Question: when should you start using flea prevention stuff? My vet said as soon as it's warm but when do you do yours? And any suggestions as to which one to use?
I hold off as long as I can. Most of the products available are very high in their side-effect profile. Both my dogs have had reactions to a couple of them. If you don't expect to expose your dog to the environments where fleas and ticks breed, I personally wouldn't use any protection at all. Even when using the damned stuff, the paws don't seem to be protected at all. So, each time I come home from an unsafe place I check all 8 paws for ticks—nasty little buggers. I have small dogs, so when I do decide to use something I use Advantix K9 Flea Killer Plus because it comes in an 'under 10 pound' formula. Discuss it with your vet. Ask questions. Read up about the use of the products online. Make an informed decision.
Heartworm medication, on the other hand, is a must!
Most vets charge a lot of money for these products. You have 3 choices: 1) Print out the cheapest price you can find for the item online and bring it with you to the vet visit and ask the vet to match the price; 2) ask for a prescription for the product so that you can go online and order it less expensively; 3) pay the vet whatever he wants for the stuff!
I do #1. He laughs at me, but he matches the price every year!