flea help!

[Jes loves Chewy]

So chewy has fleas ( it really grosses me out!

I went to the pet store and bought the tabs that work real quick to kill the ons that are alive. just wondering how often i would give those to him. It says u can do it at east once a day but should i do it everyday for the 6 days i have worth?

When he first took the pill he stopped scratching completly and i literally could see 2 dead fleas that had fallen off when i picked him up, but he is itchy again? how long does one pill work? it tells me that they start working with in four hours but does not say if it only lasts that long.

i need some advice!

[Charlene1963]

What is the name of the tablets? There was a post here yesterday about washing the dog using Dawn dish soap-you may want to try that.

Be sure to vacuum your home and dispose of the vacuum bag right away.Tie it up in a plastic bag before you throw it out. Fleas can be really tough to get rid of. My mom once had to rip up all her carpet and throw it away when her cat became infested.

Good luck.

[roxies_mom]

I use Advantyx on Roxie. It works for a month and it's waterproof. We've had problems in the past and started using this product and it got rid of them. One year a long time back our cats had such a problem (we live by the river) we even had fleas in our artificial Christmas tree. It was devastating. Got Advantage from the vet and always use it now and haven't had problems since. You just have to remember to use it once a month.

[JeanieK]

Not sure what kind of tablets you are talking about, but I would not like the idea of feeding poison to my dog.

Dawn dish soap does work, I have used it on pregnant females. But if there is no good reason not to, I would use Frontline Plus or Advantix.

[Ladymom]

You shouldn't buy flea control products at the pet store or grocery store. They can be very dangerous, even cause death. The only safe place to buy them is through your vet or a reputable online pharmacy.

You will need to use a topical preventative to prevent fleas. Frontline is a good one since you only have to apply it every three months. Pills like Capstar will kill live fleas, but won't provide any protection long term. Dawn dish soap is just as good.

[Pettysmith]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

You shouldn't buy flea control products at the pet store or grocery store. They can be very dangerous, even cause death. The only safe place to buy them is through your vet or a reputable online pharmacy.

You will need to use a topical preventative to prevent fleas. Frontline is a good one since you only have to apply it every three months. Pills like Capstar will kill live fleas, but won't provide any protection long term. Dawn dish soap is just as good.

We see it all the time at our office. People buy OTC flea control at Walmart and make their animals very sick, seizures, brain damage, etc. Just remember when using these topical preventative - do not also wash in Dawn. It will only wash off the product. Most of these products go into the skin and stay in the oily sebacious (sweat) glands. Dawn was made to cut the grease on our dishes so it will wash the product right off. Use a mild aloe/oatmeal shampoo, even baby shampoo will wash them off. Don't want to see you wasting your money, it is too expensive as it is -- but it works.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Pettysmith

We see it all the time at our office. People buy OTC flea control at Walmart and make their animals very sick, seizures, brain damage, etc. Just remember when using these topical preventative - do not also wash in Dawn. It will only wash off the product. Most of these products go into the skin and stay in the oily sebacious (sweat) glands. Dawn was made to cut the grease on our dishes so it will wash the product right off. Use a mild aloe/oatmeal shampoo, even baby shampoo will wash them off. Don't want to see you wasting your money, it is too expensive as it is -- but it works.

Good point!

Most dog shampoos are soap free and are designed to be used with flea control products so stick with them.

[KimberlySRN]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

Not sure what kind of tablets you are talking about, but I would not like the idea of feeding poison to my dog.

Dawn dish soap does work, I have used it on pregnant females. But if there is no good reason not to, I would use Frontline Plus or Advantix.

I didn't know you could use Dawn soap. Is there anything you out on after to restore the oils in the skin? Also I don't think we have as many fleas as we do ticks in this area. Would the Dawn work for ticks also? I don't think we will have a problem, but its good to know.

[Baby_Reese]

Originally Posted by KimberlySRN

I didn't know you could use Dawn soap. Is there anything you out on after to restore the oils in the skin? Also I don't think we have as many fleas as we do ticks in this area. Would the Dawn work for ticks also? I don't think we will have a problem, but its good to know.

I would like to know the answer to your question too. My maltese, Angel, is covered in fleas and ticks that keeps coming back.

[Jes loves Chewy]

the pet store i got to sells things like front line and stuff like that. after researching and talking to my vet i learned that frontline is too strong for a small dog like him, also dawn dish soap would wash away his natural oils that keep his skin and hair healthy.

the pills i got him are not "poison" as one person put it. they are the same pills the vet would have given him. they are called capstar.

a lot of people seem to put down pet stores, but mine is extremely helpful and they are always willing to talk to me about any type of problem i need help with, and are very knowledgeable!

[Ladymom]

You can mix Dawn 50/50 with water, then apply it to a dry dog. Let the suds stay on as long as your dog will put up with it, then rinse. It will kill any live fleas. You can follow up with a conditioner. Dawn won't kill flea eggs or larvae so it won't solve a flea problem on its own, though.

The flea population is typically made up of 50% eggs, 30% larvae, 15% pupae and only 5% biting adults. You can wash in Dawn one day and the next day your dog can be crawling with fleas again if you don't apply a topical preventative afterwards that will stop the life cycle of the flea like Frontline, K9 Advantix, etc.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Jes loves Chewy

the pet store i got to sells things like front line and stuff like that. after researching and talking to my vet i learned that frontline is too strong for a small dog like him, also dawn dish soap would wash away his natural oils that keep his skin and hair healthy.

the pills i got him are not "poison" as one person put it. they are the same pills the vet would have given him. they are called capstar.

a lot of people seem to put down pet stores, but mine is extremely helpful and they are always willing to talk to me about any type of problem i need help with, and are very knowledgeable!

If you used Dawn as his weekly shampoo it would certainly dry out his coat. What we were suggesting is a one time bath that would kill all the live fleas. It's just as effective and safer than a pill.

I'm confused about what you said about Frontline not being safe for a small dog. Frontline is actually considered to be the safest of all the topicals. It's the only one recommended for epileptic dogs like my Lady. It's safe to use on puppies eight weeks old. The safest way to apply it to a really small dog is to use the spray. You can customize the dose by weight (one pump per pound). I use it on both my cats and Lady. To be safe, I use half the recommended dose and it still works well.

If you read about Capstar, it clearly states that it only kills adult fleas. It will not kill fleas that jump on him the next day. It suggests it be used in combination with a life cycle inhibitor like Program.

CAPSTAR® for Dogs Product Information - Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.

[jennylee333]

After you have treated your animals in your house, you can use 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry booster) on your carpets. Sprinkle all around....like carpet freshner...make sure you do under furniture (that is where eggs and young fleas live) let it set for a few hours and vacuum. (Eggs and young fleas love to stay in the dark, so make sure you use everywhere) The Borax can be bought for about $3.00. It is very cheap and very effective on killing eggs and young fleas and biting fleas...I believe it works better than ANY bomb you can buy. TRY IT.

I use it along with my carpet freshner and you kill 2 fleas with one stone! LOL

After I used it the first time I have not had a problem since. Because most vacuums leave a little behind any way.

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

You shouldn't buy flea control products at the pet store or grocery store. They can be very dangerous, even cause death. The only safe place to buy them is through your vet or a reputable online pharmacy.

You will need to use a topical preventative to prevent fleas. Frontline is a good one since you only have to apply it every three months. Pills like Capstar will kill live fleas, but won't provide any protection long term. Dawn dish soap is just as good.

Just wondering if this was a typo? The Frontline we use has to be applied every month!

ETA: Nevermind, I just saw that on their website! Thanks!