# question for those who have big dogs.



## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Frontline goes up to 132 pounds I think.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

Rainheart said:


> Frontline goes up to 132 pounds I think.



And Frontline is good?


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Ky is 118 lbs and we use Frontline plus .136 oz per month. We've never had a flea problem.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Frontline should work- although there is some known resistance to it with areas that have a lot of fleas. It will probably be your cheapest option.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

Ok. Thank you both...I'll get Frontline.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I hope it takes care of your problem. You might want to get a capstar (that kills all fleas starting in 30 minutes and lasts for 24 hours) on top of the frontline to get a quick start. Wash all bedding and sheets, etc. Vacuum everything and be sure to throw out the bag/empty the canister.


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

I don't know about flea preventatives, as my 2 do not get flea prevention, only heartworm.
My breeder, has always recommended a bath with regular human head and shoulders shampoo. Apparently, head and shoulders, kills fleas on contact. She says, make a ring of shampoo around the dogs neck while the dog is still dry. (prevents the fleas from hiding in the ears when the water is added). Then add water, lather and rinse well. Although I have never had issues with fleas, I use the shampoo on my girls after they have been in particularily dense woods, hopefully to kill any creepy crawlies that may have hitched a ride (not sure if it works on anything other than fleas). I have a friend who uses head and shoulders on her border collie 2 or 3 times a week, as she sleeps in her bed, and that dog has the most amazing coat.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Has anyone else had experience with Head and Shoulders working as a flea preventative? I think someone else once said Dawn dish detergent killed fleas. Maybe someone can confirm that too?
On another note: I was wondering also about the weight issue and also in the back of my mind, wondering about the "fleas" and wondering if possibly she has thyroid issues which have caused the weight gain and the itchy skin (that seems like fleas as she is scratching and maybe you are seeing what you think is flea dirt on her lower abdomen?
Just wondering because when Brooks was about 4 or 5 years old, he started gaining weight and I thought he had fleas because he was scratching at himself and I saw this dirt like area in his groin/lower abdomen. Turns out, he was hypothyroid. He was put on Rx and within a year had lost 20 lb and now the dark skin area is gone too (it wasn't fleas)


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Mine get Revolution- Weight based. The 85.1 -130 pound tube does the 3 yorkies and Buddy. It covers fleas, heartworm, ear mites, mange, American dog ticks, etc.

Revolution for dogs 85.1 to 130 lbs (3 Month)


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

I almost killed my dog using Head and Shoulders...really. Gave her a horrible rash, the vet said the ph was all wrong for a dog. I use Dawn dishwashing soap, but we don't have a terrible flea problem here.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

lgnutah said:


> On another note: I was wondering also about the weight issue and also in the back of my mind, wondering about the "fleas" and wondering if possibly she has thyroid issues which have caused the weight gain and the itchy skin (that seems like fleas as she is scratching and maybe you are seeing what you think is flea dirt on her lower abdomen?
> Just wondering because when Brooks was about 4 or 5 years old, he started gaining weight and I thought he had fleas because he was scratching at himself and I saw this dirt like area in his groin/lower abdomen. Turns out, he was hypothyroid. He was put on Rx and within a year had lost 20 lb and now the dark skin area is gone too (it wasn't fleas)


My brother, a vet, visually confirmed fleas, as well as the cheapo flea and tick topical dosed for a 50 pound dog (my parents got it because it had a golden on the package) and then visually confirmed my mom buying Abby a regular coney dog from Skyline and I visually confirmed her feeding Abby a 9 inch turkey sub when we took both dogs to the beach last October. 
But, I originally thought thyroid, too, as our last Golden, Sammi, had hypothyroidism.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

Your parents won't listen to your brother and he's a veterinarian? They're a tough case! Is Abby a golden?


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

Yes, she is a 2 yr old golden. And they have never listened to my brother, even when we had Sammi.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

If she has fleas that bad I would look into getting comfortis. You can use Advantix, the over 55# dose is good up to 130#, according to Bayer. 

Any shampoo, head &shoulders or dawn, will drown/kill fleas. There is NO LASTING residue from shampoos (even ones labeled flea shampoos) and only work as you are bathing. Your best bet is comfortis IMO because it works really fast, like the capstar pill, and it lasts a month. The only thing it doesnt do is ticks but if fleas are the main problem i would concentrate on that first. 

As far as the weight issue, keep pressuring them, diabetes is a real concern with overweight as well as, shorten life span, joint issues. The first thing to try is a weight management food, limit the food but do this gradually if she is getting alot, they want to feed her what her ideal weight should be and see how far they get with that. If you dont see a difference at all they may want to get her thyroid checked, maybe even now, to make sure thats not playing a role in her being overweight. To me an severely obese pet borders on abuse.. We see them coming in alot and its not fair to the dog to live like that.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I use Trifexis, the dosage I use goes up to 120 lbs.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

OnMyWay2MyDreams said:


> As far as the weight issue, keep pressuring them, diabetes is a real concern with overweight as well as, shorten life span, joint issues. The first thing to try is a weight management food, limit the food but do this gradually if she is getting alot, they want to feed her what her ideal weight should be and see how far they get with that.



She's on weight control food, but my mom thinks weight control= no calories, so she refuses to feed less than 3 cups/day as well as free feed a bowl over night and mixing table scraps in it to "get her to eat her food"...its sad...she watches Maggie when we travel and she calls me concerned because Maggie throws up, but Maggie isn't used to eating taco bell nachos and coney dogs in addition to kibble...I've said "a normal dog doesn't eat that much crap...Maggie only eats 1 1/2 cups of kibble/day." This made my mom start telling people that Maggie is so hard to keep because she has a "sensitive system".


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## LeilaM (Sep 14, 2012)

Please forgive me if I am out of line, but it has been my experience as a daughter that parents routinely do not listen to the advice of their adult children (you can guess how I know this.) They simply will not accept that their child (who in their mind has a chronological age of about 12) knows more than they do about any given subject.

Sadly the dog is theirs and there is not much you or your brother can do to change how they care for it. The harder you push them the more resistant they will be to take your suggestions. Frustrating I know when you care about the animal who suffers. What will happen potentially though is that you will perhaps damage your relationship with your parents. Is it worth it to you?

I apologize if I offend... just thought I'd throw this out there.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I have never heard of using head and shoulders shampoo on dogs... I wouldn't do it. Dawn can be good for killing fleas.

If you do bathe the dog before the flea medication, wait 2 days to put it on after the bath. Or put on the flea prevention and then do a bath 2 days later. 

Also, I saw some people suggesting comfortis- the two largest sizes have been on backorder and we are out of those. The largest size we have for a dog is 40 pounds. Plus it is about $25-30 a pill for that so it is much more expensive than frontline. Unless you have a huge flea problem I don't see a reason to use it.

That is my $0.02.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

LeilaM said:


> Please forgive me if I am out of line, but it has been my experience as a daughter that parents routinely do not listen to the advice of their adult children (you can guess how I know this.) They simply will not accept that their child (who in their mind has a chronological age of about 12) knows more than they do about any given subject.
> 
> Sadly the dog is theirs and there is not much you or your brother can do to change how they care for it. The harder you push them the more resistant they will be to take your suggestions. Frustrating I know when you care about the animal who suffers. What will happen potentially though is that you will perhaps damage your relationship with your parents. Is it worth it to you?
> 
> I apologize if I offend... just thought I'd throw this out there.


No offense taken. I know what you are saying. It is super frustrating, though...When we went to the dog beach in October, Maggie, who is 4 was running laps around Abby, who is 2. Abby spent most of the day whining and sitting in the shade while Maggie spent the day swimming and chasing toys down the beach. It should be the other way around...the younger dog should be out running the older dog.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

sorry I just saw this ..... 

for Natalie (Irish wolfhound about 130 lbs) we used advantix for the over 50 I was concerned that it wouldn't be right but it killed the fleas no problem... if she has fleas make sure to use for at least 3 mos... and you might consider a capstar to kill whats on her now... don't forget that if the fleas are in the house then they are going to keep reinfesting the dog so you want to make sure you get rid of the fleas in the house.... I tried spraying areas but ended up just bombing the house.... 

I have never had fleas until this year ad i think bing brought them home from the vet ... what a pain... I used frontline on the wolfhound first and honestly it just dind't work for us ... 

good luck


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

Claire's Friend said:


> I almost killed my dog using Head and Shoulders...really. Gave her a horrible rash, the vet said the ph was all wrong for a dog. I use Dawn dishwashing soap, but we don't have a terrible flea problem here.


That is more than a little inflammatory. 

I will continue with the Head and Shoulders, it is designed for hair and not dishes. I will never by Dawn again for my dishes, as I want them clean not flea free. 

Whatever works for you, I was only expressing an opinion.


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## kjohnstone82 (Sep 24, 2012)

I use frontline always have and always will, never had an issue with it and they do have a large breed dosage one!


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

It seems the fleas in my area have developed a resistance to Frontline - even my vet doesn't recommend it any more.

You can buy Advantage II(fleas only) or Advantix (fleas and ticks) at PetSmart so it itsn't too expensive although more than Frontline. Comfortis is really good, but yep pricey.

Dawn works very well to kill fleas initially, but nope there is no residual effect. I still look for the original blue Dawn just in case the new fangles types don't work as well.

Capstar does work well for the fleas already in residence on the dog/cat and I use it if we get an infestation. That can be a real pain to get under control.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

Millie'sMom said:


> That is more than a little inflammatory.
> 
> I will continue with the Head and Shoulders, it is designed for hair and not dishes. I will never by Dawn again for my dishes, as I want them clean not flea free.
> 
> Whatever works for you, I was only expressing an opinion.


OK just to defend Dawn.... I use Dawn on the wolfhound, she has a hard coat and should have a hard coat... shampoos with conditioners etc soften her up to much... and Dawn dish soap is what the other wolfhound exhibitors recommended to me... 

I think what is important to remember is that nothing is black and white... what works for one does not work for another... and vice versa


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

Shalva said:


> OK just to defend Dawn.... I use Dawn on the wolfhound, she has a hard coat and should have a hard coat... shampoos with conditioners etc soften her up to much... and Dawn dish soap is what the other wolfhound exhibitors recommended to me...
> 
> I think what is important to remember is that nothing is black and white... what works for one does not work for another... and vice versa


Personal opinion, as you correctly point out, the reasons I would use Head and Shoulders on my golden's coat are exactly the reasons you would not use it on your wolfhound. If it works for you that is great. It was the inflammatory nature (I almost killed my dog using head and shoulders) of that post that was unnecessary.


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## ScottyUSN (Jul 18, 2011)

Just a bystander opinion regardng the Head and Shoulders good and bad results. As it is medicated and designed more of scalp relief that hair care. A Google search results in dog owners with skin issues similar to humans who benefit from the shampoo have seen improvements to theirs dogs skin (flaking, itching, or scratching). Other report bad reactions from the medication (i.e. Selenium dioxide) resulting in a nasty rash on otherwise healthy skin.

I do not think it was meant to be personal or inflammatory. I appreciate the warning.


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

ScottyUSN said:


> Just a bystander opinion regardng the Head and Shoulders good and bad results. As it is medicated and designed more of scalp relief that hair care. A Google search results in dog owners with skin issues similar to humans who benefit from the shampoo have seen improvements to theirs dogs skin (flaking, itching, or scratching). Other report bad reactions from the medication (i.e. Selenium dioxide) resulting in a nasty rash on otherwise healthy skin.
> 
> I do not think it was meant to be personal or inflammatory. I appreciate the warning.


I have yet to know of a dog that died or almost died of a rash. I am more than willing to listen to someone else's opinion or experiences, and even try out their advice, but an overreaction like that just turns me off. Sell me on what is good about your product/service/opinion, do not try to knock the competition.


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## ScottyUSN (Jul 18, 2011)

Millie'sMom said:


> I have yet to know of a dog that died or almost died of a rash. I am more than willing to listen to someone else's opinion or experiences, and even try out their advice, but an overreaction like that just turns me off. Sell me on what is good about your product/service/opinion, do not try to knock the competition.


Competition, who is competing? The poster said "I almost killed my dog" in the first person. Not that you did anything wrong. Again, I took nothing inflammatory away from it.

Then when another poster also mentioned positive results with Dawn you got defensive. We are all here to share the positive, negative, and of course opinions.

Good luck with your pups...


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