super flea?

I have three (spayed) 6 yo female lab triplets that are scratching and biting themselves around their hips (the area just behind their loin and just above their thighs). My neighbors dog (a beagle) is doing the same thing. Now, I have a friend who has (if you can believe this) 13 dogs! When I mentioned the problem to him he said, "Yeah, mine too. I've heard there's a super flea out there that is impervious to Frontline and other major flea and tick remedies. There's nothing you can do." With 13 dogs and upwards of $30,000/yr in vet bills, I tend to believe he is fairly well informed. I on the other hand, don't even make $30K a year. So before I start running up a lot of vet bills, what can I do at home? I've used Frontline, bathed them with several different kinds of dermatologic shampoo, added supplemental nutrients to their food, and have applied various topical solutions to the affected areas. Thank you in advance for your comments and/or suggestions?

[justmyluck7]

My lil dogs have recently been scratching and knawing so I checked them and sure enough they had fleas.  My BF used to be a Vet Tech and said you can use Dawn dishwashing soap and it will kill them.  Maybe you can try that.

[Jaybay]

My little cul-de-sac area experienced the same problem this summer.  The fleas were just out of control and if we let our dogs off our property to socialize, they were covered head to tail and chewing themselves to pieces.  Apparently the problem came from the woman who lived across the street.  She never treated for fleas and her dogs, house and yard were totally infested.  The problem didn't get any better until she moved 6 weeks ago.

Our dogs have always been on Sentinel, and we've never had a problem on this scale.  We treated our yard, house, the dogs, you name it.  Now that the offending person has moved, and cooler weather has arrived, no more problems.  I don't know about a super flea, but it wouldn't surprise me if a strain has developed that is resistant to pesticides.  If you try the dishwashing soap, post back and let us know if it works!

[3dognight]

Sorry it took so long to respond but I wanted to make sure the remedy worked. And it did! I can't believe that with all the bathing products out there that 'specialize' in solving skin problems (as well as specializing in charging ridiculous amount of money) the one product that works best is common, plain ol' dishwashing detergent! And it never 'dawned' on me to try it until I read your reply to my post. Thank you VERY much! And tell your BF that he's aces in my book!

[Jaybay]

THANK YOU for posting back with the result!  That is just great news, and now I've got a new wrinkle on my brain.  :-)