[DLbasset]

Hello to all! I'm a newbie on this forum! Sorry if this post is in the worng place.

I have two basset hounds - one is about three and the other is 6 months old. These are my first two bassets and this will be my first summer with them. With the nice weather finally approaching, I am looking to find the right combo of flea, tick, and HW preventative for my dogs. I am currently using advantage multi for fleas and HW. My vet office has suggested the tick prevention collar if I want to keep using the multi, or I can try another type of preventative medication. My dogs are also vaccinated for both lepto and lyme as well.

I just thought I would post the question - what do other basset owners use for flea/tick/HW prevention and why?

Thanks!!!

 

[murraysmom]

We use Frontline because Murray has allergic reactions to everything else- and Interceptor monthly tablets for HW. He's not vaccinated for Lyme or Lepto because he reacts badly to vaccinations- in fact, I don't even titre anymore because I won't vaccinate him if his immunity is low anyway, due to his allergy problems. That's just what I do, not meant as advice: you have to do what you and your vet are comfortable with.

 

[biscuit]

Just a heads up. Frontline and Frontline Plus are no longer working for me in preventing fleas and ticks. I've switched to putting half the dogs (Yogi) on K9-Advantix and the other half on Advantage, and so far, so good. Please be mindful that the effectiveness of some of these flea-tick-etc. (in my case, Frontline) products appears to be diminishing. I know of others who've had the same problem. I don't know if there's been a change in the formulation or if the bigs have developed a resistance, but I would advise everyone to keep an eye out and switch in a second if what they're using doesn't appear to be working.

 

[Beverly Anne]

Francis has also been switched on his flea/tick medication to K9-Advantix because of the diminished efficacy of the Frontline. He gets ivermectin for his h/w prevention.
He gets 2 million treats/day for his inability to get off my back.
Hope this helps.

 

[Yogi's Mom]

We use Frontline for ticks and fleas. Interceptor for heartworm. We only use Interceptor for part of the year though.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

Ours both get Sentinel for heartworms and fleas. Where we live we don't really need to worry about ticks so much. But we'll get them on something if we move somewhere we do.

 

[Mikey T]

fwiw is studies avantage is poor for tick control someth on the order of effectiveness for 2 weeks Frontline is 4 weeks for ticks but actual over 8 weeks for fleas only.


Another thing to keep in mind The heartworm Society of Amercia which basical does all the research in the desease has new recommendation which include all dogs be on heartworm preventive for 12 month a year. That is because of the proliferation of a strain of mesquito that survives in very little watter. It is well adapted to urban enviroment and will often hatch on warm winter days . So those misquitos lasting later in the season and the one that you find in the house in december are not figment of your imagination it is a real and potential dangerious phenonenom

2010 Canine Guidelines

Chemoprophylaxis: AHS recommends year-round administration of
chemoprophylactic drugs to prevent heartworm disease, increase compliance
and control pathogenic and/or zoonotic parasites.


... In the western USA, irrigation and planting of trees have expanded the habitat for Aedes sierrensis (western knot hole mosquito), the primary vector for transmission of heartworms in those states. Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), which was introduced into the southeastern United States in 1987, has now spread north approaching Canada and has extended past the Rocky Mountains to the west coast. This urban-dwelling mosquito is able to reproduce in small containers such as flower pots. In the northern half of the United States, urban sprawl has led to the formation of “heat islands”, as buildings and parking lots retain heat during the day and subsequently radiate it during the night. This can potentially create microenvironments that support development of heartworm larvae in mosquito vectors during colder months, thus lengthening the transmission season.
As these vectors expand their territory the number of unprotected animals infected will continue to increase. A pivotal prerequisite for heartworm transmission is a climate that provides adequate temperature and humidity to support a viable mosquito population, and sustains sufficient heat to allow maturation of ingested microfilariae to infective, third-stage larvae (L3) within this intermediate host. It has been shown under laboratory conditions in three mosquito species that maturation of larvae within mosquitoes ceases at temperatures below 57ºF (14ºC) and similar activity is expected in other mosquitoes capable of transmitting heartworms. Heartworm transmission does decrease in winter months but micro-environments commonly present in urban areas virtually ensure that the risk of heartworm transmission never reaches zero. Some species of mosquitoes overwinter as adults. While heartworm larval development in mosquitoes may cease in cool temperatures, development quickly resumes with subsequent warming.

 

[Mikey T]

Comparative Efficacy of a Combination of Fipronil/(S)-Methoprene, a Combination of Imidacloprid/Permethrin, and Imidacloprid Against Fleas and Ticks When Administered Topically to Dogs

FWIW Fipronil/(S)-Methoprene are the active ingredients in frontline plus and Imidacloprid/Permethrin, and Imidacloprid are the active ingredient/formulation in the two bayer anvantix prododuct line.

Overall, in this study the combination of fipronil/(S)-methoprene provided consistent and high levels of efficacy against fleas and ticks throughout the entire month, significantly superior to that of either imidacloprid/permethrin or imidacloprid alone. Additionally, imidacloprid alone performed better against the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) than the combination product of imidacloprid/
permethrin.

...Although dogs treated with fipronil/(S)-methoprene or imidacloprid/permethrin had significantly fewer ticks (p<0.05) than the controls at both Day 21 and Day 28, the dogs treated with fipronil/(S)-methoprene had significantly fewer ticks (p<0.05) than those treated with imidacloprid/permethrin at both of these time points (Table 2, Figure 2).


...Both imidacloprid/permethrin and imidacloprid alone performed satisfactorily up to Day 7, but their efficacy declined substantially, falling below the accepted standard of 95% efficacy against fleas in counts performed on Days 14, 21, and 28. Of particular interest was the fact that throughout the study the combination of imidacloprid/permethrin provided lower efficacy against fleas than imidacloprid alone. This difference was significant (p<0.05) on Day 28.

...
This study further demonstrated that fipronil/(S)-methoprene provided higher levels of efficacy against Rhipicephalus sanguineus (the brown dog tick) at weeks 3 and 4 after treatment compared to the imidacloprid/permethrin combination. Since all of these products are labeled for once-monthly administration, maintenance of activity throughout the entire treatment interval is critical. The imidacloprid/permethrin combination did not provide satisfactory efficacy against ticks.
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Bold added by me for emphysis

 

[Mikey T]

K9-Advantix because of the diminished efficacy of the Frontline

One sould not be using frontline but rather frontline plus. It has been demonstrated that some insects occuring in Mexico and farther south developing resistence to Fipronil. However there is no indication that fleas or tick have. secondly the inclusion of methoprene which is a growth inhibitor prevents fleas, tick or other inssect that has come in contact with it from reproducing so even if the a particular flea is resistant it can not reproduce to pass the resistance on. It has been concluded that any antidotal evidence of resistance is because of a lack of understanding of the flea life cycle. and how Fipronyl works.


Insecticides-Current Uses in Pets

Dryden has recently reported that although fipronil and imidacloprid are excellent adulticides, there is potential that females may survive and reproduce between applications. Looking at the percentage of fleas that fed prior to being killed by residual insecticides, the majority were able to take a

blood meal. At 20 day reinfestation a few viable flea eggs were collected from treated cats with both compounds. Dryden thus concludes that these adulticides should be used in combination with juvenile hormone analogs or insect development inhibitors for the most effective flea control and prevention of subsequent flea generations. He strongly recommends that combination of compounds with completely different modes of action should delay the onset of resistance by fleas.

Frontline flea and tick control products Are fleas becoming resistant?

Anecdotal evidence of flea resistance to Frontline flea and tick products
For several years now, there have been rumors about fleas becoming resistant to Frontline flea and tick products. Both veterinarians and pet owners have questioned the efficacy of Frontline products. Many pet owners have been claiming to use Frontline products on their dogs and cats and complain about still seeing fleas on their pets. Many veterinarians also have questioned whether there might not be some resistance developing to the Frontline products.
Research seems to debunk theory of flea resistance to Frontline flea and tick control products
Numerous research projects have examined the susceptibility of fleas to fipronil, the active ingredient in all Frontline products. There does not appear to be any research to indicate that fleas are becoming resistant to fipronil. The most recent study was published in the February, 2009 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology (Rdl gene polymorphism and sequence analysis and relation to in vivo fipronil susceptibility in strain of the cat flea). This study found no evidence of flea resistance to fipronil.
Another study, published as far back as December, 2001 in Veterinary Parasitology (Effect of 0.29% w/w fipronil spray on adult flea mortality and egg production of three different cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), strains infesting cats) found that some strains of fleas were more susceptible to fipronil than other strains but all strains showed adequate susceptibility to application of fipronil, especially within the first two weeks following the application. For some strains of fleas, efficacy of fipronil did drop off a bit by the third and fourth week following application of fipronil.

Note that the dates of the sudies cited are fairly recent 2009 so this is not old information. I have yet to see anyone produce solid evidence of flea resistance to fipronil and it is unlikely to happen if fipronil is combined with a growth regulator as occurs in the front line plus product.