Review on Seresto Flea And Tick Collar For Small Dogs (Up To 18 Pounds) - 8 Month Protection (2 Pack) by Dan Buycks

This is a review for Bayer Seresto dog collar for small dogs:This purchase was made a while back. I am only now entering my review because 1) time is an issue for me 2) I can now share with near certainty that the product works. First a little history: sometime last year we missed the 30th day dose of the Frontline that we were using then. Unfortunately those couple of days turned into an unwanted turning point. Within about a month we were seeing little crawly things on our sweet little pooch. In no time we had a major flea infestation in our home! We continued with the Frontline but were not seeing any results. So we did various non-flea bomb things: we went to great lengths to get rid of the fleas inside and outside the house, we bathed our dog frequently, we combed out the disgusting bugs on a daily basis, we got the Seresto collar and we stopped the Frontline and switched to Nexgard. Our problem went away in about 4-months. Long time right? Well, fleas can linger for a while so don’t think you can get rid of them so easily. You might think that our problem was resolved because of the Nexgard (which also works) but I think our problem was resolved because of both. Since our problem was so severe, at the recommendation of our vet, we bathed our dog a lot. Poor thing. The fleas really did a number on her skin and coat.The thing with Seresto is the directions call for infrequent baths. This, we found out, is because the chemical effect has to ‘restart’ each time after a bath. This is where the Nexgard came in as a backup or insurance. Our problem was extreme so the baths for our darling Cavalier were necessary – we used a special antiseptic shampoo that helped her skin and killed the fleas that were on her. (Of course, after a few hours back in the flea environment, they jumped on her again.) As we understand it the collar works by releasing an agent that coats the animal’s fur. This is what kills the fleas before they bite. So if you’re bathing your dog frequently, be aware that the collar’s strength will diminish and may not ‘work’ for a day or two following the bath. The collar may then need to be replaced more frequently too, because it is ‘using up' the chemical faster. Instead of every 8 months, it may be every 6 months. If all you need is maintenance then you should be alright. But if you’re battling a problem like we were, multiple approaches like ours may be necessary.On the flea infestation in our home, we researched every piece of information about getting rid of fleas and applied all that we learned. We talked with a number of customer service reps, wonderful all of them, both at Frontline and Bayer (the makers of Seresto) and even corresponded with a few of the world’s top vets and scientists in the field of flea management. Fighting home flea infestations is a task that requires a lot of work, time and persistence. Killing the adult fleas is not enough. One must make sure the pupae are also eradicated. This next to last life cycle of the flea is the one to fear. Pupae can remain dormant for up to 6-months, hiding in crevices and maturing into adult fleas, months after you’ve stopped fighting. The ideal is to do everything to get rid of the adult flea so that they do not lay more eggs. For us that was the collar and the Nexgard. Focusing on the pupae throughout is recommended too. Since they can linger in your home dormant, you want to stop them from growing into adulthood 6-months after you think you got rid of the problem. Once the pupae mature, they ‘wake’ up, sense the warmth of your pet, jump on your animal baby and start the cycle all over again.In the heat of the infestation, we would sprinkle and rub salt and diatomaceous earth in all the crevices and large swaths of the carpets. This would sit for a few days (yes, a bit problematic when walking over it but well worth it, I tell you.) and then vacuum well. We’d repeat this every 2-3 days for weeks. We’d also launder sheets, and doggie bed covers, and any fabric on which our dog would lie, in hot water, frequently. In order to gauge our progress, we set up a few desk lamps on the ground above aluminum dollar store food storage pans filled with soapy water. This way we could see if the fleas were dying off. Fleas get attracted to the warmth of the light, move toward it and of course they can jump as high as four inches so in they would go into the water. I guess the soap would kill them. Over time, the dead fleas in the soapy water diminished to the point that we knew we had won the battle. No dead fleas in the water meant no more adult fleas in the house or on our dog. With the continued vacuuming, I believe we got rid of the pupae as well. Of note, the vacuuming is also like an earthquake for the fleas and the pupae, stimulating them, making them jump all over the place, allowing them to be sucked up by the vacuum faster.So I say, among other things you can do to combat a bad flea infestation, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, every 2-3 days if possible for a while, launder everything frequently in hot water, place salt and/or diatomaceous earth in the crevices, use the soapy water pan idea and keep your animal away from shady areas in your backyard because fleas love to live there. They won’t be in the sunnier parts. (We used inexpensive garden wire mesh.) Oh and be careful vacuuming the diatomaceous earth because this could ruin your machine. I used to go easy on the powder. You don’t need a lot. And if you have a bag vacuum, get rid of the bag each time because if you leave it sitting there, the pupae and fleas can get out of the bag and return to your dog. We have a Rainbow vacuum which uses water so dumping the water was much easier than changing a bag each time. Anyway this was my family’s experience with fleas and the Seresto collar. We continued with both collar and Nexgard for a while and never saw a flea again. The Nexgard by itself could’ve been ok but I truly believe in the collar since it is not at all like the traditional dangerous collars of old that are still being sold today. I think if we had had the Seresto from the beginning, we would not have suffered as we did. It’s also so simple. Put the collar on and forget about it for 8 months! Now I will never go back to drops flea control.I hope some of this is helpful. When we were going through our flea trauma I relied so heavily on these types of reviews that I wanted to "pay it forward.” Good luck to you.