What kind of winter climate do you have? OR, Where do you live?

SaltiDawg

I leave in USDA Zone 5b, very (quite) cold, 3 days ago it was -29*C

yovan,

The product you use is not a repellent - it is a pesticide combination that will kill the fleas and ticks in short order. (They won't jump ship and swim to your person.)

My question about the climate was to get a sense whether you should make the monthly applications in the winter also. Sounds like your cold climate will handle them in the winter.

I live in Suburban MD, outside DC. Many years ago, after consulting with my Vet, I went to twelve month/year round applications of my Flea and Tick Pesticide Topical and also my Heartworm Medications. Not that expensive now a days.

I live in Ontario, Canada and give our dog Heartgard Plus (for heartworm) and Nexgard (for ticks) 12 months a year. The giving of the Heartgard 12 months a year helps prevent against the tummy upsets so common with dogs who LOVE to eat anything outdoors (ours is one of them) and the ticks are at their worst during this time as well. Our vet has a map up showing how ticks have become a real issue in our area. Despite the horrible cold, snow, and freezing rain! And we have a lot of it.

My vet has advised that the heartworm and tick treatment will be combined into one application this year - I sure hope it is chewable since he is a double coated dog. But I am dreading the loss of one "treat" - he likes everything.

eccentric

Where can I purchase those meds

Sawltidawg, do not give out wrong info about ticks. THEY WILL GO FROM PETS TO PEOPLE. Tick diseases are epidemic all over the world. These diseases (Like Lyme) are very often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, dementia, chronic fatigue, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, and other afflictions.

Ask any veterinarian and they will tell you this. Ticks are repelled off your pets onto you. People give their pets more protection than they give themselves. Do some research on Lymedisease.org or any other of the many Lyme websites.

There are treatments that cause Fleas to be repelled and also that simply interrupt the reproduction cycle. The product the OP is asking about does neither - it is a combination of Pesticides that kills the fleas in a matter of minutes.

No topical pesticides woild remain on the market if they simply shifted the infestation from the dog to the carpet and environment.

To suggest so would be moronic!

susanzone5 (NY), sorry that you felt the need to (attempt to, anyway) address me by name. You have simply shown that you do not know of what you speak.

Since you sleep with your dog, I would not recommend a topical insecticide. There are pills for fleas and ticks. If you have mosquitoes in your area, your dog may need a heart worm preventative.

I think Jim Mat provides good advice re concern about a topical pesticide on your dog's skin and hair. (I have not allowed dogs on bed in many decades, so the thought had not occurred to me!)

At least, keep the pet off for a day or two? Not sure.

Good catch, Jim!

yovan - I buy my dog's meds from the vet. I know that some people buy them from websites, but I prefer to buy them from the vet. Prescriptions are required for both the heartworm and the nexgard (nexgard is given monthly) - before nexgard we used Bravecto (given once every 3 months) but then the vet's started selling nexgard - it was easier for some people to remember to give it monthly.

Next up of course will be the all in one pill - maybe it is in the U.S. already. I have been told that it will be stocked in Canada come April/May. At this point since our dog is 15 I am buying 2 months' worth at a time for obvious, but sad reasons. Of course this could go on for a few more years. The weird thing is price wise there is no difference in buying 12 months versus 6 months versus 2 months - not even one cent!

We've had good luck with Bravecto for fleas, ticks, and mites. My dog also takes Heartguard and I've never seen a roundworm crawling out of his butt so I guess it works. :) (It's not limited to heart worm.)