first time with fleas - Paw Talk

Tagsmom · #1 09-22-2004, 04:06 PM

I guess summer lasted a few weeks to long My 5 month old toy poodle has fleas. my grown daughter noticed one jumping on his belly. WHAT DO I DO? Never had a dog have them before!! Golden retriver probably has them also.

Jodi · #2 09-23-2004, 04:02 PM

Give your dog a flea dip and give them a bath with a flea shampoo. Also, get to your vet and get them on a flea medication. Be sure you vacuum and clean your house real well.

PicOlio · #3 09-23-2004, 04:20 PM

I'm struggling this year for the first time with ticks...

I used to use advantixs faithfully on the dogs every month..... but then... as if they had never had a thing...they suddenly started bringing ticks into the home in HUGE NUMBERS!!!!!

I've researched and researched and researched until finally realizing that Advantix is hardly waterproof and not near as strong as Frontline which is waterproof.

I've now switched them to Frontline (had to wait for the Advantix to wear off before apply it) and only three days later I am THRILLED TO REPORT that all of the ticks found so far are DEAD TICKS!

Frontline is for fleas as well (actually both are primarily for fleas with ticks being their secondary) and since we're talking about a pup that likes the water it may be a good idea to go with Frontline over Advantix... depending on what your doc has to say of course.

As Jodi noted...cleanliness is also key. Vacuum A LOT and be sure everything is dusted off etc. Be sure to Vaccum in and under the furniture pulling cushions off of the couches etc....

With a monthly anit flea/tick medication you should be able to nip this problem rather quickly.... I was devestated with the tick issue and just thankful to finally see the beginning of the end of that problem lol

Formula86 · #4 09-24-2004, 06:06 AM

i just wanted to emphasize the house cleaning thing. maybe you could take the dogs to a groomer/vet and have them washed or flea dipped and while you are doing that you could have a bug-person come over and get rid of the fleas in the house.

just a thought! but they also sell flea spray for the house at wal-mart or petstores.

Chicklet · #5 10-14-2004, 01:27 PM

I just went through the same thing, my 5 week old puppy was brought home infested with fleas. I know that certain products can't be used on puppies that young, so I called the vet and they told me to bring her in so they could weigh her for the appropriate dosage. They gave us something called Revolution, you put in on the nape of their neck just like Frontline. The fleas were all dead within 2 days. Luckily, we have hard wood floors so them infesting the carpet wasn't a problem for us. I did wash all her bedding though. So, I agree.......definately do a thorough cleaning and maybe even a flee bomb.

Crazy Chin Lady · #6 10-14-2004, 03:05 PM

Yes! You are going to need to do a lot of things!

You're probably going to want to bathe him and get him and put him on some sort of drop for fleas and ticks. Collars only protect their head, so that won't do a lick of difference on his belly.

You'll want to clean the house well! Wash bedding, etc. Spray in the cracks and crevices with something in case they are in there. You may want to fog the house, too. You can also use the spray outside, to kill anything that may be out there!

I hope this doesn't frighten you, but I'm thankful I learned all this at work!

RSbunny · #7 10-14-2004, 06:08 PM

Frontline imo is the best product on the market for fleas and ticks on dogs! Everyone else has given great advice too.
Oh and Picolio if you are having trouble with ticks frontline will only guarantee it's protection for two weeks against ticks so you'll need to apply it every two weeks for that. Just wanted to let you know incase you thought it lasted for a month too. It is expensive to do it that way but if you are having trouble it's worth it...either that or a tick collar.

Crazy Chin Lady · #8 10-14-2004, 06:16 PM

I agree Carmen.

Frontline is definitely the way to go. I tried Revolution on Harley when they though she had mites and it did nothing for her!

It's true with the Frontline, too. If you have tick problems, you can't do it every other month or so like you can with fleas. You have to do it more often. It can be expensive, but it's worth it in the end!

Chinchilla_Girl · #9 10-14-2004, 06:37 PM

Be careful of the ingredients in the flea dips, powders, collars, sprays and shampoos. If it has Mentholcarbomate in it, steer clear!!! That is a deadly poison that is harmful to people...especially if you have young children in the house. They only have to touch an animal tha has been treated with it for them it to absorb into their skin. My youngest brother (now 18) was poisoned by a flea product when he was 3 years old. My father bathed and treated the dog outside and left him outside for 8 hours to dry and when they let the dog in, my brother Ryan (being a typical 3 year old) climbed on and loved on his dog. 10 days later he was in a coma fighting for his life. The coma lasted 3 months due to the mentholcarbomate absorbing into his skin and he was left with brain damage, seizures, and other medical problems. At 18 years old, Ryan has the mental capacity of a 9 year old.
I would recommend Frontline Plus. That's what we use and when we apply it to the dogs, we do it at night after the kids go to bed. That way we don't have to worry about them touching it and then putting fingers in their mouths before it's completely absorbed by the dogs. Frontline works really well and is fast! That's what I would recommend for flea control. Just be sure to treat all the dogs and cats at the same time.