Flea prevention?

i live in northern nevada and our unique climate means we have no fleas or ticks which is sweet. i've spoken to many vets who all say they have never treated a case of fleas in my town and i hear that reno (200 miles away) doesn't have any either but i work at wal-mart (while attending college) and i sell tons of flea collars and things so i'm wondering if its healthy to treat something your dog doesn't have? is it a preventative thing? i don't think i'd treat my dog for something he doesn't have.

Flea prevention?
How great to live in an area without fleas or ticks! No, don't treat for fleas if they aren't there. If, somehow, they show up, they're so easy to treat anyway. People are just buying the flea collars because they don't know any better. I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole after finding a ring of raw weeping skin under the one I put on a cat years ago.
Reply:if the animal is going to get fleas it will, the best thing you could do is prevent it. you can get sprays drops and shampoos for the dog which all prevent fleas. its best to be safe than sorry. no it doesnt harm the dog to prevent fleas. i have 3 cats and my cats have flea prevention on them every 12 weeks. just a few drops on the back of their kneck and thats it for another 12 weeks! the cats dont even no they have got it on.
Reply:I would still have a product available in my home for a just in case. Most dogs who get Heart Guard don't have heart worms even though they're given preventatives for the disease. So, as you can see, with flea and tick or heart worm medicine, it would not harm the dog to give the dog preventives against the problem, you never know. Someone may come to your area with a dog that does have fleas and your pets may get infested.
Reply:Because of your unique situation, I really wouldn't bother with any preventative, since even the mildest treatments are still toxic!





Flea collars are crap, unless you just want a stinky chemically-scented, toxic dog with a flea-free neck ;)





If you do want to use something, go with frontline plus or advantage. No sprays, no dips, no shampoos, no collars are effective enough at preventing. They're a waste when you look at how harmful they all are, as well.
Reply:honestly the flea prevention walmart sells doesn't work most of the time anyway. the spot on flea treatments sold at walmart cause more health and neurological problems than they're worth.





and yes i agree with you, there's no reason to expose your pet to a product it doesn't need. but it doesn't mean there are no cases of fleas in your area, some pets may need flea prevention. i would suggest they contact their vets and purchase frontline or advantage that have very low side effects and actually work, unlike walmart's flea products.











the reason dogs who are on heartguard don't get heartworms is because heartguard is the prevention for heartworms and other intestinal worms. heartworm prevention and flea prevention are two completely different things. fleas can easily be treated after the fact. if your dog gets heartworms it can be deadly even if treated.
Reply:everyones right about not using chemicals etc for something you don't have a problem with, but a bath with flea/tick shampoos once in a while can't hurt.


personally, one thing i do (we do have fleas/ticks) is spread bagged cedar shavings in the real dry spots. Zeus has a cave under the front porch and its the perfect place for fleas. cedar repels fleas and ticks.