Dog Community

Dogs have fleas

Posted : 9/18/2006 4:40:23 PM

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and I need some advice. On Saturday night I noticed that my two dogs had fleas. They've never had fleas before so I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. But yesterday I went to the pet store and got some flea shampoo and new flea and tick collars (the ones they had on only lasts for ninety days and that was comming to an end).

After I washed them it seemed as if the fleas, or those little pepper looking things that I read are flea feces, were gone. I still can't find any on my boydog, Toshi, but late last night I discovered that there was still some "flea poop" close to my girl dog, Rocket's, tale. So I washed her with the flea shampoo again today. I also ordered the oral flea medication Capstar to use in case it comes back.

My question is though, if I see more of this "flea poop", does that necessarily mean that the fleas are still there or could there be something left over? Also, if my dog keeps itching, is that a sign of that the fleas are still there or could it just be itching because she was bit before?

I'm also a bit worried about the effects of the flea shampoo. Yesterday after I bathed both dogs they seemed very tired and slept most of the day, more then usual. Could that have anything to do with the effects of the chemicals in the shampoo? They really don't like to be bathed so I'm thinking that maybe they got tired from the "traumatic" experience, since it was worse than other baths, but I'm not sure so it does worry me.
The shampoo also caused a wound on my girldog's nose, right when the skin on the nose meets the fur. It looks like the skin was rubbed off and yesterday it was just looking pink, but today after I washed her again it's bleeding a bit. Is this normal or should I worry?

I know that's a lot of questions, but my dogs are my babies and I worry so much when something happens. I would really appreciate any advice on how to handle things and if someone has any insight on the problems with fleas.

Thank you,

Rocktosh[sm=happy.gif]

Oh, I forgot. Does anyone have any experience with Capstar (the oral med for fleas)?

Vicky Cravey

Posted : 9/20/2006 11:16:22 AM

We've come a long way in treating fleas. My dog rarely got fleas, but for some reason while I spent three months in the hospital recently, he managed to get a LOT of fleas on him. Probably from a neighbor's cat that keeps sleeping on our porch...and perhaps since I wasn't there, he spent more time outside. I got k-9 advantix to get the fleas and it it did a great job ridding them. However, I think Frontline did a better job the last time he got fleas. With Advantix, the fleas seem to come back after a few days. Since I got 6 months supply, I'm giving it plenty of chance to change my mind. There were quite a few fleas. Advantix supposedly repels fleas, ticks, and misquitos unlike Frontline, which kills fleas alone (from what I understand in the product comparisons). These medications are expensive, but they're worth the money.

A few tips, though. NEVER put flea meds meant for dogs on cats. It'll kill them. (Hmmm...that's one way to get rid of the cat on my porch...) KIDDING!!! I would never do that. Antifreeze is cheaper. KIDDING!!!!

Let's get serious...make sure you get the correct medicine for the weight. Too much and he might get sick, too little and it might not be enough to kill all the fleas.
Bathe your dog and wait a couple days before applying the medication. Don't bathe him after you've applied the medicine, even though they say it's waterproof. They don't come right out and tell you it's not shampooproof (this is from experience).
DO NOT use a flea collar with the medicine...not in the beginning, anyway. The medicine causes the fleas to ingest the poison and drop off. A flea collar will repel the fleas and they'll jump on you for lunch, instead. Toss the collar and let your dog be a walking deathtrap for fleas.

Here's a cool tip I discovered...if you like to pick off fleas like I do. Get a bucket and fill it with water and oxiclean. I discovered that stuff seems to kill fleas on contact. Simply pick off the fleas and throw them in the water. Fleas tend to crawl out of plain water unless you take the time to hold them under water for a while...which isn't really worth my time.

I hope this helps some.

Elizabeth Onsurez

Posted : 9/25/2006 10:34:00 PM

Frontline plus works wonders, expensive, but well worth it

Jenny Stromsdorfer

Posted : 10/4/2006 9:18:34 AM

Frontline Plus works great. We had a few fleas this summer. I re-put on Frontline thinking that maybe I didn't get it on her too well, she wiggles. The next day I found 3 dead fleas on her. The Frontline Plus kills the fleas after they bite AND it kills the eggs and larvae that are on the dogs ( which I don't think the others do). The "left-over" black "stuff" is flea dirt and flea feeces and some blood from the bites that will eventually wash off. It's darn sticky stuff. Be patient !

Janet Bradley

Posted : 10/5/2006 12:31:25 PM

We are having such a terrible flea problem in New Orleans that fronline plus and advantage are not really working. The vets are recommending to reapply every two weeks and even doing that and not bathing except before new application and waiting 24 hrs for dog to dry it is awful. Last night I picked 6 fleas off of Sunny. When she had surgery about a week ago she got a capstar from the vet. I am tempted to try and get some of that myself but I think it is not safe to use in the long term. Does anyone know more about capstar?