Fleas!

[katautumn]

Hello, everyone. I'm a proud owner of a three and a half year old female Whippet. Back in October, she picked up fleas when a cat-owning neighbor of mine came over to visit. Apparently some fleas had been hitching a ride on his pants leg. It didn't take long before my baby had an all-out infestation. I gave her a flea bath and my sister (a vet tech) put some Advantage on her. The fleas stayed gone for awhile. Then I moved in with my fiance and his mother (she has Alzheimer's and we share in taking care of her). She has a little terrier mix and she was eaten up with fleas. I put some Advantage on my dog hoping it would repel the fleas. No dice. She is eaten up with them again and I have used everything. I have tried flea shampoos, flea dips, flea collars, Advantage, Frontline, and some over-the-counter flea treatment to no avail.

I feel so bad for her because she's scratching little bloody places all over herself and I'm horribly concerned about her becoming anemic. The exterminator has been out and sprayed and the fleas won't die. I'm at the end of my rope. What should I do? I'm covered in flea bites myself.

 

[awashinlove]

Don't ya just hate 'em? That awful four-stage life cycle seems to make them indomitable.

Here's a very helpful site with loads of information ... and I found this one on a search and just wanted to share it. De-flea testimony is always a positive!

 

[Desert_pea]

Have you tried revolution?

I've found frontline and advantage haven't worked with my animals either but revolution seems to be doing the trick It also does worms at the same time

 

[sunshiinedays]

The previous owners of my current home had 4 cats with fleas and I had a terrible time trying to get rid of them. I tried everything. The only thing that worked was Revolution. I would highly recommend it.

 

[LegacyOfLove]

Revolution is a wonderful product. That is the one that we use on our dogs - for year-round protection. It kills the fleas within 24 hours of them biting your dog and it also kills the fleas in the different life-stages. We only had a problem with fleas one time and that is when we were recommended (by our vet) to try Revolution - and it worked by the next day the dogs weren't scratching and within 2 days there were no more live fleas on them.

By the way, Revolution is also a heartworm preventative and it kills off mites and the mites that cause mange - so it is a great preventative medicine to keep your pet healthy and parasite-free (and it is reasonably priced).

 

[Desert_pea]

3 votes for revolution! I think you should try it

 

[Dagna]

Fleas are a nightmare. I had an awful infestation. Revolution is fabulous, but you also have to treat your house and yard, treating the pets isn't enough. Keep up on Revolution, there's also a pill that you can get, it's not Program, I can't remember what it's called, but it kills all fleas that bite your pet for about 24 hours after taking it. You can get it from your vet.

So here's what I did for my flea infestation:

Revolution on all animals
That little pill, whatever it's called. One the first day, one the third day. Kept a couple extras just in case as well
Bombed the house to get some of the fleas dead ASAP
Used a flea spray that I got at the vet (i'll look at the can tonight when I get home) to spray the corners, under the couch etc etc. Wherever the bombs didn't get.
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum...and then vacuum some more. Take the bag out and throw it outside the house after every time you vacuum.
Rinse and repeat.

It takes time to get rid of a flea infestation. Took me close to a month to get rid of fleas. They just get into everything. Oh also, throw open the blinds and get light inside the house as much as possible. Fleas like to lay their eggs in dark spots. They also like to lay them around the baseboards, so make sure you spray there. Wash all your bedding. Spray your mattress and couch. I ended up throwing away all the pet beds and getting new ones, just ot make sure, so you may consider that.

 

[Disco]

I've used the salt Trick. Works for me. You can also use salt for accidental potty stains. It will kill the smell.

 

[Sabina41]

there's also a pill that you can get, it's not Program, I can't remember what it's called, but it kills all fleas that bite your pet for about 24 hours after taking it. You can get it from your vet.

It's called CapStar.

 

[southerncowgirl5592]

we've done flea baths. dunno how much good that done tho.

 

[Tattered]

Lots of great information ... esp the websites. Thanks guys!

 

[dews]

I've heard of using tea tree oil to get rid of lice on people, maybe it also helps get rid of lice on pets. Put some drops on the pets hair brush and brush him everyday. Just a guess. Maybe you better call the vet to make sure that you dog won't get sick if he licks himself, first.

 

[Stinker]

My 2 cats are both indoor & outdoor. I replace their flea collars every 3 months, even though the box says it lasts for 7 months. They have never suffered from fleas or mites for the last 7 years since we started using these collars.

One way to tell if there are fleas in your home such as in the carpet, is to get a shallow bowl, fill it with water and and put just a little dishsoap in it and stir it just a little. Put the bowl on the carpet and place it under a lamp. Somehow the fleas are attracted to this light at night and they end up in the water while jumping at the light. The soapy water in the bowl makes them drown or kills them somehow.

 

[faster_jackrabbit]

I use Sentinel and Advantage on my dogs and they have never had a flea in their lives.

Advantage gets rid of fleas that are present.

Sentinel keeps fleas from reproducing if they appear.

The two together give fleas a double whammy.

Sentinel is a combined heartworm and flea pill that you give once a month. You have to do the heartworm thing anyway.

 

[apegirl97]

We always use frontline and it always works so i have no idea

 

[Dagna]

This is a rather old post, but since it's been brough up I just wanted to note that I would not recommend using Tea Tree oil on animals. It used to be recommended to help get rid of ring worm, however there have been numerous reports that it's toxic to cats (not sure about dogs). Causes all sorts of nasty neurologic and kidney issues as well as death, so if you're thinking about using it, please talk to your vet and do research before using it.

 

[Flopsy Rabbit]

You can sprinkle laundry borax in your carpets and furnature and work it down in, then leave it for a while before you vacume it up, it wont hurt you or your animals but it will kill the fleas, scratches them all up and dehydrates them I think. You can give your dog or cat brewers yeast with garlic tabs, they are not going to get rid of the fleas but they are good for building their immune system and they are a deterent to fleas. I have heard that you can dust powdered brewers yeast on animals also and the fleas dont like it. Never tried that myself. Probably need to get your yard treated also because they will come in from the yard. One flea lays a million eggs, that is why they are soo bad.