Fleas!!!!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

dixiegirlie90 · 10-27-2011, 01:14 PM

I live in southern Tennessee and it's still almost 80 degrees here, and my dogs are having severe flea problems. My oldest is a 5 year old 11 pounds with the worst skin problems and fleas just tear him up to the point he bleeds from scratching just from one flea. His flea mess the vet gave him hasn't worked. We've even had a yard sprayed. I also have a 19 month old 1.3 pound yorkie that can't seem to get rid of them either, as I gave him a bath today and found 3. The vet says he's too little and doesn't weigh enough for flea medication. With all this being said does anyone have any recommendations as to something new I can try with them. I've tried bathing them once in dawn dishwashing liquid to kill the fleas and it kills them but they come back. Help!!!!

tinalove · 10-27-2011, 04:18 PM

I feel your pain. I live in South Carolina. Humid and warm. My vet put my bichon on vectra. I haven't had to treat the yard but my co worker says some granules you can get from Lowes works pretty good in the yard. We had all kind of stray dogs walking through our yard. Well animal control has been capturing them and now my dog is getting eaten up by fleas. She didn't have that problem when the other strays were around. I can't figure that out. What did your vet give you? I liked frontline plus but my vet stopped carrying it. I don't have any problems with vectra and its been two years.

sspaht · 10-27-2011, 08:28 PM

Aww poor babies! Have you tried capstar?

carmen in nj · 10-28-2011, 04:53 AM

you may want to read this thread about Deatomaceous Earth Human grade and Fleas..
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...rth-fleas.html

LDMomma · 10-28-2011, 05:00 AM

For your bigger yorkie- use Comfortis. It's wonderful about killing fleas and keeping them away. It is recommended for dogs with flea allergies and skin issues. It works great. It's the only thing that helps my Lily from being an itchy, bloody mess.

For your little one, Advantage II is cleared for use on puppies so you should be able to use it for her.

IME, the Comfortis last 6 weeks or longer. It's supposed to be given every 30 days but I hold off until I see they have a flea again. I've never had to give it closer than 5.5 weeks from the last dose and usually much longer. When my Westie was 11 pounds, we gave her the under 10 pound dosage (per our vet).

RemydeHaviland · 10-28-2011, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixiegirlie90

I live in southern Tennessee and it's still almost 80 degrees here, and my dogs are having severe flea problems. My oldest is a 5 year old 11 pounds with the worst skin problems and fleas just tear him up to the point he bleeds from scratching just from one flea. His flea mess the vet gave him hasn't worked. We've even had a yard sprayed. I also have a 19 month old 1.3 pound yorkie that can't seem to get rid of them either, as I gave him a bath today and found 3. The vet says he's too little and doesn't weigh enough for flea medication. With all this being said does anyone have any recommendations as to something new I can try with them. I've tried bathing them once in dawn dishwashing liquid to kill the fleas and it kills them but they come back. Help!!!!

You did not mention in your original post if you have treated your house, car, etc. You mention having the lawn sprayed. If you are using topical medication and they continue to reappear you may have them in your house which is causing the pups to continue to get them. A few suggestions:

- Wash your pups and keep them temporarily quarantined in a bathroom or kitchen (where there are no rugs or upholstery). In the meantime do the following:

- Steam clean EVERY rug in your home
- Vacuum every couch, chair and upholstered item and immediately dispose of the vacuum bag outside after doing so.
- Wash every area rug, or throw them out and get new ones
- If the pups sleep in your bed, take every thing off down to the mattress and launder everything. Take down comforters to laundromats and wash them thoroughly.
- If the pups are in your car, vacuum thoroughly and take all floor mats to be steam cleaned
- Wash every piece of bedding your pups have, or get rid of them and buy new.

It sounds like a lot, but it is the only thing I have found to be effective. We had 1 incidence about 2 years ago when we had a flea infestation (thanks to a good friend's dogs) and after doing the above I successfully got rid of them. And, I do not use any topical flea medication on Remy. He takes Sentinel (which is is heartworm med and prevents an adult flea from laying eggs). I also flea comb him regularly.

Good luck! Fleas are h*ll!!

joann1166 · 10-28-2011, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RemydeHaviland

You did not mention in your original post if you have treated your house, car, etc. You mention having the lawn sprayed. If you are using topical medication and they continue to reappear you may have them in your house which is causing the pups to continue to get them. A few suggestions:

- Wash your pups and keep them temporarily quarantined in a bathroom or kitchen (where there are no rugs or upholstery). In the meantime do the following:

- Steam clean EVERY rug in your home
- Vacuum every couch, chair and upholstered item and immediately dispose of the vacuum bag outside after doing so.
- Wash every area rug, or throw them out and get new ones
- If the pups sleep in your bed, take every thing off down to the mattress and launder everything. Take down comforters to laundromats and wash them thoroughly.
- If the pups are in your car, vacuum thoroughly and take all floor mats to be steam cleaned
- Wash every piece of bedding your pups have, or get rid of them and buy new.

It sounds like a lot, but it is the only thing I have found to be effective. We had 1 incidence about 2 years ago when we had a flea infestation (thanks to a good friend's dogs) and after doing the above I successfully got rid of them. And, I do not use any topical flea medication on Remy. He takes Sentinel (which is is heartworm med and prevents an adult flea from laying eggs). I also flea comb him regularly.

Good luck! Fleas are h*ll!!

Yes please do everything thats in this post. I also put my yorkies on comfortis and it has worked. I washed mine before I put them on comfortis 2 sometimes 3 times a day. I used the powder from walmart to put on the floors and leave it over night then I take and vaccuum it the next day and discard the vaccum bag after that. It has helped alot. I live in Alabama so I am close to you and feel your pain.

tinalove · 10-28-2011, 12:11 PM

My vet carries Comfortis. How does that work? Is it like advantix, frontline plus etc..,?

LDMomma · 10-28-2011, 01:24 PM

Comfortis is a pill. Super easy and I actually think the girls prefer it. They hate Advantage (and so do I) but they don't seem to mind taking the pill.

dixiegirlie90 · 10-30-2011, 09:42 PM

Thank you all so much. Chaco (my oldest, that weighs 11 pounds) was on comfortis and had an allergic reaction to it (I kid you not the pup is allergic to EVERYTHING). And oakley (my baby that weighs 1.3 pounds and is 20 months old) couldn't take it cause like I said the vet said he didn't weigh enough. So if any of yall have babies that are close to his size and have a flea med that works please let me know cause his vet is too scared to put him on anything.
But as for getting rid of them, I am a complete clean freak so every time I see a flea on one of them they are stuck directly in the tub and bathed with oatmeal flea soup with a dab of blue dawn dishwashing liquid (as we saw it killed them), the other is put in the other bathroom, towels in their crates, sheets, blankets, pillows they may have touched, anything is put in the washer in hot water. Vacuum cleaner and bleach comes out.
We have also bought new "pillows" or beds and removed the stuffing and placed cedar in them as we had read fleas didn't like the smell. We feel like the backyard is the main source so we did a little research and saw where you can crush moth balls up and sprinkle them throughout the yard.

If any of yall have anymore advice or things I can do please let me know.

tinalove · 11-01-2011, 02:37 PM

Well I wont be praising vectra any longer. After only two weeks my dog has fleas. I went back to the vet's office and was told by the office worker that vectra will prevent the fleas from biting but not prevent the dog from having fleas. I think this is just a bunch of crap but I nicely requested a comfortis pill. I gave my dog the pill last night. So far ok. But I won't be praising it either . I am in a wait and see phase right now. Really who want to pay money for fleas meds and still see fleas on their pet! I treated my yard too but we have woods and I can't control that We also have a bunch of stray dogs. Animal control is doing better job collecting them but still fleas travel. It makes me sick how some folks just let their animals roam and not take care of them. Yes we were the whistle blowers. We contacted animal control after some dogs started growling at us in our own yard.

10-27-2011, 01:14 PM	#1
dixiegirlie90 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 11	Fleas!!!!! I live in southern Tennessee and it's still almost 80 degrees here, and my dogs are having severe flea problems. My oldest is a 5 year old 11 pounds with the worst skin problems and fleas just tear him up to the point he bleeds from scratching just from one flea. His flea mess the vet gave him hasn't worked. We've even had a yard sprayed. I also have a 19 month old 1.3 pound yorkie that can't seem to get rid of them either, as I gave him a bath today and found 3. The vet says he's too little and doesn't weigh enough for flea medication. With all this being said does anyone have any recommendations as to something new I can try with them. I've tried bathing them once in dawn dishwashing liquid to kill the fleas and it kills them but they come back. Help!!!!

10-27-2011, 04:18 PM	#2
tinalove YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Orangeburg SC Posts: 567	I feel your pain. I live in South Carolina. Humid and warm. My vet put my bichon on vectra. I haven't had to treat the yard but my co worker says some granules you can get from Lowes works pretty good in the yard. We had all kind of stray dogs walking through our yard. Well animal control has been capturing them and now my dog is getting eaten up by fleas. She didn't have that problem when the other strays were around. I can't figure that out. What did your vet give you? I liked frontline plus but my vet stopped carrying it. I don't have any problems with vectra and its been two years. Last edited by tinalove; 10-27-2011 at 04:20 PM.

10-27-2011, 08:28 PM	#3
sspaht Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 19	Aww poor babies! Have you tried capstar? __________________ Mommy to Bella

10-28-2011, 04:53 AM	#4
carmen in nj Donating YT 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hopatcong, NJ, USA Posts: 4,615 Blog Entries: 74	you may want to read this thread about Deatomaceous Earth Human grade and Fleas.. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...rth-fleas.html __________________ My Etsy shop is OPEN... Carmen in nj

10-28-2011, 05:00 AM	#5
LDMomma YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FL Posts: 410	For your bigger yorkie- use Comfortis. It's wonderful about killing fleas and keeping them away. It is recommended for dogs with flea allergies and skin issues. It works great. It's the only thing that helps my Lily from being an itchy, bloody mess. For your little one, Advantage II is cleared for use on puppies so you should be able to use it for her. IME, the Comfortis last 6 weeks or longer. It's supposed to be given every 30 days but I hold off until I see they have a flea again. I've never had to give it closer than 5.5 weeks from the last dose and usually much longer. When my Westie was 11 pounds, we gave her the under 10 pound dosage (per our vet).

10-28-2011, 12:11 PM	#8
tinalove YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Orangeburg SC Posts: 567	My vet carries Comfortis. How does that work? Is it like advantix, frontline plus etc..,?

10-28-2011, 01:24 PM	#9
LDMomma YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FL Posts: 410	Comfortis is a pill. Super easy and I actually think the girls prefer it. They hate Advantage (and so do I) but they don't seem to mind taking the pill.

10-30-2011, 09:42 PM	#10
dixiegirlie90 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 11	Thank you all so much. Chaco (my oldest, that weighs 11 pounds) was on comfortis and had an allergic reaction to it (I kid you not the pup is allergic to EVERYTHING). And oakley (my baby that weighs 1.3 pounds and is 20 months old) couldn't take it cause like I said the vet said he didn't weigh enough. So if any of yall have babies that are close to his size and have a flea med that works please let me know cause his vet is too scared to put him on anything. But as for getting rid of them, I am a complete clean freak so every time I see a flea on one of them they are stuck directly in the tub and bathed with oatmeal flea soup with a dab of blue dawn dishwashing liquid (as we saw it killed them), the other is put in the other bathroom, towels in their crates, sheets, blankets, pillows they may have touched, anything is put in the washer in hot water. Vacuum cleaner and bleach comes out. We have also bought new "pillows" or beds and removed the stuffing and placed cedar in them as we had read fleas didn't like the smell. We feel like the backyard is the main source so we did a little research and saw where you can crush moth balls up and sprinkle them throughout the yard. If any of yall have anymore advice or things I can do please let me know.

11-01-2011, 02:37 PM	#11
tinalove YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Orangeburg SC Posts: 567	Well I wont be praising vectra any longer. After only two weeks my dog has fleas. I went back to the vet's office and was told by the office worker that vectra will prevent the fleas from biting but not prevent the dog from having fleas. I think this is just a bunch of crap but I nicely requested a comfortis pill. I gave my dog the pill last night. So far ok. But I won't be praising it either . I am in a wait and see phase right now. Really who want to pay money for fleas meds and still see fleas on their pet! I treated my yard too but we have woods and I can't control that We also have a bunch of stray dogs. Animal control is doing better job collecting them but still fleas travel. It makes me sick how some folks just let their animals roam and not take care of them. Yes we were the whistle blowers. We contacted animal control after some dogs started growling at us in our own yard.