had any adverse effects from using Frontline or Advantix, but there are more and more reports of issues similar to those your dog had after application of spot-on treatments - if I had a dog reacting badly to one of these treatments, I would definitely discontinue it and look to other means of prevention:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/17/health/main6309079.shtml

You may want to research natural supplements you can add to your dog's already good healthy raw diet - apple cider vinegar is said to have bug repellant properties when fed a little with food or water, or sprayed directly onto the pet.

I know garlic is on the no-no list for dogs to eat, but used in amounts deemed safe for your dog's size, I know a few people personally (and have heard of many more) that include it as a flea and tick preventative supplement in their dog's food (I don't at this time, but have considered it). Since garlic does have the potential to be dangerous, you'll want to make sure you thoroughly read up on it. I haven't done a ton of research on it myself, but I get a catalogue from this company that I noticed sells a few versions of garlic supplements designed for dogs:

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug_off_garlic_d/dogs

I'm also certain this topic has been discussed here before - try doing a search using "Frontline" or "Advantix", or any of the keywords in your post, hopefully you'll find some good info from past conversations as well.

~Natalya

In addition to the food additives Natalya suggested you might try an flea medication you feed if you haven't already. Program, Comfortis, Capstar, and Sentinal are meds that are oral. They act as a reproductive barrier to the fleas, but are not a nasty a pesticide like the topical treatments are! Capstar kills fleas within 30 min of administration- Comfortis is also fast acting.

I don't know where I put it, but my mother-in-law is into aromatherapy. She left me a list of natural stuff for dogs, and it did include bug spray/flea spray. I believe the options were lavender oil, citronella, cedar, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lemongrass. mix 20 drops into a small dark spray bottle, and spray your dog before going into an environment where fleas may be present, as well as getting home.

Good luck!!