This is my first year with Hartz Ultra Guard Pro flea treatments. It's July 4th and I think I can give an honest opinion so far. We have used Frontline for many years but it was SO expensive. This Hartz product is about $15. The main ingredient is Etofenprox. Same deal, you get 3 doses-apply down their backbone, once a month.It's says it's 'Quick-Drying", but it's kinda greasy for a couple days. Everyone had predicted a bad flea/tick year because we had a warm winter. My dogs do not run in fields or anything like that, we keep the grass and weeds down in the yard. So far, no fleas!(or ticks). Nobody seems to be allergic or anything. We had problems with Frontline and our Great Dane, but he's over the Rainbow Bridge. I can't comment on how this Hartz product would be with thin-skinned breeds.
Read www.hartzvictims.org to find out all the bad stuff about this product. It is basically pesticide that is killing dogs all over the USA. How you handle it is your choice but I would be washing that poison off your pooch immediately.
Many, many years ago when I got my first dog, among the advice my vet gave me (and he's still my vet now) was to avoid anything made by Hartz or Sergeant. Over the decades as I've become pretty darn knowledgeable about all things dog and cat related, I've found no evidence to doubt that his advice was correct. I wouldn't use a Hartz product if the company paid me.
Me and the DH
Two boys and two dogs (and two cats who prefer to stay home)
2008 Forest River Georgetown 350DS (bunkhouse model)
2001 Honda CR-V
There are generic forms of Frontline now available just about everywhere, has helped the price issue. It doesn't change the efficacy though.
I too don't like or recommend Hartz products. Historically, safety seems to be secondary to sales.
While some are against any type of topical treatment warning of toxic issues, there are real medical threats and potential life threatening risks with allowing parasites on your pets. Lyme, Ehrlichia, tape worms, Feline infectious anemia being the most common but by no means the only ones.
Risk vs reward decisions.
Doug, DVM
Doug & Sandy
Jill (11yr old Golden)& Charmin (16 yr old something)
Henry NOW a camping cat
2008 Southwind
2009 Honda CRV
We are cautious of using this type of product on our pets. With that said, once a year when we go for a week to the mountains, we put Bio Spot on all three - a lab at 65 lbs, a maltese and chihuahua both at 8 lbs, with no problems. Any other time we don't use it. We're fortunate to not have fleas where we live in Idaho.
2011 Bighorn 3055RL
2011 F350 SD CC DRW 6.7L Diesel Lariat, Hensley BD3 with Ford Under-Bed Adaptor
Dave & Renee plus (Champ, Molly, and Paris in spirit), Missy, Maggie, and now Mica!
I'm paying a little more and using Advantix on the dogs every 30 days now. I have used almost every flea preventative on the market. Living in Oklahoma they are necessary about 8 months out of the year. I can say I've had the best luck with the Advantix for the dogs. I also use Frontline on the cats every 45 days or so since they don't spend much time outside. After our mild winter, last year's drought, and this year's hot & dry weather the fleas & ticks are REALLY bad. With that said, what we're using is working very well since our pets have no fleas and I've yet to see a tick on them... even though we've had a few on us after doing yard work.
I think I'll stick to this regime.
Cat (Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
Our toys:
2003 Damon Ultrasport 3873
(picture on profile)
Boat = ProCraft Fish & Ski
Working our way toward retirement...wishing it was soon.
I read something in a magazine yesterday, about rinsing dogs with a gallon of warm water mixed with half a cup of salt, to keep fleas off. I can't try it since we don't have them here.... but I find it an interesting idea.
susan
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a wabbit, Fuzzy Wuzzy had a dandelion habit! RIP little Wuz... don't go far.
Dr Stephen Blake is a big proponent of the Cedarcide line. I would try it if I lived where there was something to try it on....
Actually, doing a little reading on the site I'm thinking of trying it around the house. I stopped the poison last year and there's been a resurgence of spiders in general, plus the black widows that never left. I've whacked the widows (a couple dozen in the back yard in the past month) but I'm getting too many miscellaneous spiders in the house. I like spiders, I just haven't yet found a way to convince them to stay outside. Don't mind the cockroaches because they rarely come in. Do mind the biting ants that attacked the bones last week. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........................
Thanks for all posts. I guess I will go back to a Frontline type product. It did scare me as our Great Dane would get sick for a couple days after his application and I had to stop it. I know it's some kind of systemic poison, and when you combine it with the heartworm preventative...scary. But, as Dr. Doug said-you have to weigh the treatment against the parasites.
Offline
