Fleas and Dogs
 

Ok, now I'm the one with a flea problem! HELP! We do our montly Advantix/Heartguard cocktail, but Riley picked them up somewhere between the apartment complex, the dog park, the vet and the groomer. It's been going on for about a month, and I'm not seeing any fleas, but I am seeing flea droppings.

I am calling the vet in the AM and calling the company who makes Advantix to see what else I can do.

Washed the bedding, cut up a flea collar into the vaccuum, brush her 2x week, bathe regularly, wearing a flea collar in addition to her flea meds, she's not itching and I haven't seen a flea in about 2 weeks, but the droppings are there, so I know the little buggers are still around.

Stupid Texas.

First of all, the excessive bathing and the flea collar could start to create additional problems with dry skin and itchiness.

Keep vaccuming and combing, and I personally reccomend Frontline Plus, as Advantix and Advantage make my dog sick, but some people have said the same to me about Frontline.

Also, not to doubt you, but since there is not evidence of fleas, are you sure it isn't just dirt?

Thanks! She gets bathed 2x a month-- cocker spaniel, as per my breeder's recommendation and the vet's ok.

I'll ask about Frontline.

It could just be dirt, but it looks like flea feces. I appreciate the advice!

From a homeopathic stance, you could brewer's yeast to her diet. Neem is also effective. We use these in addition to Frontline Plus.

You can also ask your vet for a capstar if you have a sudden outbreak. That will rid your baby of any fleas that are alive. Most flea products don't truly keep fleas off of dogs. They typically use the dog as bait. They bite the dog and then the poison sterilizes them from producing. Frontline is better because it also kills adults. It's not 100% effective at keeping fleas off of the dog, trust me. You will still see fleas and even flea "dirt" on your dog if the flea has not bitten your dog.

You should consider having your home treated by an exterminator. If you do have fleas in your home, they can kill any adults and eggs.

Dogs get fleas.

you aslo need to use a spray/powder for carpeting - you can find it at any pet store. put it down, let it sit, and vacuum it up. it should kill any eggs that are hiding. also, try spraying hairspray in the vents. it will make any adult fleas lay bad eggs and and eggs will hath deformed and will not be able to reproduce.

Tippie, someone at the dog park said I should use a mix of equal amounts of Brewer's Yeast and Garlic. Any benefit from the garlic???

Most supplements you buy for Brewer's yeast will automatically have garlic in it. If you find one with Omega3-fatty acids, it is thought to also help shedding. As with all supplements, they always say they are "thought" to do this or that. But, even my vet advises the use of BY and garlic.

You can also ask your groomer to use flea shampoo on your cocker. I would advise buying an upgrade of medicated conditioner if they offer it. We use both natural, Cedar shampoo and one with pyrethrin, depending on how sensitive each dog is to the chemicals. Then, as a rule, we always use a medicated conditioner, such as Oxymed, with our pyrethrin shampoo. It helps to keep the skin in good condition after having those chemicals placed on it. This will only last for 24 hours, but every little bit helps. And, you might ask your groomer if they have flea shampoo with Neem in it. Some shops carry it and some don't.

I tend to strongly dislike using flea control carpet products. Who wants all those chemicals in their carpet? You should try lightly sprinkling Borax powder on your carpet. Let it sit for 30 minutes and vacuum.

So, my recommendations:

*Frontline plus (Always wait at least 24 hours after bathing to apply. You need the oil in the skin to replenish itself for proper distribution of the frontline. That's why you get flea shampoo / Capstar used at the groomer / vet for the first 24 hours after bathing/grooming.)
*Brewers yeast supplements
*Neem oil
*Exterminator (This is actually much cheaper than you might think. We pay around $30 a month for our whole house.)

We had a problem in our house with fleas when we moved in. We don't have any pets, but I'm highly allergic to flea bites. I tried everything I knew of to get them out of the house. A friend of mine told me about the secret to her house being "flea free" when she has 3 cats...LAVENDER. It works. Went got some lavender potpourri and spray. Doused the whole house in it. Still flea free 3 months later. I know it works here. Don't know if it will work for you, but it's worth a shot.

So this probably sounds dumb... but what do flea dropping look like since you say you are seeing them on the dog?

They look like tiny black or dark brown specks of dirt near the base of the hair on the dog's skin.

I've personally washed a dog who'd recently been adopted as a stray. It was so flea-ridden that when I gave it a bath, the flea dirt turned the water running off its back RED from the blood in the droppings. Ick.

Tippie-- thank you so much for the advice!!! What brand of flea shampoo do you recommend for home use? Where can I buy Neem?

Calling the vet in the AM, but I think I'm going to buy some borax, lavendar (hey at worst my apt will just smell great!), and the other stuff you recommended. Do you think I should switch from Advantix to Frontline?

ETA: The thing that is weird about the droppings is that I'm not seeing any fleas (and we do a lot of brushing even though I have her in a puppy cocker cut!) and she's not scratching any more than before the whole flea thing began. And I'm not getting bit at all!

This is a good shampoo with neem:
http://www.petedge.com/shopping/prod...UCT&itemID=261

As a personal preference, Frontline is the best. I know the vets next door advocate Frontline above all else.

I don't wana hijack but this is sort of related I guess. I just got a puppy and he's 10 months old and was owned previously by a family friend. (woohooo already potty and crate trained!) Anyways, he's always scratching near his collar. It's a leatherish one. I just wana make sure that maybe the collar is irritating him and that it's not fleas or anything. And if it's the collar, what I can do to help him.

Hijack away! Where can I buy lavendar spray, by the way?

I am not sure about "most" flea products causing sterility-as far as I know program and sentinel(lufenuron) are the only ones that do this-it actually prevents the eggs from developing into adults (inhibits chitin formation).

also-
I would be careful with garlic products. Garlic is in the onion family and can cause anemia: from animal poison control DVM:

"Garlic contains n-propyl disulfide which can cause Heinz body anemia (oxidative damage).
I don't think anyone has demonstrated how much is too much, but here is one reference.

Lee KW, Yamato O, Tajima M, Kurakoa M, Omae S, Maede Y (2000). Hematologic changes associated with the appearance of eccentrocytes after intragastric administration of garlic extract to dogs. Am J Vet Res 61:1446-1450.
This paper shows that garlic given at 5gm (1 tsp) per kg of body weight in dogs will cause hemolytic changes. Cats of course are much more sensitive to oxidative damage to their RBCs.

There was also a letter in JAVMA (several years ago) that talked about Heinz body anemia seen in several kittens that were being fed baby food that contained onion powder. Onions and garlic both contain n-propyl disulfide. Gram per gram garlic actually contains more of this than onions do."

If you would like more info on garlic or onion toxicity let me know.

BTW, grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs as well. Lilys are toxic to cats and sago palm plants are toxic to both dogs and cats. Spread the word and save lives :)

Are bananas and apples okay? My mini-dachshunds LOVE LOVE LOVE bananas. When you pop one off the bunch they're right there by your feet sitting as pretty as they can.

That's really the only people food we let them have.

yes banans and apples are ok.

I was trying to edit my post but no go so here I go again:

Please before starting any treatment for whatever condition-even something as simple as fleas-consult with a veterinarian first. It is really sad when an animal comes in very ill due to iatrogenic causes. It is very sad when an owner was just trying something b/c they heard from a friend that it was ok and in fact it was not.

Why grapes?? And what is the toxicity of them? Is one grape going to hurt...or would she have to eat an entire bunch??

ETA: Not that I'm going to start experimenting with my dog, but stuff like that freaks me out, and I would start going nuts if my dog accidentally got ahold of 1 grape if I thought it might kill her.

Not in Colorado -- at least according to my vet. ;)

Try a rolled leather collar. Sometimes the sewn edges of flat collars can chafe the skin. Also, make sure that the collar is properly fitted, too loose or too tight can irritate. You should be able to fit two fingers in and slide them around.

more info on grape toxicity:

Grape toxicity
Last updated on 1/3/2006.
Contributors:
Mees Dekker, MS, DVM
Linda Shell, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Synonyms:
Raisin toxicity

Disease description:
Ingestion of grapes or raisins has been associated with acute renal failure in dogs. Anecdotal evidence suggests that cats may also be affected. The exact cause of renal toxicity is unknown. 3,4 Fungal, pesticide, and heavy-metal etiologies do not seem likely at this time. Recent unpublished data indicates that the toxic component is water-soluble, and within the flesh of the grape/raisin, not the seed. Thus, the current thinking is that grapeseed extract may be safe to use.

Ingested amounts have varied from 0.41 to 1.1 oz/kg in one study. 1 The lowest recorded amount that caused acute renal failure was 0.7 oz/kg for grapes and 0.11 oz/kg for raisins. However, not every dog or cat is susceptible and some dogs can tolerate large quantities of grapes or raisins without any clinical signs. Thus there may be unnknown patient risk factors in those that develop toxicity. Currently, there is no information about whether or not grape juice might be toxic.

CLINICAL SIGNS
Clinical signs usually begin several hours after ingestion. Vomiting and lethargy are preceded by signs of oliguric and anuric acute renal failure within 24 hours. Partially digested grapes and raisins might be seen in the vomit, fecal material, or both. There have been cases of gastrointestinal signs continuing for several weeks post ingestion. 2 Early and aggressive treatment is indicated, but even so the prognosis must remain guarded once anuric or oliguric renal failure develops.


Etiology:
Grape ingestion
Raisin ingestion


Clinical findings:
Abdominal pain
ANOREXIA
Anuria, urinary shutdown
Depression
DIARRHEA
Oliguria
VOMITING
ZZZ INDEX ZZZ


Diagnostic procedures: Diagnostic results:
Serum chemistry Azotemia
Hypercalcemia


Treatment/Management/Prevention:
SPECIFIC
1) In cases of recent ingestion, begin decontamination procedures by inducing vomiting with one of the following:

Apomorphine: 0.04 mg/kg IV or 0.08 mg/kg IM, SC or crush up one tablet and place it in conjunctival sac; flush remainder of tablet out of sac as soon as emesis occurs.
Hydrogen peroxide 3%: 5-10 ml PO, may be repeated once.
Ipecac syrup: 2.2 ml/kg PO once. Dilute with equal parts water, administer by stomach tube before administration of charcoal.
2) If vomiting does not yield results, then use gastric lavage. Maintain a patent airway with intubation and control respiration. Activated charcoal (see below) can be used.

3)Activated charcoal: Mix into a slurry at a dose of 1 gram/ 5 ml of water; recommended dosage is 10 ml of slurry/kg PO. Administration can be done via naso-gastric or oro-gastric intubation: great care should be undertaken to ensure that no aspiration will occur during or after the procedure, since activated charcoal in the lung can be life-threatening. In some animals, addition of food to the charcoal may entice the animal to eat the charcoal slurry. Rapid administration of activated charcoal can cause vomition: constipation or diarrhea may be a side-effect. And stools will be black in color for a few days. Oral medications should not be given within 3 hours of activated charcoal administration.

4) IV fluid therapy for 48-72 hours at 1.5-2 x maintenance after correction of electrolyte imbalances and dehydration

5) Monitor for azotemia, hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia for 3 days post ingestion. If no signs of azotemia by 3 days post ingestion, it is unlikely that renal failure will develop.

6) If azotemia develops, treat as an acute renal failure case using fluid therapy, diuresis, peritoneal dialysis, or hemodialysis.

Bed, Bath and Beyond is my best friend! LOL It's a linen spray. Won't be too hard to find.