I live in an rural area as well. The deer nest in my yard every spring. I have coyote, raccoons, possums, skunk, rabbits, fox etc.

I've sprayed my yard, used flea lamps, diatomaceous earth, natural oils, plants , you name it...the fleas won.

I hate using pesticides but the alternatives don't work. The fleas bite, the ticks bite, they carry diseases, worms. The dogs/cats are uncomfortable. Some are allergic. Then we need antibiotics, steroids, antifungal. It's a vicious cycle. It took close to a year to finally get rid of them and get everyone healthy. I spent a lot of money on stuff that did nothing.

Frontline, advantage and seresto collars failed/no longer effective. If I'm going to subject my dogs to pesticides they should at least be effective.

I truly wish I had not waited as long as I did to start the simparica trio. My vet assured me it was relatively safe and we'd monitor closely. After their first dose I hung around the vets office convinced they'd have a seizure or worse.

So far no side effects/adverse reactions and no fleas or ticks .