Is Purina Dog & Flea Powder safe for bunnies?

[HiddlesKenway]

So as the titles says I would like to know if anyone has had an experience in using this on bunnies? I have over fourteen so buying the stuff that you apply to the back of their neck (Advantage) is far too expensive with having to buy flea prevention for a big dog a little dog and four cats on top.

God forbid my horses get fleas! I'll probably just set my house on fire!

 

[Devi]

I wouldn't think it would be safe for bunnies, Bunnies groom more of themselves than dogs do so it is very likely they would ingest the flea powder resulting in poisoning.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

It is cat safe too, it's made for both this one in particular. I've used a few cat safe products on both bunnies and guinea pigs. But not so sure about this one. The original brand of flea powder I used to use on them I can no longer find and the shampoo is useless for bunnies.

 

[Watermelons]

Bunnies shouldn't be bathed especially with shampoo and especially with something as harsh as a flea/tick shampoo. And products like that should never be used for rabbits. And Their really not all that great for dogs and cats either. There is a reason some products are cheap. Even flea collars are only useful for putting in your vacuum cleaner.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Hahaha I had to laugh at that comment watermelons. I would not use any cheap product from your local pet store or feed store on a rabbit. She is right there is a reason that things like that are cheap And you essentially get what you pay for. Does your rabbit actually have fleas or are you just using products for prevention?

There have been people on here that love usin DE for flea control. Diatomaceous Earth and they say you can get it at a feed store. I haven't personally used it but do know of people who love it. If your rabbit actually has fleas it's better to just breakdown and buy advantage or revolution. To control and eliminate a flea population you must treat the animals and house if needed for 3months at a minimum. After that point it should just be a prevention basis and the rabbit may not need it. Definitely keep a monthly prevention on the cat and possibly the dogs as they will be your main carriers (especially the cat!)

 

[HiddlesKenway]

My cats and rabbits are all indoor and I am aware not to bathe them as I have had rabbits for years and I show and breed. I've never had an issue with the shampoo on them (spot cleaning)

I have heard of DE but haven't ever been able to find it. And the dogs get comfortitis flea control tablets. They're so far the only thing that has ever worked on the fleas bonus is when the dogs go around the cats and rabbits it helps kill of theirs. The spot on isn't very good and on top of the rabbits (Did I mention I have fourteen?) would cost me over $200 for both cats and rabbits. It is, very, very expensive here. It's roughly $80 for a pack of four and that is just the cats done. I've tried many different natural means on the cats, dogs, house and everything has been utterly useless. We go through bottles and bottles of fly sprays designed for fleas. We have never managed to be without fleas in all the years I've had pets. Although the fleas never reached the bunnies until now. If I can't find any other options I will just have to go and blow my feed money on flea control. But I'm still not convince I can beat the bugger..

 

[JBun]

I couldn't find any info on that product, so don't know what the active ingredient is. But usually the powders wouldn't be safe to use on rabbits. Reason being is that some don't contain rabbit safe ingredients, and others that are considered safe, it's very easy to over apply which could lead to a toxic amount being given.

Revolution(selamectin) is the most effective against fleas. If you are good at calculating and measuring out doses, when multiple animals are being treated I know that some people to save some money, will buy the box of the large dog dose, then draw out the correct amount to apply, from the pipette using a syringe. It's just important to get the dose right and remember that the dog dose is stronger than the cat one per ml.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/fleas/Fleas.htm

 

[HiddlesKenway]

I couldn't find any info on that product, so don't know what the active ingredient is. But usually the powders wouldn't be safe to use on rabbits. Reason being is that some don't contain rabbit safe ingredients, and others that are considered safe, it's very easy to over apply which could lead to a toxic amount being given.

Revolution(selamectin) is the most effective against fleas. If you are good at calculating and measuring out doses, when multiple animals are being treated I know that some people to save some money, will buy the box of the large dog dose, then draw out the correct amount to apply, from the pipette using a syringe. It's just important to get the dose right and remember that the dog dose is stronger than the cat one per ml.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/fleas/Fleas.htm

Thank you for this information, I tried looking on the back bottle itself but couldn't find the list of ingredients. I just went out and tried locating a store that sold diatomaceous earth but had no luck. Anyway, I'll speak with my rabbit savvy vet and one of my rabbit breeder buddies and ask what she does for flea control.

 

[bunnyman666]

I had always been told that products safe for cats are safe for rabbits. I don't know if that still holds true, but I would think that since rabbits groom just like cats (with their tongue), any product for fleas has to be safe for ingesting. That being said, I would defer to the opinion of a vet experienced with rabbits.

 

[Watermelons]

That is one of the most dangerous assumptions you can make. Just because its safe for cats DOES NOT mean its safe for rabbits. Same with dogs and cats. There are flea treatments for dogs that can kill cats to the point where if the cat rubs against a dog thats had it.....

Where did you look for DE? Its pretty easy to get.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Safer-Bran...nt-and-Crawling-Insect-Killer-51702/202743025
If youre using proper prevention on your dogs and cats like advantage or revolution you should never need to do anything to the rabbits.
Dont cheap out in something so important.

 

[missyscove]

I've heard that rule of thumb before too (if it's safe for a cat it's probably safe for a rabbit), but fipronil (frontline) is one specific example where that's not true as fipronil can kill a rabbit but can be safe for cats. There are dog products with permethrins in them that are not safe for cats and I wouldn't use on a rabbit either.
It sounds like you probably have a flea problem inside your home at this point and will have to treat the house in addition to the animals. Fleas can essentially lie in wait in the carpet and sense vibrations to know when to jump onto their host. Try frequent vacuuming (a flea collar in the bag/canister can help but I wouldn't use a pet store flea collar on an animal. The new seresto collars are great for cats and dogs though), wash and dry bedding with hot water, etc. You may need to use pesticide bomb products, especially in rooms with carpet, although you'll need to take the animals out first.
Good news for you is that horses don't typically get infested with fleas.

 

[bunnyman666]

That is one of the most dangerous assumptions you can make. Just because its safe for cats DOES NOT mean its safe for rabbits. Same with dogs and cats. There are flea treatments for dogs that can kill cats to the point where if the cat rubs against a dog thats had it.....

Where did you look for DE? Its pretty easy to get.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Safer-Bran...nt-and-Crawling-Insect-Killer-51702/202743025
If youre using proper prevention on your dogs and cats like advantage or revolution you should never need to do anything to the rabbits.
Dont cheap out in something so important.

Note that I say to defer to an experienced vet on this. I don't even give Trix a treat until I have checked with HRS or an HRS-trained vet first, and this would certainly go for flea treatment...

 

[HiddlesKenway]

As I've said before these are sand fleas and are native in the soil around my property. I cannot do much, they're resistant buggers.

I'm in a small town in Western Australia, it's not that easy to find but managed to locate some at a health food store. I'm treating all the animals with it as well as for the cats and dogs getting their chemical treatments (Advantage and comfortitis)

Thank you for the help.

I know full well about Frontline's danger and don't even use it on my cats due to the danger it has on my rabbits. They're all indoors besides the dogs. Not to mention Frontline is utterly useless.

I know fleas can be very easy to get rid of but not in this case without treating our soil which isn't an option as I have horses and guinea pigs. These are sand fleas.