My dog has fleas!

• 07-23-2007 12:42 AM

  ajdude Joined on 07-23-2007 Northern NJ Posts 3 Points 0

  My dog has fleas! Reply Contact My dog, who is almost 3 yrs old, and is a Schitzu/Bichon mix, has fleas! I found this out today when I was looking at his belly. I put a Hartz collar on him, but I heard that these are poisonous. Is this true? I also washed him with Dog shampoo for fleas, but I still see a few fleas on him here and there. Is it supposed to kill them instantly? Can fleas SEVERELY hurt the dog, and possibly cause death to the dog? I am asking this because I am about to order Frontline Plus for him, but I am afraid that once it is delivered, it will be too late. His belly is kind of red too...I am sorry for all of these questions, but I am just very concerned for my little dog. [] Thank you for your help!

  Post Points: 0

• 07-23-2007 1:48 AM

  In reply to ajdude

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,748 Points 330	RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ajdude: Can fleas SEVERELY hurt the dog, and possibly cause death to the dog? Relax!  Fleas (little vampires) only seriously hurt a dog if there are enough of them on the dog for a long enough period of time to make the dog anemic (deficiency of red blood cells).  Puppies are much more at risk since they have a lower blood volume.
  	Post Points: 0

• 07-23-2007 2:37 AM

  In reply to ajdude

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,748 Points 330

  RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ajdude, I forgot to say welcome!  [sm=welcome2.gif]  ajdude: I put a Hartz collar on him, but I heard that these are poisonous. Is this true? All pesticides are toxic.  There are just relative degrees of risk.  However, I wouldn't trust anything made by Hartz or most of the other pet store stuff.  Going with Frontline Plus is a good move.    ajdude: I also washed him with Dog shampoo for fleas, but I still see a few fleas on him here and there. Is it supposed to kill them instantly? If a flea shampoo is going to kill a flea, it will probably do so right away.  I wouldn't give him another bath in it, however, since the shampoo contains pesticides, too.   I suggested you get some original formula Dawn dishwashing liquid.  Lather your dog up and let the lather sit for 5-10 minutes to suffocate the fleas.  Comb the fleas out of the coat and then rinse very thoroughly.  Pour a bit of bleach or vinegar down the drain when you are finished in case any of the fleas are just stunned.   Alternatively, one can give a dog a capsule of Capstar as a one time treatment to kill all adult fleas for 24 hours.  It is about $3.00 a tablet and is not intended to used all the time.   Vacuum the house very thoroughly to pick up as many flea eggs as possible.   ajdude: His belly is kind of red too...I am sorry for all of these questions, but I am just very concerned for my little dog.  Ask all the questions you need to.  We are happy to help.   His belly is probably just red from scratching.  If any sores develop, let us know and we can give suggestions on that, too.

  Post Points: 0

• 07-23-2007 2:47 AM

  In reply to ajdude

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,748 Points 330

  RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact Is your dog on a monthly heartworm "preventative"?  Mosquitos carry baby heartworms and transfer them to dogs when they bite.  One has to get a vet prescription for a heartworm preventative.   This post has my choices for heartworm and flea meds, plus info on the heartworm life cycle: http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305506    ETA:  Please go to "Edit Profile" at the top of the page and add your location to your profile.  The city and state would be great, but just the state (or country, if you are not in the U.S.) is fine.  Lots of info varies with location - for instance, the risk of heartworms in your area.

  Post Points: 0

• 07-23-2007 1:47 PM

  In reply to ajdude

  ajdude Joined on 07-23-2007 Northern NJ Posts 3 Points 0

  RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ORIGINAL: janet_rose Is your dog on a monthly heartworm "preventative"?  Mosquitos carry baby heartworms and transfer them to dogs when they bite.  One has to get a vet prescription for a heartworm preventative.   This post has my choices for heartworm and flea meds, plus info on the heartworm life cycle:[size="3"] [color="#000000"][link>http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305506]http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305506[/link][/size][/color][/size]   ETA:  Please go to "My Profile" at the top of the page and add your location to your profile.  The city and state would be great, but just the state (or country, if you are not in the U.S.) is fine.  Lots of info varies with location - for instance, the risk of heartworms in your area. Thank you for helping! I am getting him Frontline Plus today, hopefully that will work out. He isn't on a Heartworm preventative, I am pretty sure of that. I added a little info on my location, so maybe that will help [] Thank you again!

  Post Points: 0

• 07-24-2007 5:17 AM

  In reply to ajdude

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,748 Points 330

  RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ajdude: He isn't on a Heartworm preventative, I am pretty sure of that. You really need to go to a vet and get your dog checked for heartworms!  If your dog has them, they can kill him.  See this site: www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid=743    If your dog tests positive for heartworms, he will need to be treated for them before he can start a preventative.  The standard treatment is very hard on the dog and can be expensive, but for healthy, young dogs, it is the best way to go.  If funds are an issue, check back with us for alternatives to the standard vet treatment.   Once your dog tests negative, he should be given a once a month heartworm "preventative".  That is in quotes because it doesn't actually prevent anything.  It just kills baby heartworms in the dog at the time.  There is no forward action.    I consider Interceptor to be the safest, least toxic heartworm "preventative".  It will also kill most intestinal worms.  If your vet doesn't carry it, you can ask for a prescription and fill it at an online pharmacy (e.g. www.drsfostersmith.com).   Six months after starting a heartworm preventative, you need to have your dog retested for heartworms.  After that, if you keep your dog on preventative during your state's "mosquito period", then you can test just once a year before the "mosquito period" starts.  Your vet will give you advice on what months you need to give a preventative.   The reason the six month test is necessary is that preventatives only kill some of the 6 stages of the heartworms.  Tests can only detect stage 1 (L1) or stage 6 (L6).  The older stage 5 (L5) baby heartworms are missed by both the tests and the preventative, so you have to wait six months for the L5's to become L6's in order to detect them.

  Filed under: heartworms Post Points: 0

• 07-24-2007 2:06 PM

  In reply to ajdude

  ajdude Joined on 07-23-2007 Northern NJ Posts 3 Points 0

  RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ORIGINAL: janet_rose He isn't on a Heartworm preventative, I am pretty sure of that. You really need to go to a vet and get your dog checked for heartworms!  If your dog has them, they can kill him.  See this site: [linkwww.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid=743[/link]>http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid=743]www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid=743[/link]   If your dog tests positive for heartworms, he will need to be treated for them before he can start a preventative.  The standard treatment is very hard on the dog and can be expensive, but for healthy, young dogs, it is the best way to go.  If funds are an issue, check back with us for alternatives to the standard vet treatment.   Once your dog tests negative, he should be given a once a month heartworm "preventative".  That is in quotes because it doesn't actually prevent anything.  It just kills baby heartworms in the dog at the time.  There is no forward action.    I consider Interceptor to be the safest, least toxic heartworm "preventative".  It will also kill most intestinal worms.  If your vet doesn't carry it, you can ask for a prescription and fill it at an online pharmacy (e.g. [linkhttp://www.drsfostersmith.com][font="times new roman"]www.drsfostersmith.com[/link]).[/font]   Six months after starting a heartworm preventative, you need to have your dog retested for heartworms.  After that, if you keep your dog on preventative during your state's "mosquito period", then you can test just once a year before the "mosquito period" starts.  Your vet will give you advice on what months you need to give a preventative.   The reason the six month test is necessary is that preventatives only kill some of the 6 stages of the heartworms.  Tests can only detect stage 1 (L1) or stage 6 (L6).  The older stage 5 (L5) baby heartworms are missed by both the tests and the preventative, so you have to wait six months for the L5's to become L6's in order to detect them.     Just checked with my sister, and he is on a heartworm preventative. Sorry, I should have known.

  Post Points: 0

• 07-25-2007 3:49 PM

  In reply to ajdude

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,748 Points 330	RE: My dog has fleas! Reply Contact ajdude: Just checked with my sister, and he is on a heartworm preventative. Sorry, I should have known. No problem!  I am delighted to hear that he is on a "preventative".
  	Post Points: 0