It takes several hours for Frontline to kill fleas. You may be seeing the occasional dying flea. Frontline does not repel fleas at all.

Some people have their yards treated for fleas; I don't know much about that though.

I wouldn't stop taking your dog for walks. The fleas will die as long as you keep her on the Frontline monthly. Also, I use Frontline Plus, not plain Frontline, because it has an insect growth regulator which stops fleas from reproducing.

An occasional flea is normal. Your dog will pick up fleas on walks, fronline prevents them from creating flea colony.

Whenever I think about the old days, before Frontline... I think about all of the hassles we had to go through from dipping the dog to fumigating the house and the garage... killing the canary... gosh I'm so glad we don't have to do that anymore...

Shes actually on Frontline plus.....she has been on it for months now....since we got her. I was hoping there were some natural remedies I could use in addition to the meds. I would prefer not to put insecticides all over the yard as she is always playing out there and I think the insecticides would be worse for her than the occasional flea. She is still always putting things in her mouth, especially grass so insecticides make me a little nervous. Plus in Florida with all the stray cats and other wildlife constantly around I have a feeling the insecticide won't do much as the fleas will come back as soon as another cat comes into my yard.

That is good, just keep an eye on things, with Frontline I do not think there will be problems.

TNR is good for stray cats( Trap,neuter, release)

Thanks for the advice....I don't think hubby would like to spend money to gets strays fixed. we're not really cat people and there are just so many cats. There is a house on our block and when you walk past you can smell the stench of all the poop and pee from the cats. They seem to love that yard. Shame too because the yard looks pretty. We will not walk toots that way and we will keep her on the meds. Hopefully that will make things better. I've also heard about putting pepper around the perimeter helps keep the cats out. Not sure how true that is.

It is the stray cats and other critters which are adding to your problems not a dead possom - fleas feed off of living beings only, not dead ones. It is so easy to get fleas - they often lay their eggs in grass especially in hot and humid climate places...like Hawaii and Florida. The flea, once on your pup and having bitten your pup will die - should last no more tha 24 hours, making it so it can not procreate. You really just need to continue the monthly treatments and know that the flea treatment is doing its job.

Thanks I was worried that the meds weren't working or that there was something better. The dead possum had alot of fleas on it....we had someone some to the house to get it out and he said it was covered in fleas....he went under there with a plastic suit on to get it out and then wrapped it up really good before he brought it out....this was over a year ago though. I didnt know they could lay there eggs on grass. Very interesting.

Make sure you are giving the correct dose for the pet's weight and also giving it exactly after the proper number of days have elapsed.

Just dust the dog with (food grade) Diatomaceous Earth. It is also called Fossil Flour and is perfectly safe if ingested by animals or humans, but kills fleas and all sorts of other bugs like ants and roaches.

I have never used Frontline but have always dusted my animals with DE about once a month and never see fleas. (Also made piles for chicken dust-baths which the kitties also used since they thought they were chickens.)

She gets it exactly on schedule and the proper dosage. I have never heard of DE before? Is it something I may be able to put in the yard instead of insecticides? I don't want to stop frontline because I think the problem would be worse. Something to kill the buggers in my yard though would be nice.

Yes, you can use DE in your yard. If you use it in your house, as well, you won't need to use Frontline at all. I am uncomfortable putting toxins directly on my dogs, so I've always used DE. The last time I applied it was about five years ago, and we still have no fleas.

Just be sure to get food/garden grade and not pool grade. Pool grade DE is both ineffective against fleas and dangerous to inhale.

I'm not a huge fan of the chemical products, but I do sympathize with those who live in areas where there are an abundance of these pests. Personally, I will never use them again because my dog has experienced negative side effects, so I try to search for herbal remedies for anything I can help prevent. I bookmarked a site that has a few natural ways of helping to prevent fleas and ticks. I've followed it for about 2 years now and have had much success. Even if it isn't 100% effective, the general health of my dog has greatly improved.

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Flea and Tick Repellent for Dogs

Yes, be assured the occasional flea that you see is having its last meal courtesy of your dog. When a flea bites a frontline-plus treated pet, it becomes paralyzed and starves to death. I'd almost feel sorry for them if they weren't nasty little disease carrying parasites.

Don't worry and keep taking your dog for walks!

I spoke too soon! When I responded to this thread back in February, I said this about diatomaceous earth: The last time I applied it was about five years ago, and we still have no fleas.

Well, wouldn't you know it, we recently got our first flea infestation in ages!

We, too, live in Florida, and in addition to our own critters, we have stray cats, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and foxes hanging around. Despite all this four-legged traffic through our yard, the DE had kept the fleas away for years, but with the addition of a new kitten from the local pet rescue, we got a load of fleas.

Anyway, this is to say that after one application of DE in the house and yard, and we are again flea-free (without using any nasty chemicals!).

Important: If you plan to use DE, you have to be extremely thorough in applying it. DE only kills fleas it comes in contact with, so every surface in the house and yard where fleas might hang out has to be covered with DE. It's very tedious to apply it correctly, but I find it well worth it. After the initial application, you can clean up the visible DE, but leave it in the carpet, under the furniture cushions, etc., to continue working. As carmen_grower_2007 said above, once you get the fleas under control, you can powder the dogs with DE every now and then (particularly right before a trip to the dog park or to any other place they might pick up fleas) to keep them away.

holligator...where did you buy your DE...hubby and I were looking into it but we have been unable to find a local source....it seems shipping will double the price....we will do it if we have to, but I would really like to find a local supplier. Its amazing that the big box stores don't carry it considering all the great uses.

I have purchased it at both Home Depot and Lowe's in their garden departments. If your the big boxes in your area don't carry it, try your local garden store. Just be sure you don't get the kind made for pool filters. The processing it goes through makes it both ineffective for fleas and dangerous to inhale.

Thanks holligator...i was aware of the dangers of pool grade DE. I checked the websites of HD and Lowes but did not see it...I guess I have to go to the stores :-)

I bought a box a month ago after reading about it here. When I read the label it said 'do not inhale and keep away from children and animals', so I took it back. Did I buy the wrong kind? I got it at a garden center.

lily you must have bought pool grade.....the food grade is suggested for even humans to consume daily. Farmers put bags of it up for the cattle to rub on themselves to keep flies off...its supposedly really good stuff. Below is a link that might be helpful.

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

Both borax and salt can be used on carpets to kill fleas. They'll both dehydrate the fleas by scratching their exoskeleton, just like diatomaceous earth. Also, nematodes used in the yard will eat eggs and larvae without introducing toxins. Here's a site I found useful:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.beyondfleas.com/natural-flea-control

edawg thank you ...we actually use a mix of borax and salt along with some oil that smells nice as a carpet cleaner.

I have heard the application of the Advantage and other type of products are dangerous to the animal, Why? I do have a problem after the vets sec. gave me the tube that was not my dogs weight category a couple times. Now, my dog after about 6 months later, can't hardly walk, pants all the time, walks like he had a stroke, can't get up from laying down without help and looks like he is going blind and is almost deaf. He was fine before then...What do you think?

I have heard the application of the Advantage and other type of products are dangerous to the animal, Why? I do have a problem after the vets sec. gave me the tube that was not my dogs weight category a couple times. Now, my dog after about 6 months later, can't hardly walk, pants all the time, walks like he had a stroke, can't get up from laying down without help and looks like he is going blind and is almost deaf. He was fine before then...What do you think?

Well....with my last dog we made the mistake of buying hartz flea and tick medication ONCE....soon after the application she got lethargic, refused to walk and eat. We immediately took her to the vet and she had to be detoxed. Many people do not like using frontline and advantage because they are also pesticides that we are putting on our fur babies. Unfortunately I live in florida and we have a bad flea problem. Even with Advantage and frontline she has gotten fleas. We have tried natural remedies as well in our yard and home. But nothing really seems to work. None of my dogs have ever had a problem with frontline or advantage....I would not use anything you can just buy at a pet store. I would also consider changing your vet....you have to be careful and make sure the product is for your dogs weight...your vet sounds irresponsible to have given you the wrong dosage. (Although you can usually check the packaging yourself to confirm...which I would always do). When I lived in NY I did not use flea and tick prevention because we never had a problem. You should check out the link above provided by edawg which has some good tips...unfortunately I can't go natural. How old is your dog? Another question.....have you been using the product for six months? Or did you use it once? I think it unlikely that one application and six months later your dog would have a problem....but if you have been applying the wrong dose for six months your dog could be poisoned. Have you gone to the vet since. If not I would definitely recommend it.