Getting Rid of Fleas on My Dog - Solutions Needed

[smspamperedchef]

Ok. The last 3-4 days I found fleas on my white lab mix. I'm so frustrated. I can't seem to get rid of them. I have bathed him, scrubbed him hard and really got most of them. Brushed him vigorously too! In the last several days he has had 3 baths with flea shampoo. However, I'll check him later and find a few more. Luckily most of our house is tile. I have vacuumed all carpet and put flea powder for carpets down on it first and let that sit before I did. I haven't even seen any fleas on anywhere but the dog and a day ago some on my cat. I bought a flea collar for both but still not totally working.

Well, I found where the problem started. Our house next door is vacant for about 2 months now after our rude and unruly neighbors got evicted. THANK GOD! Well, someone was over at the house today watering and spraying the yard. Found out it is my soon to be new neighbor. He then went on to tell me that when they walked in the house originally him and his son were attacked with fleas crawling up all over their legs. The house was infested. So, now he is in the middle of spraying the yard to kill them all. Evidently he did this a week or so ago too and guess where a lot of them went? So, now DH sprayed our yard tonight. Any other solutions? I can't keep bathing my poor dog but I don't want my house to become a breeding ground either. We won't let Max out now at all except the front yard to go and bring him right back in as I don't want him picking up anymore. Should I get him dipped? Anyone else battling this? We have never had problems like this before. He is mainly an inside dog but sometimes goes out for a few hours or so. I guess that's when he got them. GRRR. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[cwinter474]

Boy, what a nightmare! You can bet everytime he goes out he is going to be bringing them in. I am thinking that dipping him would be a good idea, and a really good flea collar for them both. I know their eggs hatch every 7 days, so are you going to have to keep vacuuming every 5th day or so? What about a flea bomb for you house? We had to do that after cat sitting for our neighbor.

I would call your vet in the morning and see what they think.

Sorry you are having to go thru this.

 

[pampermejolene]

front line works great!Eucalyptus leaves spread around your house can help. Fleas don't like it.

 

[smspamperedchef]

yea, I'll vacuum every day if I have to but I don't even think they are on our carpet. Max is mailnly is on our tile. I'm sure he brings them with him when he goes outside for any length of time. Luckily we did spray our yard so hopefully that'll start killing them. Don't even want the dog to go out but he kinda has to.

 

[smspamperedchef]

front line works great!

Eucalyptus leaves spread around your house can help. Fleas don't like it.

Where might I get those?

 

[Nanisu]

Frontline or advantage are definitely worth the money. When we had carpet and got a bad flea infestation from a visiting dog we mixed table salt and borax (found in the laundry soap dept. at the store) in equal parts and sprinkled it onto the carpet then swept it into the carpet with a broom--it doesn't show. In about 4 hours all kinds of fleas came to the surface (it was gross but at least they were dead). Vacuumed, then did again and left it overnight, then vacuumed again. Had a carpet guy tell us that was what fleabusters used--it literally killed the fleas and dried them up. Note: you must do the dog, yard and carpet all at the same time (same day at least). Fleas lay eggs and hatch very quickly. Frontline and advantage will kill what's on the dog, and the spray and carpet mixture work within a day or so. Then do the yard and carpet again in about 2 weeks to kill any eggs that hatch. You should only have to do it a couple of times. Pass the word on to your neighbor and it will help if you both spray your yards about the same day or so. We've had dogs all our lives. Don't keep shampoing your dog like you are--it can make them sick if you do it too often--flea soap is toxic in large doses.

 

[cwinter474]

Where might I get those?

Craft store, or florist?

 

[smspamperedchef]

thanks! Well, neighbor hasn't even moved in yet so I will when I see him.

I'm excited though. Within the month I should have new neighbors move in on both sides of me! Can you say PAMPERED CHEF LEADS!!! I think I might just happen to bring them each dinner, say in a Pampered Chef stone?

 

[CookingwithMary]

Use Frontline Plus on the dog (I use the cat formula, the 'plus' kills hatching fleas and eggs).Spray your yard with beneficial nematoes from Arbico. Yes, they work! Had a similar problem with a neighbor (also gone, thank goodness). Maybe you and your neighbor can both spray at the same time?http://www.arbico-organics.com/beneficial-nematodes.html

 

[smspamperedchef]

Thanks! Will be calling or going to see the vet tomorrow maybe about a dip and the frontline which I'm sure they will recommend. Will probably see how the stuff works in the yard the DH sprayed tonight first but will seriously look into the other stuff.

Thanks all!

 

[pampered.chris]

Don't buy anything generic, they dont' work. The stuff from Wal-mart and such, isn't any good. You have to buy the expensive stuff, unfortunately, for it to work. My cat is allergic to fleas and she will lose her fur if she gets them. Well she is an inside only cat and last fall my house was infested w/ them. I had to have a basement wall replaced and it stirred up the ground fleas who decided to "move in". It took 3 carpet treatments and about 2 weeks to get them gone.

Good Luck!!

 

[PamperedDor]

Sharon - Frontline is awesome - its a monthly treatment. Here it costs about $50.00 for a three month supply - works wonderfully! You can get it at any Pet store. Repels ticks as well. Good Luck!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Sharon, before having him dipped you might mention how often you've given him the bath. I think I read somewhere too much/too often was harmful.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

I just bought Frontline here Joe's Pet Meds. Buy pet medications for less. and its significantly cheaper then other websites. Obviously that doesnt help you for the "here and now" aspect, I hope you can get some more advice!

 

[KellyTheChef]

You have gotten some really good advice here...I just wanted to second the Frontline approach! I put the monthly treatment on our dog too, and thankfully it has helped so the fleas have kept away from her!

 

[kncmurray]

Frontline is the best. We got a kitten from the shelter and he had a bad case of the fleas. Our vet gave us Frontline and in one 30 day treatment they were gone. I even gave it to all of our animals at the time. I gave them frontline for 2 months and vacuumed everyday, behind furniture and everything for a month. I drove my husband nuts!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Janet...yer phone is ringin' here.A flea and a fly in a flue,
Were trapped
So what could they do?
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
So they flew
Through a flaw
In the flue!

 

[janetupnorth]

Sharon - The best thing to do is apply Frontline Spray Treatment to kill the infestation.Flea & Tick Control: Frontline Spray Treatment at Drs. Foster & SmithThen after the immediate problem is taken care of start on the regular monthly preventative flea and tick treatment.I'll PM you...

 

[janetupnorth]

Need to add, get the smaller bottle, it should be all you need 250mL and find it at a local pet store so you can get it on right away. It has to ship ground so no online supplier can get it to you in less than 2-3 days. Only reason I'd recommend the larger is if you plan on using this for a longer period than just killing the initial infestation.For follow-up, I recommend Frontline Plus or Advantix...if I know more about your dog, I can be more specific on what they focus on prevention for and what is best.

 

[SummerG]

One of our dogs, Eddie, is hyper-sensitive to fleas. We learned this on Saturday after a $426.00 visit to the vet!

Eddie had been itching like crazy day and night and I had been on my hubby to take him to the vet. He tried bathing him a few times and we applied Frontline but because he is so hyper-sensitive to fleas it wasn't enough.

The vet said to avoid bathing him so much. It will iritate his sensitive skin. Eddie was put on a plan of Advantage and Frontline every 15 days plus an antibiotic and other pills to reduce the inflamation, etc. A six month supply of Advantage was $69.99 and if you bought the pack of six you got one dose free. Vet also said that although the package states it is ok to bathe them not too long after applying the treatment he really doesn't recommend it.

Like others have already posted, the vet said we needed to treat the yard as well. we picked up the treatment at Home Depot. He said the biggest contributors to flea infestation are squirrels! Never knew that! He said they are flea magnets.

So...long story short...go ahead take yours in soon to get Frontline or Advantage. Much easier to do the meds versus dealing with the antibiotics, etc. You can also buy the meds at 1800petmeds.com or petrx.com Ü

 

[janetupnorth]

One of our dogs, Eddie, is hyper-sensitive to fleas. We learned this on Saturday after a $426.00 visit to the vet!

Eddie had been itching like crazy day and night and I had been on my hubby to take him to the vet. He tried bathing him a few times and we applied Frontline but because he is so hyper-sensitive to fleas it wasn't enough.

The vet said to avoid bathing him so much. It will iritate his sensitive skin. Eddie was put on a plan of Advantage and Frontline every 15 days plus an antibiotic and other pills to reduce the inflamation, etc. A six month supply of Advantage was $79.99 and if you bought six you got one free. Vet also said that although the package states it is ok to bathe them not too long after applying the treatment he really doesn't recommend it.

Like others have already posted, the vet said we needed to treat the yard as well. we picked up the treatment at Home Depot. He said the biggest contributors to flea infestation are squirrels! Never knew that! He said they are flea magnets.

So...long story short...go ahead take yours in soon to get Frontline or Advantage. Much easier to do the meds versus dealing with the antibiotics, etc. You can also buy the meds at 1800petmeds.com or petrx.com Ü

OK, if you are touting 1800petmeds.com, I have to recommend Pet Supplies, Dog Supplies, Cat Supplies, Pet Meds & Pet Products

I can guarantee you will have the lowest prices and best service around or shop drsfostersmith store on E-bay. (I KNOW you will have the best customer service there - you'd have to ask me in private how I know).

For whoever spent $79.99 for Frontline - YIKES!

 

[SummerG]

For whoever spent $79.99 for Frontline - YIKES!

That was for a 7 month supply. Anyone would be crazy to pay that for a 1 month supply. Lol. I was mistaken though, it was actually $69.99 so it comes out to $9.99 each month. We'll have to try out Drs Fosters and Smith though.

 

[janetupnorth]

That was for a 7 month supply. Anyone would be crazy to pay that for a 1 month supply. Lol. I was mistaken though, it was actually $69.99 so it comes out to $9.99 each month. We'll have to try out Drs Fosters and Smith though.

That's a little better then. Actually I was thinking it was 6 months...There are constantly sales so if you're looking for something specific, yell, I have my ties.

 

[janetupnorth]

I just want to add a warning here to ALL purchasing Flea and Tick items.Make sure you are going through a REPUTABLE source. Many are overseas on E-bay and don't have the regulations and they aren't the same product chemically. Also, some import from overseas into Canada, pose a US website but then ship from Canada to avoid the US rules (those are the tricky guys). You need to have it come from a GUARANTEED US supply!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

OK, if you are touting 1800petmeds.com, I have to recommend Pet Supplies, Dog Supplies, Cat Supplies, Pet Meds & Pet Products

I can guarantee you will have the lowest prices and best service around or shop drsfostersmith store on E-bay. (I KNOW you will have the best customer service there - you'd have to ask me in private how I know).

For whoever spent $79.99 for Frontline - YIKES!

Subtle, Janet, very subtle.

 

[janetupnorth]

Subtle, Janet, very subtle.

Sorry, couldn't resist after hearing at least 3 other companies mentioned...just giving a personal recommendation. I don't benefit directly from anything.

Speaking of which, since you know some engineers yourself, any along the electrical lines? There is a good job opening at the local mill for a Senior Project Engineer which I chose not to consider due to time/family. It pays double what I make!

 

[bsaxman]

Good advice so far with the frontline to treat the fleas on the pet first, but secondly you need to treat the HOUSE for fleas if you are still seeing them. Fleas are hard to get rid of OTC, and I would suggest calling your local pest control company to take care of them. That way you pay once and get it taken care of instead of wasting lots of $$ on products that don't work. Fleas are tricky to treat, you have to have all the carpet treated professionally and then in two weeks have another follow up treatment (these are usually included with the first service) to treat all of the eggs that will be hatching. You have to treat TWICE, because even the professional chemicals won't work on flea EGGS, only once it hatches.... (I work for a pest control company as my day job, and as you can see I've accumulated lots of interesting information that I thought was useless!) Anyways, hopefully this helps. They can also do a flea spray on your yard but those can get somewhat pricey. At least in my area. BUT.... THEY WORK!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Sorry, couldn't resist after hearing at least 3 other companies mentioned...just giving a personal recommendation. I don't benefit directly from anything.

Speaking of which, since you know some engineers yourself, any along the electrical lines? There is a good job opening at the local mill for a Senior Project Engineer which I chose not to consider due to time/family. It pays double what I make!

I'll pass it along to Sparky, but he's mostly interested in sound engineering and live concert amplification. His company just wired the new casino expansion in the Menomonee Valley. Do you mean the old Ripco?

 

[LeslieSGI]

Back on topic (sort of), I tease my dog and cat whenever we get a new catalog in the mail from Drs Foster and Smith by showing them the treats and toys and collars and asking "when are you going to get a job and buy your own stuff?" We love those guys!

 

[janetupnorth]

I'll pass it along to Sparky, but he's mostly interested in sound engineering and live concert amplification. His company just wired the new casino expansion in the Menomonee Valley. Do you mean the old Ripco?

Wausau Paper is the current name.

The Ripco name is only left with the credit union, otherwise that name is gone.

Interesting fact, the city celebrates its 100th in September.

I'm sure "Sparky's" casino job was MUCH more entertaining. He won't want to deal with Rockwell controls and old machinery then.

 

[kaseydee]

Everytime you vacuum throw away your paper bag (if you use a bag system).

 

[smspamperedchef]

Thanks so much everyone. I've given him a pill called Capstar that the vet recommended. Said it should start working witihin 30 minutes. Should start to see dead fleas falling off. YUK! He really isn't that bad now thanks to the 3 baths and constant brushing and the flea collar. However, still has a few and I was getting sick of it. They told me to get frontline too but am seeing how this $4.80 pill works first. Will probably get the frontline though.

 

[janetupnorth]

You do need to follow-up with Frontline or a related product. Capstar and Frontline Spray are temporary immediate fixes, not long-term.

 

[janetupnorth]

Just ran into this again...how are your fur critters doing?

 

[priscilla]

Capstar will kill the fleas currently on your dog. Frontline and Advantage will prevent eggs from hatching. Vacuum once or twice a day for TWO WEEKS, including baseboards, to get them out of the house...including tile floors. Throw out the bags immediately. Forget about bug bombs, they do not help much. Wash all dog bedding in hot water.Good luck, Frontline and Advantage are almost useless here in Florida now. Also, If cats come through your yard they will infest it with fleas, so keep up the spray program for a bit.Robin

 

[Chef Endora]

"Two dogs ago" we has a cock-a-poo who attracted fleas big-time. Then, they would hop off him and bite me. The vet recommended some sort of flea pill for him. I sprayed the carpets with a mixture of water with oil of wintergreen. It worked.

My dog Rosie is on Revolution year round. Last October she had mange.:yuck: She was spending alot of time in the woods with my DH. The vet said she probably rubbed against something that coyotes had been around. We have alot of those around here. Anyway, it worked for that, and no fleas either.

 

[lkprescott]

I just bought Frontline here Joe's Pet Meds. Buy pet medications for less. and its significantly cheaper then other websites. Obviously that doesnt help you for the "here and now" aspect, I hope you can get some more advice!

Wow! Thanks for this link! I just spent $45 for a 3-dose supply. This is significantly cheaper even with shipping!

 

[janetupnorth]

Wow! Thanks for this link! I just spent $45 for a 3-dose supply. This is significantly cheaper even with shipping!

DO NOT get your meds there! They are from Australia and not guaranteed US supply and proper chemical composition!

 

[janetupnorth]

Here is their own warning saying they MAY NOT be approved by the FDA:http://www.joespetmeds.com/page.aspx?key=Legal

 

[StacieB]

Ditto the frontline, when we first got our puppy, she had then and it got rid of them fast!

 

[chefsteph07]

You need to be careful about giving your animal multiple flea baths/dips too frequently, and make sure you tell your vet that you have given such flea treatments so close together! The flea dips are TOXIC and if you read the bottle, it should say to only do about every 4-5 days or such! AND apply the dips w/ gloves on so it does not get in YOUR blood system as it is toxic to US as well.

My mom is a professional dog handler so I have been around this my whole life. Fleas suck! And make sure your vet checks to make sure your pet is not AMEMIC from the flea bites if you have a bad case! Typical symptoms of anemia in animals is when the gums are not a good pink..sometimes they look gray.

Just a little FYI.

 

[chefsteph07]

Oh, and regarding the flea collars, don't even bother...they will go toward the tail or the head...just not around the collar area, they don't really work.