# Question about flea treatment



## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

George was treated with Advocate by the breeder before we got him. How often should he be flea treated. He has been scratching a bit, vet never mentioned anything when he had his 2nd vaccine, thanks


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## Nadhak (Jun 4, 2011)

I think we have advocate monthly! but still away so cannot check my file [am so organised LOL]


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## Cockapoodledoo (Feb 8, 2011)

Jayne it's every 4 weeks for Advocate. It's blinkin' expensive but have definitely found it the most effective treatment we've ever used for fleas. No evidence of any since we started using it and of course it deals with all those other nasties as well. 

Karen x


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

Advocate should be applied monthly although it shouldn't harm to go over by a week. Advocate is great as it covers for a variety of parasites including roundworm and lungworm. Lungworm is a nasty parasite as it is passed on by slugs and snails and can be as simple as dogs eating grass with infected slime on it. Outdoors bowls and toys should be cleaned regularly too. Advocate now holds a licence to PREVENT lungworm which can present with strange symptoms aswell as none.

See here for more info on lungworm; http://www.lungworm.co.uk/scripts/pages/en/home.php

Although more expensive than other good fleas treatments, Advocate has the worming element also so unless your dog eats raw meats/ dead animals (including mice!) on a regular basis, you shouldn't have to tapeworm so often if at all. We currently advise Advocate monthly and Droncit (just a tapeworm version of Drontal) every 6 months or so. Droncit is slightly cheaper than drontal so all in all there isn't much difference whichever way you choose. 

Also, if you speak to your vets, some practices offer free nurse clinics where you can take your puppy for a monthly appointment for weight check and the Advocate applying. I have dogs of 3-4yrs still coming for these and they love coming to the vets as they get treats every visit!! It is also a good oppurtunity to ask any questions you may have and spreads out the cost of the Advocate rather than buying 3-6months worth at once.

Sorry for going on, can't shut me up on this sort of thing- last thing, remember bathing your puppy soon after applying spot-on treatments will reduce the efficacy, as will swimming. For those water loving dogs, there is a new veterinary oral treatment for fleas which i think is a leading brand in oz and usa.


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## doodlebug (Jul 16, 2011)

lola24 said:


> Advocate should be applied monthly although it shouldn't harm to go over by a week. Advocate is great as it covers for a variety of parasites including roundworm and lungworm. Lungworm is a nasty parasite as it is passed on by slugs and snails and can be as simple as dogs eating grass with infected slime on it. Outdoors bowls and toys should be cleaned regularly too. Advocate now holds a licence to PREVENT lungworm which can present with strange symptoms aswell as none.
> 
> See here for more info on lungworm; http://www.lungworm.co.uk/scripts/pages/en/home.php
> 
> ...


Advocate doesnt prevent lung worm its used to treat it, or so i thought lol, do you have the literature where it says it can be used as a preventative please?


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## pixie (Apr 16, 2011)

Great post lola24! thanks x


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## doodlebug (Jul 16, 2011)

This is what it says on their website



Advocate is an ideal product offering 

heartworm prevention
flea and lice treatment and prevention of flea infestations. The product can be also used as part of a treatment strategy for FAD (Flea Allergy Dermatitis)
gastrointestinal worm control including several larval stages
*treatment* of lungworms in dogs (Angiostrongylus vasorum)
control of ear mites in cats and dogs
control of sarcoptic mange in dogs
control of Demodex mites in dogs
http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/4882.0.html


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## andypandi (Jun 22, 2011)

I have been using Advocate and Droncit every 4 weeks and Milo still managed to get worms 2 weeks after the last application - I was horrified and rushed down to the vet to see what else he could have. They just said to give him a Drontal tablet and apply the Advocate again which seems to have done the trick but I was quite upset that despite doing what I thought was best, he still wasn't covered. 

I will have to have a think about what to give him next time as I have lost a bit of confidence with the Advocate but wanted it because of the lungworm protection as we are surrounded by slugs and snails at the moment. I have also noticed that he seems to scratch a lot for about a week after the Advocate is applied but the vets think it is probably coincidence. I just feel like a paranoid mother at the moment!


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

only ever used a flea treatment once and it made Gypsy and Inca sick. 

5 years of having dogs and we havent had any flees, were as when we just had the cats we were constently having problems with them. 

i still stand buy garlic beeing good at preventing ticks and fleas.


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

doodlebug said:


> Advocate doesnt prevent lung worm its used to treat it, or so i thought lol, do you have the literature where it says it can be used as a preventative please?


Will find it for you, its a fairly new licence they have for the prevention....


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/3519.0.html?tx_bahprdmx_pi1[showUid]=38&no_cache=1

Part way down the indications paragraph it states prevention of angiostrongylus vasorum which is lungworm. I will get our rep to e-mail me the paper next week so i can post it on here. As i say, its quite a new licence they have for it and i only know because we see the technical staff regularly.


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

andypandi said:


> I have been using Advocate and Droncit every 4 weeks and Milo still managed to get worms 2 weeks after the last application - I was horrified and rushed down to the vet to see what else he could have. They just said to give him a Drontal tablet and apply the Advocate again which seems to have done the trick but I was quite upset that despite doing what I thought was best, he still wasn't covered.
> 
> I will have to have a think about what to give him next time as I have lost a bit of confidence with the Advocate but wanted it because of the lungworm protection as we are surrounded by slugs and snails at the moment. I have also noticed that he seems to scratch a lot for about a week after the Advocate is applied but the vets think it is probably coincidence. I just feel like a paranoid mother at the moment!


How old is milo? Were the roundworms or tapeworms? (pasta spaghetti or rice!?) monthly advocate and regular (every 3-6months) droncit should be fine to cover worms, how often depends on the individual. Make sure he doesn't get bathed or swims after application as this will reduce efficacy. Also (without sounding patronising) make sure you part the fur so it goes directly onto the skin and not just on the hair- it is fine to do this in several places on the back of the neck if it helps. Sorry if thats teaching granny to suck eggs but it can sometimes be something that simple! Hopefully now he has had a thorough worming you should find he's ok


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## doodlebug (Jul 16, 2011)

lola24 said:


> Will find it for you, its a fairly new licence they have for the prevention....





lola24 said:


> http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/3519.0.html?tx_bahprdmx_pi1[showUid]=38&no_cache=1
> 
> Part way down the indications paragraph it states prevention of angiostrongylus vasorum which is lungworm. I will get our rep to e-mail me the paper next week so i can post it on here. As i say, its quite a new licence they have for it and i only know because we see the technical staff regularly.


I really appreciate this Lola, thank you


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks Lola your posts are really helpful ,especially for a new owner who hasnt got a clue about these things.
Buddy's on frontline combo at the mo would you say Advocate is better then?


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2011)

i use stronghold when puppies leave me , my final dose but i do feel that putting this strong treatment on a dog every month is unnesessary i think worming is very important i use milbemax cheaper than drontal and as effective , i always say to my customers would you keep putting chemicals on your childs head for lice every month ? NO you would not so why do it to our dogs as KENDAL said use garlic in there food and treat with tea tree or citronela shampoo its much kinder , i read a article many years ago regarding cancer and flea treatments it was a bit scary janice x


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

DONNA said:


> Thanks Lola your posts are really helpful ,especially for a new owner who hasnt got a clue about these things.
> Buddy's on frontline combo at the mo would you say Advocate is better then?


It very much depends on your dogs lifestyle and the area in which you live. We have had cases of lungworm locally which is why we use advocate and i believe places like surrey are rife with it. Best thig to do is to ask your vet what is best for you. Frontline combo is a very good flea treatment, quite honestly i use Advocate for the worm/lungworm factor not the flea, thats just an added bonus!


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

romeo said:


> i use stronghold when puppies leave me , my final dose but i do feel that putting this strong treatment on a dog every month is unnesessary i think worming is very important i use milbemax cheaper than drontal and as effective , i always say to my customers would you keep putting chemicals on your childs head for lice every month ? NO you would not so why do it to our dogs as KENDAL said use garlic in there food and treat with tea tree or citronela shampoo its much kinder , i read a article many years ago regarding cancer and flea treatments it was a bit scary janice x


Milbemax is a very good wormer, quite as effective as drontal as they both contain praziquantel but is from the same family of drugs as Advocate- (moxidecin/milbemycin) which is why we don't use it. Although it has been used alongside Advocate, the drug companies do not reccomend it as you are kind of double dosing on this side of things. Advocate contains imidacloprid which is what is effective against the fleas/ mites. The moxidectin covers the 'internal' parasites just the same as milbemax.


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

I use milbemax for worming Betty and Frontline for fleas. i tend to use the flea treatment every month to 6 weeks in the summer but less in the winter and it seems fine so far.

I am happy with keeping worming and flea treatments separate as think it means you can regulate more easily how often you treat them.

Been happy with Milbemax and seen no signs of worms from Betty (fingers crossed). i wouldn't touch drontal having seen how sick it made my friends puppy, she was sick about 20 times after having it and had always been fine with Milbemax so figured I'd just keep Betty on this.


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

lola24 said:


> It very much depends on your dogs lifestyle and the area in which you live. We have had cases of lungworm locally which is why we use advocate and i believe places like surrey are rife with it. Best thig to do is to ask your vet what is best for you. Frontline combo is a very good flea treatment, quite honestly i use Advocate for the worm/lungworm factor not the flea, thats just an added bonus!


I was told Milbemax covered lungworm too, is that not the case?


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

milbemax will treat lungworm if given weekly for 4 weeks, currently i think advocate is the only product out there to prevent it, but this is fairly new. as i said earlier though, best to speak to your own vet to see what the lungworm situation is in your area. frontline and milbemax are perfectly good flea/worm treatments.


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks Buddy is on milbemax wormer every 4 weeks and frontline combo every 4weeks,will talk to vet about Advocate,we live in the country so lots of walks in fields etc.


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## andypandi (Jun 22, 2011)

lola24 said:


> How old is milo? Were the roundworms or tapeworms? (pasta spaghetti or rice!?) monthly advocate and regular (every 3-6months) droncit should be fine to cover worms, how often depends on the individual. Make sure he doesn't get bathed or swims after application as this will reduce efficacy. Also (without sounding patronising) make sure you part the fur so it goes directly onto the skin and not just on the hair- it is fine to do this in several places on the back of the neck if it helps. Sorry if thats teaching granny to suck eggs but it can sometimes be something that simple! Hopefully now he has had a thorough worming you should find he's ok


Hi, Milo is 19 weeks and it was roundworms that he had. As soon as we got him the vet gave me Advocate for 3 months and 1 Droncit tablet, half to be given then and half 4 weeks later which I did. I believe the Droncit is just for tapeworm though? He doesn't swim but a couple of weeks after the first application of Advocate we went on holiday and he did splash around in the sea. I'm not sure whether this would have reduced the effects? I haven't seen any signs since I gave him the full Drontal tablet so hopefully he is ok now. I might ask about the Milbemax next time or maybe stick with Drontal.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, any advice is very welome


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

The sea swim shouldn't have caused such a reduced effect, some pups do just take a little more time on a wormng regime to get sorted and it can depend on his/his mums worming plan when at the breeder. Another thing to bear in mind is whether your pup is picking up worms from elsewhere. If you have any other dogs/cats make sure they are wormed up-to-date and this goes for pets he spends time with regularly. Other things like local parks can be a terrible place for worm eggs as un-wormed dogs/cats will pass eggs that can lie dormant in the soil for upto a year 
Needless to say, always make sure you poop scoop and make sure he isn't picking up and eating things on the park etc (including dog/cat poop!).

More than likely the drontal will have sorted him but remember Advocate/milbemax shouldn't really be used together


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

JulesB said:


> I use milbemax for worming Betty and Frontline for fleas. i tend to use the flea treatment every month to 6 weeks in the summer but less in the winter and it seems fine so far.


Jules I use the same as recommended by our vet ... maybe its a Berkshire thing ...


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## adj81 (Aug 9, 2011)

great! even more confused, i went to vets with marley yesterday to get his treatment, he was given advocate by the breeder but not sure what wormer, i got advocate again and was given a milbemax worm tablet, his advocate was due the 2nd of september, iv given him the tablet yesterday and planed to give him the advocate today, is this wrong now? i want him to have the advocate as iv cought him with slugs several times and with poo in his mouth.


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

adj81 said:


> great! even more confused, i went to vets with marley yesterday to get his treatment, he was given advocate by the breeder but not sure what wormer, i got advocate again and was given a milbemax worm tablet, his advocate was due the 2nd of september, iv given him the tablet yesterday and planed to give him the advocate today, is this wrong now? i want him to have the advocate as iv cought him with slugs several times and with poo in his mouth.


If your vets have given you both, go by their instructions. I go from MY practice protocols and cannot speak for other practices. If the instructions are unclear, hold off until tomorrow and give them a call to check


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