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Fleas, fleas, and more fleas...
I need help getting rid of my dogs fleas like no matter how much my husband bathes him and i put products on him it seems as nothing works and he still has flees. What can i do for my dog?
I don't put the fle stuff on all at once I try one thing at a time. I give the fle stuff like 2 weeks before I can tell if there is any differance. I'm also starting to wonder if it could be where we live in the woods almost. See we let him out during the day so he play and he comes in at night so he can eat and sleep.
I get all the dogs items from Petco. We aslo live in the woods pretty much and there are 2 other dogs living in the house but our dog really dont get play with them that offten so I'm wondering if it could have something to do with us living near the wooded area or what. Thanks again.
In the face of a heavy flea infestation, treating only the dog is not going to work. You have to treat not only the pet(s), but the house, yard and car with special attention to the areas where the pet(s) spend the most time.
Always make sure that the only products you use are those which are sold in veterinary offices. You don't have to purchase them FROM the vet, but the brands that vets sell work, and above all, when used correctly, they are safe. Your vet, being aware of your pets' health, can best advise you as to which products would be the safest and most efficacious in your situation. I'm not yelling here with the capital letters, I'm just using it for emphasis - DO NOT PURCHASE *ANY* FLEA CONTROL PRODUCTS FROM THE GROCERY STORE, ESPECIALLY HARTZ MOUNTAIN, ZODIAC OR SARGENT'S. These products have been proven to be unsafe to use on pets and have killed MANY pets in the last few years. These companies were forced by the FDA to remove many of the flea control products they manufacture from being available for sale to the public, but some of their basic flea preparations manage to squeak just inside what is considered to be acceptable by the FDA so they were allowed to stay. This does not, however, make them safe to use on your pets.
You will need to decide which preparation to use on your pet(s), which products you are going to use to spray your yard and which products you are going to use to bomb your house. Make sure that there will be no rain for a couple of days before you spray your yard otherwise it might not be as effective. Spray all around the house, the porch, the grass, any areas where your family and pets hang out when they are outside. Fleas actually spend only a portion of their time on pets. They need pets only when they are in search of a blood meal. The rest of the time they are in the environment, breeding and taking over your home.
Inside the house, vacuum EVERYTHING. Take the cushions off the couches and chairs and use the vacuum attachments to get down into the areas INSIDE the chairs and couches. Vacuum all along the baseboards and in every space where molding meets the wall or floor. If you have hardwood floors, vacuum in every crack between the boards. These are the places where the flea eggs drop and grow, so by doing this you are helping to eliminate any up and coming generations of fleas. After you have completely vacuumed your house, follow the instructions on whatever products you have gotten to use in the house.
Last but not least, apply the product that you bought for your dog to your dog. There are quite a few good ones available today, it just depends on what you feel comfortable using. There is a pill available also (Capstar) that kills whatever fleas are on your pet within 24 hours, but which has also recently had its labeling amended due to post-approval adverse reaction reports, but there are many other options. FrontLine TopSpot, a preparation that gets applied between the shoulder blades, Advantage, a similarly-applied product, Adams Flea and Tick Mist (the Adams Company makes flea control products for many different applications), as I said earlier, your vet can discuss the most appropriate products for your situation.
Good luck with this. It's a heck of an undertaking, it's not easy, and it may have to be done more than once to get the desired effect, but it will be well worth the effort when the fleas are gone. Please keep us updated.
Ghilly
Always make sure that the only products you use are those which are sold in veterinary offices. You don't have to purchase them FROM the vet, but the brands that vets sell work, and above all, when used correctly, they are safe. Your vet, being aware of your pets' health, can best advise you as to which products would be the safest and most efficacious in your situation. I'm not yelling here with the capital letters, I'm just using it for emphasis - DO NOT PURCHASE *ANY* FLEA CONTROL PRODUCTS FROM THE GROCERY STORE, ESPECIALLY HARTZ MOUNTAIN, ZODIAC OR SARGENT'S. These products have been proven to be unsafe to use on pets and have killed MANY pets in the last few years. These companies were forced by the FDA to remove many of the flea control products they manufacture from being available for sale to the public, but some of their basic flea preparations manage to squeak just inside what is considered to be acceptable by the FDA so they were allowed to stay. This does not, however, make them safe to use on your pets.
You will need to decide which preparation to use on your pet(s), which products you are going to use to spray your yard and which products you are going to use to bomb your house. Make sure that there will be no rain for a couple of days before you spray your yard otherwise it might not be as effective. Spray all around the house, the porch, the grass, any areas where your family and pets hang out when they are outside. Fleas actually spend only a portion of their time on pets. They need pets only when they are in search of a blood meal. The rest of the time they are in the environment, breeding and taking over your home.
Inside the house, vacuum EVERYTHING. Take the cushions off the couches and chairs and use the vacuum attachments to get down into the areas INSIDE the chairs and couches. Vacuum all along the baseboards and in every space where molding meets the wall or floor. If you have hardwood floors, vacuum in every crack between the boards. These are the places where the flea eggs drop and grow, so by doing this you are helping to eliminate any up and coming generations of fleas. After you have completely vacuumed your house, follow the instructions on whatever products you have gotten to use in the house.
Last but not least, apply the product that you bought for your dog to your dog. There are quite a few good ones available today, it just depends on what you feel comfortable using. There is a pill available also (Capstar) that kills whatever fleas are on your pet within 24 hours, but which has also recently had its labeling amended due to post-approval adverse reaction reports, but there are many other options. FrontLine TopSpot, a preparation that gets applied between the shoulder blades, Advantage, a similarly-applied product, Adams Flea and Tick Mist (the Adams Company makes flea control products for many different applications), as I said earlier, your vet can discuss the most appropriate products for your situation.
Good luck with this. It's a heck of an undertaking, it's not easy, and it may have to be done more than once to get the desired effect, but it will be well worth the effort when the fleas are gone. Please keep us updated.
Ghilly
My son has been using the new Comfortis, which is a once a month oral med. His dog has had no reactions and no fleas. He takes her to the dog park and beach regularly. You might want to check with your Vet and try it. You need to treat the animal and the environment. Vacuum real good and toss the bag, if the machine has a bag. When I had a vacuum with a bag, I bought flea collars and cut them and kept them inside the bag. Do the furniture, rugs, etc. You also need to wash all the dog's sleeping quarters. You can try the Borax trick and sprinkle that on the rugs and furniture, let it set them vacuum. You just have to keep on top of it but I would definitely check on the Comfortis.
Always check with a Vet and let them know what you have used lately and how long ago.
After that, a flea has a 21 day life cycle and you need to treat you pet for at least that long to take care of all the adults, eggs, larvae, etc.
You can purchase oills called "CAPSTAR" from your Vet and feed one to your pet, within an hour, you can literally see the dead fleas begin to fall off! In combination with this, I have used just a shrynge, no needle, and squirted some liquid "FRONTLINE" between my pets shoulder blades and just let it spread around naturally. Wash your hands.
I am NOT a Vet, consult one before medicating your pet, med dosages also depend on the weight of your pet.
Good Luck, this remedy worked great for my Pug.
After that, a flea has a 21 day life cycle and you need to treat you pet for at least that long to take care of all the adults, eggs, larvae, etc.
You can purchase oills called "CAPSTAR" from your Vet and feed one to your pet, within an hour, you can literally see the dead fleas begin to fall off! In combination with this, I have used just a shrynge, no needle, and squirted some liquid "FRONTLINE" between my pets shoulder blades and just let it spread around naturally. Wash your hands.
I am NOT a Vet, consult one before medicating your pet, med dosages also depend on the weight of your pet.
Good Luck, this remedy worked great for my Pug.
Please be careful with putting on more then one product at a time, they are chemicals and are strong. You have to wash your hands after touching these products. You can cause some serious damage to his nervous system if you aren't watching what you put on. Keep in mind some of the products you put on don't actually kill fleas but rather, make the female flea infertile which prevents more fleas but the existing fleas still live through their cycle.
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