Tothill---We used Revolution last year for our dog, took her in In Aug for her vaccines, they did her routine Heart worm check and she tested VERY Positive for Lyme disease, she had to take an antibiotic 2x/day for 30 days. She was very lucky she did not get sicker than she was( I did notice for 2-3 days her eyes were tearing and she seemed a little lethargic, nothing hugely alarming..
From what I understand from the vet Revolution is proving not to be effective against ticks, we were promptly switched to Frontline Plus, Which can be purchased at Sam's Club and Menard's for considerably cheaper than my vet anyway.
i think I would check with my vet before I would attempt washing my animals with dawn for a flea control measure. I would worry I could be asking for other health issues.
From what I also understand a flea will only spend 20% of it's the time on the animal, 80% off the animal(AKA house, carpet, yard,)
Fleas also carry diseases, cause anemia, and worms(tape worm). Why fool around?