Flea Allergy...Help!

I'm sorry that Skye is in so much agony.
 
There are two issues I am going to address.  Others might add more.
 
1)  Are you sure it is just fleas that are bothering her?  Do you flea comb and find the small black pieces of leftover blood?  I ask this because in addition to having flea allergy, she might also have a food allergy.  I know this scenerio well, because I have a dog that does have both issues.  If it is a food allergy as well, then we will address that later.  But, for right now I am asking if you are sure that there are fleas on her now.  A true food allergy can make a dog bite and scratch and be just as miserable as when there are fleas. 
 
2) For this post, we will assume it is just fleas.  The best thing you can do is to boost her immune system by giving top quality food (not grocery store brands), as well as some other supplements.  So, what are you feeding her and are you giving her any supplements?
 
3) Fleas have a long cycle, and in one of the stages - called the pupae stage - they are near impossible to kill.  So, you need something that will kill the fleas as they hatch from the pupae stage going into an adult flea.  But, using chemicals will only depress your dogs immune system and make her more attractive to the fleas.  So, you need to kill the fleas in the least chemical aggressive manner that you can.
 
There are two products that I will recommend based on excellent advice from a specialist vet that I saw about my girls food allergies.  I have not used either b/c I don't have carpet or an enclosed yard yet at this time - but this vet highly recommends the following:
 
a)  for the house, to use in carpets and in the backs of upholstered furniture.  use once a year:  order off the net a product that has PET GRADE (not industrial grade) borax salts.  This is NOT the same as the 20 mule team borax laundry detergent.  I do have the names of places you can order from - but they are at home, and I don't have any lists in front of me.  You have to apply it when the pet is not in the room, work it into the carpet and backs of furniture.  It should last a year, and as the fleas emerge from one stage into adulthood, they get into these "salts" and it drys their outer coating up and they die.
 
b) for the yard:  order beneficial nematodes.  From my research, I found several different companies that had different brands of nematodes - so one variety might work better than another.  You apply it during a light rain, or after you've lightly watered the lawn.  Depending on where you live, you might want to wait till spring to do this.  The nematodes are good bugs that eat the flea larvae.  You might have to redo this twice a year because once they eat the flea larvae and other grubs in the ground, then they won't have food and will die off.  If you have squirrels in your yard, you are sure to have flea larvea there as well.  So, this is a good bug that will eat the flea larvea before they hatch.
 
You hopefully will be able to get off of using the topical flea treatments once you have done this. 
 
I know from personal experience that using the topical flea treatments made my dogs worse, and that my dog that is allergic to fleas and some foods, was actually made worse by the use of the topicals.  She actually bit holes into herself after using these types of products.  She was allergic to the chemicals in the topicals.  So the sooner you can get off of using these, the better.
 
There is a lot more to say, but I'm at work now and must go.
 
Also, there are alot of other people who can give more advice about other issues than I can.  So, I'm sure you will hear more.
 
I think this is your first post - I can't recheck this since I am posting to you?  If so, then welcome to the forum and I hope to get to see pics of Skye in the picture area!

Oh, yes this is my first post. I should have mentioned that.Sorry.[]
 
This happens once a year and was confirmed by a vet. that it's an allergic reaction to fleas. The only dog food she eats is store brand food. I have 2 other dogs and cats, so it's just what i grab. She is not on any other supplements. Should she be? If so, what can be given to her? I'm going to look up the things you recommded. Thanks for your help. There will photos up soon.

In my opinion, proper nuitrition is the key to a healthy immune system, and the elimination of fleas.  When I fed my dogs Purina, the fleas were rampant.  Now that they eat an excellent quality food, either Innova or Canidae and homecooked or raw, we've gone 2 1/2 summers without a single flea.

I recently went thru this with our GSD.  We use Frontline Plus for fleas on all pets, and they instruct you to apply the oil between their shoulder blades, we did.  Well, Draico was bitten on his rump, and had an allergic reaction to the flea's saliva (per my vet).
 
Here's what I did, after getting some awesome advice from Callie (search posts by calliecritturs- she's a great source of info):
 
1- because my GSD is sensitive to so many allergens, I supplement their food (Royal Canin) with home cooked, things like sweet potatoes with chicken or beef heart, liver; sardines, mackerel, salmon for dinner.  Stoneyfield's Plain yogurt with fish oil nightly.  Brand of yogurt doesn't matter, just make sure it has probiotics.
 
2- I bathe them with a Coal Tar Shampoo in WARM water, and per Callie, rinse them with a Tea Tree Oil mix - 10 drops oil per gallon of water.  Also, I keep a quart spray bottle in the garage where they get sprayed, then towel wiped, and brushed before entering the house.  I launder their beds weekly with All allergy detergent (it's a clear liquid) NO softeners.
 
3- Now, I apply the Fronline oil a bit differently.  I start at the base of the tail and work it up along the spine to apply it evenly along the length of the dog's body.  I think this distributes it more evenly, instead of concentrating it at the upper body. leaving the the trunk a bit exposed. 
 
Since I've taken these measure, I haven't seen any signs of flea bites (heavy dander, excessive scratching/biting).  I keep Benadryl on hand at all time and if the dog's scratch or bite excessively or bite at their feet and I can't find an ant bite, etc, I'll give them a dose of Benadryl (1mg per pound). 
 

ORIGINAL: pikanut

Oh, yes this is my first post. I should have mentioned that.Sorry.[]

This happens once a year and was confirmed by a vet. that it's an allergic reaction to fleas. The only dog food she eats is store brand food. I have 2 other dogs and cats, so it's just what i grab. She is not on any other supplements. Should she be? If so, what can be given to her? I'm going to look up the things you recommded. Thanks for your help. There will photos up soon.

What are you using for flea control?  If you aren't using Advantix, I would give it a try.  Frontline only kills the flea after it bites the dog, which doesn't help with the flea allergies.  Advantix kills the flea before it bites the dog.....

We used flea collars and store brand flea control.  And nothing helped her.
But, I am going to order Advantix right now. I will also try all suggestions. Thanks!!![]

ORIGINAL: pikanut

We used flea collars and store brand flea control.  And nothing helped her.
But, I am going to order Advantix right now. I will also try all suggestions. Thanks!!![]

Flea collars are useless in killing fleas, and they can hurt your pet. The only thing they are good for is putting one in your vacuum cleaner bag to kill the fleas that you vacuum up.  Use the Advantix and within a couple of months your flea problem should be over. If you have cats in the house, use Advantage or Frontline instead.....

Wait a minute..... it only happens once a year????  That sounds like it might be an environmental allergen.  Seems like if it were fleas, then it would be happening more often than once a year.  Does it happen at the same time of the year each year?

Do not use over the counter flea meds,,,it doesn't work and it could be dangerous. 
Get Advantage, Advantix or Frontline.   Pet Supply Plus sells it without a prescrpition....if there is a Banfield in your nearest Pet Smart you can get it from them,,,don't know about Petco or the others.   BUT I work at a vet, I have never had anyone come back and say these products didn't work on their pets...although some chose one over another. 
You must also make sure to get rid of the fleas in your house at the same time as treating your pet.  Clean super good...vacuum and wash. Fleas love hardwood floors and baseboards...be especially careful about cleaning there.  Raid makes a good fleas spray to spray in your home.  Then there is bombs that you can buy in the stores...although you must get your family (including pets) out for a while. 
You must get rid of the fleas and then it won't matter if your dog is allergic to them.

Personally, I don't like the bombs because they spray chemcials everywhere and then 3 - 4 weeks later, you still have new larvae hatching out.  [sm=2cents.gif]
 
But, again, I'm wondering what basis the vet determined it was fleas since it "only happens once a year".  Not saying it isn't fleas, just saying it could be environmental or food.  These things can cause and mimic the same symptoms as fleas.  If a vet just looked at a dog scratching, then it would be easy to assume it was fleas.  Might be.  Might not be.  Might be two things going on.

Bobsk8 -- sorry, you're wrong.  Frontline stays on top of the skin in the hair follicles and skin pores and kills fleas ON CONTACT.  It is not absorbed into the skin -- that's Revolution or Biospot.  And no, you don't want to use those on a flea allergic dog.  It's pointless -- the 'allergen' is in the flea's spit.
 
Frontline and Advantage/Advantix both stay on the skin and aren't absorbed into the bloodstream (they aren't systemic). 

IF it is a flea allergy, it certainly should be something you can address, IMO.  One of the things I would definitely consider, as has already been suggested, is to feed a better quality food.  Secondly, I would suggest seeing what you can do to boost your dog's immune system.  For example:
 
[linkhttp://www.wellvet.com/immuplex.html]http://www.wellvet.com/immuplex.html[/link]
 
Talk to your vet.

ORIGINAL: chasza

Wait a minute..... it only happens once a year????  That sounds like it might be an environmental allergen.  Seems like if it were fleas, then it would be happening more often than once a year.  Does it happen at the same time of the year each year?

No it could very well be a flea allergy, particularly if you live in areas such as mine where winter time and fall are generally not a problem for fleas (unless you already have an infestation in your home). 

My Mom's shih tzu, Nikki, has a flea allergy, she is kept year round on Frontline I believe it is.  Frontline also helps SOME (not much though) with the tick issue where she is living.  I do not recomend store brand or flea collars, they are useless and potentially very hazardous to your dog.  My mom's dog did well on an antihistimine for her allergy, but it sounds like your dog's allergy is more prounouced than Nikki's is. 

Hair loss on the caudal half of the dog is classic flea bite dermatitis.

It only takes ONE BITE to set off a serious allergic reaction. Get some good topical preventative, I would definately recommend Advantix or Frontline Plus. Try each for 3 months and decide which one works better for your dog and your area. Different people have different results.

DO NOT put flea collars in vaccuum bags!!! The vacuum heats up the collar and can release toxic fumes into the air.