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How often to apply DE to 100+ pound dog

9 years ago

How much and how often should I apply DE to my dog?
He is miserable with fleas. We plan to treat the back yard this week with Bug-B-Gone.
I read somewhere that I just fill up a sock with DE and use it to dust the dog.
We will also dust his bed outside on the back porch and the couch where he sleeps inside.
We will be using food grade DE.

Thanks in advance

Pooh Bear

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Comments (9)

cold_weather_is_evil
9 years ago
Bug-B-Gone contains Bifenthrin, which has "the longest known residual time in soil of insecticides currently on the market". It's nasty stuff. The dog will be hanging around it for a long time, so using the DE as a treatment may not be effectively safe.

I really really really hate to suggest Sevin (for the grass, not the dog), but it decays much much faster, can be watered down afterwords with sprinklers, and would hurt you all less.

Can you wash his bed in hot bleachy water?
Pooh Bear
Original Author
9 years ago
We can wash his bed. Have to a lot in the winter.
We have been using Bug-B-Gone for several years
with great success. Our dog only leaves the back porch to "do his business"
and to bark at stuff sometimes. Lately he has been coming in the house
out of the heat and sleeping all day on the couch (old couch, he is allowed).
THE BBG can be applied using a hopper spreader. Sevin dust would have to
be mixed with water and sprayed on such a large area.

This year we let the grass in the dog yard get out of hand (over my head) and
had to brush hog it before mowing it. That certainly didn't help with the fleas.
Should be able to keep it mowed the rest of the summer.

Pooh Bear
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User
9 years ago
The patent has expired for Frontline/etc. formulas. That means the dosages are now quite inexpensive in generics.

Treating him with a treatment once a month will greatly reduce his infestation.

Once you deal with the fleas on him, the fleas in the yard will be reduced.

I have two dogs, in the yard and inside of a home where there were five dogs previously. In used Frontline(when it was expensive) until the problem was eliminated. Have had no fleas in the four succeeding years---and do not still muse the Frontline nor any other medicines.
socks
9 years ago
Are you using these products to avoid topicals or orals for your pooch? It would be so much easier just to treat the dog and not use BBG or DE, both of which might not be so good for the dog or the environment. I worry about inhaling DE.

I was terribly concerned about giving my dog a product like Frontline, but I found a site which rated some of the flea products as to their safety for the dog, and I finally settled on Comfortis which I stretch out beyond the 30-day application period. Seems to be working ok so far. I'll give you a link to the site in case you are interested.

Just my 2 cents, and I hope you get something settled for your dog because it surely is torturous having fleas, and you don't want them in the house either! Good luck. (Good looking dog, by the way!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Resources Defense
sylviatexas1
9 years ago
I've been happy with de, gauging when & how much by the results.

I pick a 'still' day (no wind), or stand upwind so it doesn't blow into my face, & dust the dog as though I'm dusting him with talcum powder.

yard, same.

If/when I see fleas, I re-apply.

You also can put a little de into the food to discourage internal parasites.

just a little bit, because it really is 'sharp', like concrete dust or coal dust.

I may be going over old info, but be sure to use plain de, the kind you get at the feed store, & not 'swimming pool' de, which has been subjected to heat & which really isn't good for anybody.

He's a handsome dog!
Pooh Bear
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank You ! Homer is smart too, and a big spoiled baby.

The link below is the stuff I ordered from Home Depot.
What would I be looking for as far as names for generic Frontline Plus?
I haven't used that up till now because of the cost, and we had two big dogs.
One of the dogs got out of the dog lot and was killed by a car. (RIP Sophie)
So now we just have Homer. Generic Frontline Plus could be affordable.
Is PetArmor a safe product? I could get a year's supply of PetArmor
for just about the same as I pay for DE and BBG.

Thanks.

Pooh Bear

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Grade DE from Home Depot
cleanfreak_2010
9 years ago
Try Flea Treats

They work incredibly well for my two dogs here in GA.
Pooh Bear
Original Author
9 years ago
The DE I ordered turned out to be back ordered and won't be here till Tuesday.
I couldn't stand to see my furbaby suffering anymore so I bought some Pet Armor
and used it on him. Next day there were a few fleas and by the second day
I couldn't find a flea on him, none. Homer is feeling much better and is more active.
We watched Homer for reactions to the Pet Armor but nothing so far.

I still haven't spread the BBG on the yard. Now it needs mowed again.
If I can catch a day between the rain we'll mow the dog lot again.

Pooh Bear
ryseryse_2004
9 years ago
We use Pet Armor on our dogs and DE on the cats. DE is perfectly safe but yes, be careful of inhaling it. We can't afford anything else for the indoor/outdoor cats since there are so many but the DE seems to keep the fleas away.

The cats absolutely hate it though!!!!! Prissy little things.

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