Dog Community

Im A Horrible Person

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:38:42 AM

Hello everyone, Im new here and I have found this forum and am in need of some help. I am a horrible person. I own a puppy and I love her to bits and pieces. I have given her the best food I can possibly afford. She gets all her vaccination. I have gone through the pains of house and crate training, with only praise never yelling or hitting.

I have socialized her, she is the perfect pup, good with dogs and children.

But I want to give her up. I know Im a horrible person.

The thing is she has become infested with ticks. It is a horrible and gross thing. I have tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the ticks but she is slowly infesting my house. I have a 2 year old daughter and I have found ticks on her. I dont know what to do except find her a nice home where they can treat this horrible plague correctly. I dont want my daughter to become sick. It has come to the point where I cant even pet her anymore because I can feel the ticks along her spin and I spend so much time everyday pulling off the ticks.

I dont know how this could have gotten so out of control but now I think I dont have any choice.

I'm in the process of buying a new house and I dont want to take her into my house and have her infest my house. Maybe in a few years I can get another dog and prevent things from the start so I dont have such a big problem [&o]

nyiceprincess

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:42:08 AM

Why dont you just go and get a flea and tick preventative from your vet??Where is she getting the ticks from?Are you sure they are ticks and not fleas you are talking about? I have never heard of ticks infesting everything.They are usually picked up by the dog playing in a wooded area.They vet can give you a once a month treatment to prevent them.

marty_ga

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:44:53 AM

that's exactly what I was going to say...it sounds more like fleas. Talk with your Vet and get some Advantage, or whatever he recommends. Do not use any over the counter flea treatments. In addition, if it's that bad, call an exterminator to help with the house.

willowchow

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:52:22 AM

Ugh, hold on here. It's completely unfair to try to rehome her covered in ticks or fleas, whatever they are. You need to correct this problem. What's the big deal??

agilebcs

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:52:35 AM

Wow, fleas and ticks are no reason to get rid of your puppy! Why would you give her away so someone else can deal with it? You need a good preventative, that's all. I do think you must be confusing fleas and ticks (and if it is ticks please talk to your vet about tick bourne diseases and get the puppy tested). Go to the vet and get some Frontline Plus and use it once a month. Also ask your vet about Capstar. I think it's a pill (??) that will kill fleas or something like that. This is no reason to rehome her!

Maggie Besignano

Posted : 9/8/2006 9:07:10 AM

Please take your puppy to the Vet ASAP!!! this can bring illness to your puppy also, so easy to get rid of ticks and fleas, also, hope you started with heartworm prevention also, just a monthly prevention, but saves a heartache.
The vet can check your puppy out, you and your puppy will be happier and healthy for this visit!!!
Maggie, Princess and Vanna

Susan Chandler

Posted : 9/8/2006 9:39:37 AM

OH YES, PLEASE take her to the Vet first before just giving her away. It isn't fair to you or her. You obviously are in a lot of pain over this. Don't punish both of yourselves because this has gotten out of control. It CAN be handled. Take the pup to the vet first and get her treated and checked out for any diseases. Have them hold on to her if they have to for a day and get your house exterminated. I know it is a bit extreme but this is not only for YOUR sake that you are doing this. It is for whomever is going to move into your infested home as well. I agree with the above people's opinions. You may really be seeing very healthily fed fleas at this point. But be calm, take a breath and realize this can be controlled without the extreme measures of giving up the only home a pupper knows. It isn't her fault that this happened. It just DOES happen. I'd say most of us have had an occasion or two where this gets "out of control" but it is manageable. I have my guys on Frontline Plus and it takes very good care of the situation. My daughter uses Sentinel and that is a pill she gives her dog every month. It isn't that expensive either. It will be OK. Relax and take on thing at a time. You can resolve this without the heartache of losing a beloved pet too. Take care and be strong,

marynh

Posted : 9/8/2006 9:52:11 AM

has anyone given any thought to perhaps the pup's owner would prefer someone else deal with the health issues that a flea (or tick) infestation has probably caused. Apparently she doesn't care enough to come back and read the suggestions or even say "I didn't know they could be fleas, etc."
I think we can read this as "I have a new house, love the pup, but don't want her in the new house especially with fleas".
I can't believe any pup that lives inside can get the infested to begin with....just my opinion BTW.

Vivian

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:02:09 AM

I agree with the last post wholeheartedly! No dog could be that flea and tick infected that isn't spending most of the time outside. And if she has spent all that money on the dog then why did it not have flea and tick prevention on? Give me a break! Sorry, but that is my honest opinion here.

agilebcs

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:02:14 AM

ORIGINAL: marynh

has anyone given any thought to perhaps the pup's owner would prefer someone else deal with the health issues that a flea (or tick) infestation has probably caused. Apparently she doesn't care enough to come back and read the suggestions or even say "I didn't know they could be fleas, etc."
I think we can read this as "I have a new house, love the pup, but don't want her in the new house especially with fleas".
I can't believe any pup that lives inside can get the infested to begin with....just my opinion BTW.

Well, this really would make her a horrible person. I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

marty_ga

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:02:29 AM

No, I really have not thought that way...not yet. She may be at work or busy with her child.

I did have a flea infestation a few years ago, and my old girls stay mostly inside. They can be picked up on walks, or going to the Vet's.

Susan Chandler

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:16:54 AM

No, I really have not thought that way...not yet. She may be at work or busy with her child.

I did have a flea infestation a few years ago, and my old girls stay mostly inside. They can be picked up on walks, or going to the Vet's.

I agree. It IS possible for this to happen. My two are inhouse dogs and we had a "situation" that got a bit out of control ourselves but we just took action and pulled it back into the stable and then controlled it from there with flea preventative. I, too, was trying to give the benefit of the doubt. She may just be at her last wit at this point. This can be a little more than hair raising. It is possible she had her on an OTC flea preventative, which we all know is no better than giving them a bath in flea preventative every so often. Hopefully, this will be a lesson learned for her and she won't dump the baby with the bath water type thing. It IS interesting tho...

marynh

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:29:03 AM

oh I know....I had a cat become infested once when a neighbor (apartments) got 2 barn kittens and the fleas were going back and forth under the walls.
BUT - I spent a bloody fortune defleaing, treating carpets and bedding. This was pre-Advantage/Frontline days.
We moved - no more fleas. We were moving when the flea issue hit (had given our 30-day notice). Never had another flea problem. And we fumigated the apt. on our way out the door.
But I never ever considered giving my cat away.

Caprice Christian

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:32:20 AM

Why wouldn't the OP take the dog to the vet??? If it is tick's (which it is probably just fleas - big freakin deal) than the dog could get seriously ill!

Susan Chandler

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:36:48 AM

Why wouldn't the OP take the dog to the vet??? If it is tick's (which it is probably just fleas - big freakin deal) than the dog could get seriously ill!

True. This is what leads me to believe she is overreacting at this moment. Hopefully, she will calm down and take the appropriate steps to cure it. Why would you even CONSIDER getting rid of your animal before doing other things to resolve it first? Beyond me is all.[8|]