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?