Fleas on dogs
 

My Nothern Inuit has acquired some visitors from somewhere. First noticed about a month ago and we treated her with Front Line as we know this has worked before on animals we've both had.

Also we treated the house with household flea spray. I've bathed her and we've set up flea traps around the house.


This seemed to work, after about a week I couldn't see any fleas when I was combing her and neither of us had seen any in the house.

And then, they came back. And nothing seems to be working :(

I wondered it this was the same 'batch'of fleas or not.

I telephoned the vet who said Front Line can sometimes take a while to work so not to worry, just check that all fleas on her are small and none appear to be pregnant (queue rubbish joke about getting fleas to wee on a stick)!

I hate seeing her scratching it must be so irritating for her-she's never had fleas before. They don't seem to be bothering her that much in comparison to other pets I have had but I feel so sorry for her.


Has anybody had experience with this?Anything you know worked on your pets?
The only thing I have been advised by friends is to get a Seresto collar, but they're unavailable without prescription now. I am going to try to get her to the vets tomorrow but wondered if anybody has any pearls of wisdom to share in the meantime?

Thank you

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Is it fleas or could it be mites.There is another treatment called Stronghold which might work better.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

I recall you saying that you aren't keen on housework, and this could be prolonging the problem.

Vigorous frequent carpet vacuuming (don't miss out the corners and edges) will capture the fleas which have jumped off after dining.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Don't put anymore treatment on her yet, I had the same problem with Bella (my cat) last year, I put the flea drop on her every 12 weeks, and about 2 or 3 weeks after doing it she had been out and come in with a couple on her, I rang the pet store in Ossy where I had got the flea drops from and they said she will have just picked them up when out, the fleas have to bite her to die, the drops get in the bloodstream and that's how they work, if you put more on her now she might become poorly because she already has the 'medicine' inside her

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

The flea population had exploded this year due to the warm weather. My husband was sat outside enjoying the sunshine a couple of weeks ago and two jumped onto him.

I used frontline on Gizmo(rest in peace lad) but he still got them......so after every walk I combed him with a flea comb and drowned the little invaders.

Fleas spend most of their lives off the animal, but they jump on for a feed...they are sensitive to heat and vibration so that they know just when a meal is approaching.
Flashy is right, the fleas will not die until they have fed..but this is no good if you have a dog who has a flea allergy....the flea spit causes immense irritation, and the dog will scratch purely because of this.
Get a steam cleaner(you don't have to pay a lot of money for one).......steam all the places where the dog goes and where he sleeps......and comb your canine friend each time he comes in from his walk.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Go on line for COMFORTIS a American chewable tablet given once a month We can buy it without script in oz. Better than all the other treatments we have used including Frontline and Advantage.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Thank you for the replies everyone :)

I'm certain they're fleas Max, I've seen them :(

Thanks Margaret-you're right neither me nor my other half are the tidiest people-although having said, that It's impossible to be rigorous about it at the moment..The house is being refurbished still, and there's boxes of packed up belongings, a kitchen that's half ripped out and wood/tools/sawdust everywhere! We know if we didn't have so much stuff hanging about it would be easier.

We don't have any carpets in the house at all, though, which I now feel happy about.

There's a arge rug in the front room and carpet cuts in the corner that serves as Kya's sleeping place. I don't want to take the rug up as it's the only thing making the house feel slightly homely at the moment, but I'll endeavour to vacuum it more often-and her bed-actually I think I'm going to chuck it out and get her new bedding.


Okay I'll remember that-I spoke to a friend with a dog who was allergic to Front Line, although it didn't do the dog any actual harm, it just meant that it didn't work-I'm wondering if Kya has the same issue :confused:

I should encourage Kya to make like a deer and go in the river with a stick in her mouth!

I have a steamer ! :) Good idea. I didn't know about the flea population jump (scuse the pun)- although I have heard that fleas are becoming more resistant to treatment .

Neill has done the combing thing once or twice-Kya HATES being combed which doesn't help-she won't stay still for long-but she'll have to cope with it, I'm sure she's none too keen on fleas either.

I'll steam the rug and chuck her bedding out.

Thanks Irene, I haven't heard of that.
I feel like a bad parent seeing fleas still on Kya :(

As soon as I noticed I was on it with treatment, but knowing she still has them and she's probably wondering what's going on as she's never had fleas before. I have eyes like a sewer rat, unlike Neill who didn't heed me at first because he couldn't see them and thought I was just being paranoid!

Thanks again people :) I can't believe how much stress something as tiny as a flea can cause.Lucky for me I must taste horrible as I have only been bitten once.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

The Comfortis is expensive over here and has some side effects too..so it may not be suitable.
Rub Kya over with a cloth onto which Lavender oil has been dripped(only a few drops)...aparently fles hate the smell of it and may give Kya a wide berth...Eucalyptus oil is supposed to have the same effect, but it can be quite irritant unless it is diluted in a carrier oil

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

try giving her garlic too, fleas dont like that either, she will sweat it out of her skin and maybe the fleas will sod off

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Comfortis is perfectly safe for dogs over 5 lbs. Must be given with a full meal( not titbits). Follow the instructions and there will be no problems. Most vets here in Perth recommend it because of the hot weather, when fleas thrive. Frontline and the other flea killers are useless in our climate. Our dog is small 23 lbs, and long haired, but we have been flea free for over 2years.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Aussie Irene, I was just pointing out that it isn't as easy to access because of cost...and that there have been some concerns about its use.....that it works for you is good...especially in the climate you have over there.
I was also pointing out that there are alternatives.
It is vitally important to realise that 95% of the flea population do not live on the animal, but in the soft furnishings of the home.
Many people do not realise this and the infestation continues because only the animal is treated and not the surroundings.
I have also highlighted that the animal should be combed after each walk or spell outdoors...and on a treated animal, a live flea does not necessarily mean that they are still infested. It may mean that the flea hasn't dined yet.

For some dogs(ours was one of them) a bite will cause eczema......and the dog will chew and scratch because it has been bitten and is allergic to flea saliva...but no flea will be found(or OK, maybe a dead one).

Dogs are like people..unique......there is no 'one size fits all treatment'..though I am happy that you have solved your dogs flea problem.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Point taken Margaret. The vet also told us that if we had a cat, which we did'nt, we would have had a job to get rid anyway, no mater what we used

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Sorry for late reply, I did read and was grateful for the advice but haven't spent much time online recently.

I have heard this before but I am wary as have also been told garlic is toxic to dogs-I suspect only in larger amounts though so you may be right.

Definitely agree here-Neill's previous dog had one treatment of front line and was fine. My Hungarian Puli seemed to be a flea deterrent, he had been exposed to fleas, a LOT of fleas before I rescued him and was the only dog in the house ever to not get them. I took him to the vets when I first got him because I found what I thought were mites, the vet said they were 'flea carcasses'. Something about him fleas did not like, evidently.

Thank you for the advice both of you-I did look comfortis up, but couldn't find a way to feasibly get hold of it.

I have used lavender, given her a bath and been to the vet who also said lavender was a good choice, and given us some 'Strong Hold'. (Same as your recomendation, Max).

He says if the Front Line isn't having an effect this may or may not, but touch wood.....
I'll update, thanks again! :)

Funny that you mentioned, Max-one of my rats got mites this week, none of the others have them though. Strange-yes animals are as unique as us. So I've treated him with a topical treatment too, and they seem to have already gone :)

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

As well as the frontline, which poisons the fleas, there is also an injection which stops the 'egg tooth' developing in the eggs, therefore they cannot hatch. Our vet recommended we use both treatments (although not cheap) at the beginning of the flea season ie warmer weather, and continue frontline only until October/November , we have been flea free for about seven years now, and we and the cats are happy!

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Jelly baby is the injection called 'Stronghold'?

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Margaret Stronghold is in pipettes just like Frontline. Max had mites when he was a puppy and we got the Stronghold from the Vet

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

My daughter recently got a Jack Russell puppy...she had been treated with Stronghold, but we thought it was a jab

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

It is stronger chemicals than Frontline

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Yes, she was told that it was effective against eggs and larvae.......she was quite perturbed when the puppy came in from playing in the garden to find she had acquired a couple of fleas....I told her that once they had had a feed they would die and drop off...but she combed them out and killed them anyway.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Sorry for the delay in replying, have been away.
No, stronghold is another flea treatment for which a prescription is needed. It is, as the name suggests, stronger than frontline so may not be suitable for smaller dogs. It not only kills fleas but mites and other parasites as well. It is available online but only with a prescription. I don't know what the injection is called, but it does work well in conjunction with the frontline.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Oops, didn't see the previous replies!

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

how old is she and do you walk her in grass

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

My mum has a chihuahua and he has had a big problem this year.....we have treated the home with canisters that 'fog' the place...he has had fipronil treatment(frontline) but still he has the odd flea(despite combing him when he comes in)...I have told my mum that it is because he goes into the long grass near her house...anyway I have ordered some Frontline Combo..this has something in it which sterilises the female flea and makes it impossible for her to reproduce.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Yes I fell run with her. She's 10.

Hope it works!
I am supposing the fleas were stubborn on Kya because she's a big hairy thing. They have gone now anyway, she's much happier and Neill isn't freaking out (obviously they didn't leave me jumping for joy either but he was really upset by it more so than I was)!

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

It has really upset my mum too. She has had dogs all of her life but they have never had fleas. I think the two pronged attack will work, especially as the weather is cooling down now too.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Buy one of these puppies too for combing...

Works like them fly trap things, when you hit one you hear it crack... flea, dead...

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225...RreKbzLRdw.jpg

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

We have one of those as well as a conventional flea comb.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Thanks-I'm pretty confident that the problem has gone now, although I did see a tiny one a few days ago on the sofa, the vet said not to worry because all of them cannot live off the dog now and will die off without breeding, and yes the weather will help.

lol nice!

Neill was really upset, I think because his last dog (all have been rescues) was in a bad way when he got him, and absolutely riddled with fleas, and they were so hard to get rid of as there were so many of them. The whole house got infested and everything fabric was on a constant wash repeat cycle until the treatment took hold.
I think he envisioned a repeat of that situation and he panicked when I said I'd seen them on Kya.
I guess they affect different situations and people in different ways, if they're caught quickly they're just a nuisance but they can be a big problem.
Kya HATES being combed unfortunately. Actually she hates most things unless she can eat it or fornicate with it. :)

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Unfortunately this may not be the best solution then, mine gets a bit "twitchy" when he hears it crack near him ! and then he works out what's coming and won't let us brush him !
Its worth a fiver just to fry a few of the horrid little critters though ! ;)

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Only just seen this, we used Frontline fer years (on Vets recommendation) this last year it seemed to not work very well at all, (ours is 15) n small, so we tried Bob Martins, fer some reason its worked great n we have stayed wi it, much cheaper as well.:confused:

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

When you bathe the dog, stick a small amount of fairy liquid in the water. It can't be too much - it might irritate the skin or take away too many natural oils, but you just need enough to reduce the surface tension of the water. It drowns the little gits...

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Same experience with frontline, dogs and cats!

I've heard a lot of bad things about Bob Martin to be honest. A friend of mine's cat lost fur and came out in a nasty rash after she used this and it wasn't the first time I'd heard of that happening. I guess it may be different for each individual though.

Took my friend's two cats to the vet after frontline didn't work this time around and they were treated with stronghold which seems to have done the t(r)ick :)
Would recommend stronghold for anybody else with this problem.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

For the first time we've had a problem with Stronghold not working on our cats. Took them to the vets who gave them Advocate which seems to have cleared things up. They said a lot of people were having trouble with Frontline and they'd had a few Stronghold failures this year. The fleas are obviously getting stronger.

Re: Fleas on dogs
 

Hi, For forty plus years I owned working terriers and always used Frontline pippettes , I now own a cross bred Sheltie whom I still use Frontline on; three months ago I had to take to the vets as she was constantly scratching and biting herself, to my surprise the vet said that she had fleas and that the flea population was getting resistant to Frontline. He prescribed a pippette called Advocate, Result, (no more fleas).