Anybody had experience with Activyl flea and tick control? (treatment, cost, fleas)
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Activyl worked well...I used the one without the tick medicine...I would avoid the tick component if your animal doesn't have a problem with them....The EPA gets a lot of consumer complaints about permethrin
I've been a pet owner for almost all of my life. A lot of people have very strong opinions about different flea and tick control meds. First of all, most of them are safe as used, for most animals. A few may have had negative side effects, but they are rare. A lot of cases of side effects are actually attributable to something else in the pet's environment.
All organisms evolve over time. New antibiotics are being developed all the time as bacteria becomes immune to some previous ones. The same thing happens with pest control on animals. You will find people who say that something has always worked awesome and continues to do so for them, and you will find someone who claims the same med killed their pet. The bottom line is, whatever you use, make sure you follow directions, and if you notice any troubling side effects, contact your vet immediately.
Some meds work just for fleas, some work for fleas and ticks, some work for even more. Where I work we used Revolution for our cats. I got curious and tried it on my dogs and cats, and have continued using it. Not only does it protect against fleas and ticks, but also scabies, earmites, ringworm and heartworm (which is why it requires a prescription). I was able to find a version that is manufactured by the same company under the name Stronghold and is available online without a prescription at a decent price, so I use it.
It's important that, whatever you decide to use, you use it properly and consult your vet with questions.
Regarding a product killing fleas in the house: no product to be used on an animal will do this, but fleas do have a life cycle. They need a host to survive through them, so if there are other furry animals available to them, that is where they will be. People may be bit, but they are not able to live on people. However, if there are any mice, rats, bats, raccoons, opossum, or any other mammals living in or under a home, there will still be fleas. Borox powder works well, but it is extremely toxic to animals, so if you use it make sure it's not somewhere the animals can get it.
Got my dog from humane society, previously he was at humane society. they used advantix on him. needless to say he now has fleas and it is not even a month yet. also dog had kennel cough and given a clearance from vet. previous dog was on confortis and never a flea problem. will be trying activyl and how it works. I am in Jacksonville fl
So there only seem to be complaints with cats. If I was a cat owner, I would ask for something else. Dog people seem to like it. I am trying it tomorrow on my older poodle that has problems with seizures and I am really nervous...but he has a bad infestation....is fighting pneumonia....Please keep a good thought Frontline did nothing for my dogs fleas and I think it might have contributed to a seizure (not sure because I gave it within a day of heart worm).
I certainly would not base a decision to use a product on one complaint and one possible complaint from a website!
From my point of view, Activyl has the same healing power just like Advantix. So far, I have not heard of it any side effects caused by Activyl and it is a good alternative for treating flea and tick problems. I have also learned that it is great for dogs but can be harmful for cats. Just like Frontline, it is a monthly dose that should be given to your pets.
I switched to a natural flea/tic remedy about 2 years ago for my Dachshund, he was having reactions to the chemical laden products. I was a bit skeptical but it has worked just as well as the mentioned products, I live in a moderate tic area and he has remained tic free.
It contains Geraniol, Peppermint oil, and Almond oil. $19 for a 3 pack.
OK, in some cases it can work that treating only your animals can rid your whole house, or darn near it, of fleas. My experience is with cats. It takes a lot of cats, enough to have them walking all around the whole house giving pretty good coverage. Get the vast majority, if not all, of the cats treated with something good, my past experience has been with Revolution, and the cats practically become killing machines. What seems to take place is that the adult fleas are looking for something nice and nutritious to jump on. With so many cats running around the fleas are just about having having a field day, and end up being exposed to the insecticide in question. It has worked for me, but, obviously, this isn't for everyone.
I recently obtained some Activyl, and will be trying that product. I'm hoping for good luck.
Last edited by Tony in Ohio; 05-10-2015 at 04:40 PM..
Reason: Want to add product name
Our meadowed/wooded/swamped Wisconsin property is a tick haven...overrun with both deer ticks and wood ticks. We also have lots of rabbits which means we also have lots of fleas.
For the last 19 years I've used a powdered garlic manufactured expressly for dogs and horses to repel fleas. That has worked extremely well for us...I can count on one hand the number of fleas total we've had on our seven dogs in 19 years. And none in the house at all. But it does not repel ticks for us. The heartworm preventative I used for many years, Interceptor (we have Aussies, some of whom are MDR1 mutants), is now sold only as Sentinel which includes lufenuron (Program) as a flea prevention. So we have more flea protection now than before but the Bug Off Garlic from Springtime was doing the job just fine.
I hate using the topical chemicals for tick prevention. It just feels so wrong to intentionally apply a chemical to my dogs that spreads throughout their skin and remains there for a month...at which point I then poison them again. But the tick-borne diseases are worse so I used Frontline Plus for a few years. Summer of 2013 our three dogs treated with FP each got a few ticks...not terrible but it spurred me on to find an alternative. Especially since so many others experienced the same reduction in efficacy with FP. All the other chemical topicals had side effects that I was not comfy with...I do lean holistic. My chiro vet suggested Tickz.
Tickz is an herbal mixture (designed to repel ticks) sprinkled on the dog's food twice a day for five days. It takes 7-10 days to take effect and lasts 2-3 months. The herbs are all very safe with one exception and that herb is safe in the small amount used in Tickz.
Last year on Tickz our dogs each had 1-3 ticks. For the entire season. In our tick infested yard. I was thrilled.
This year so far we've had 1 tick and that was at the very end of the 2 month period. I give it every 2 months. If I can't give it in their food...as when they get raw chicken necks for a meal...they will lick it straight out of a bowl. It smells like licorice.
I have a few friends who tried Tickz last year and they enjoyed similar success. One hikes her dogs nearly every day in tick infested woods. Her dogs had no ticks last year...none...but she may not be as anal about checking her dogs for ticks as I am.
One caveat: if you use a tick repellent instead of a product that kills ticks you will find ticks crawling on your floors after they investigate your dogs and decide they don't like the ride. I have no qualms about picking them up off the floor and watching them die in a jar of alcohol. YMMV.
Last edited by Jumpindogs; 05-12-2015 at 09:01 PM..
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Frontline did nothing for my dogs fleas and I think it might have contributed to a seizure (not sure because I gave it within a day of heart worm).
Activyl for flea and tick control
