OHMIGAWD with the fleas!!!!!

[ladylawinkc]

HELP!!!!!! I have owned dogs and cats my whole life, but I have [U]never[U] had a dog or cat with fleas. Besides my little Bella, I have four big farm dogs, 11 indoor/outdoor cats and four miniature horses. When Bella was about 6 months old, she began getting fleas. I immediately called my vet and was advised to just use Frontline. A week later, they were back. I took her to the groomer who gave her a flea bath. Approximately, a week later, they were back. When she was pregnant, she got even more fleas. I checked with the vet to make sure it was okay to use Frontline. It worked for a few days and when she delivered, she had fleas, therefore, the puppies got them as well. I have asked my vet and my groomer why she keeps getting fleas - their response is that "some dogs are just magnets for them and some aren't." My house is spotless and I keep Bella as clean as possible, so it's not like she's living in squalor!!!! I was also told to use Prevaris - I think that's what it's called, but they still came back.

I have volunteered to take Bella up to the nursing home in town, but I don't want a bunch of fleas jumping all over the little old people . Just last week, I noticed she was scratching. I bathed her with a very expensive flea and tick shampoo - the next day, there were still fleas, so I Frontlined her - still fleas!!!! The really weird thing is - none of my other dogs get them and she's all over them all the time, and none of my cats get them - Bella plays with the cats as well. I never find fleas on me - and I love on her all the time - nor do I find them on the furniture, etc. They just stay on Bella!

The answer I got from the groomer and vet is just not satisfactory - I want Bella to be rid of these things as I hate see her uncomfortable. Has anyone had this type of experience - if so, or if anyone has any other suggestions other than I am to accept the fact that Bella is a "flea magnet," please let me know. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this rambling flea novel

[browniesmom622]

ALL of the animals need to be treated espcially since there outside Weither you see The fleas or not they have them. Treat everyone, Vacumm everything, wash all of her bedding & you should be fine.

[YorkieLover9]

Several YT'ers recommend to bathe them in Dawn Dishwashing soap to get rid of the fleas on their body. As far as fleas in the carpet, etc....I had a cat that was covered in fleas many years ago and we could not get rid of them. I read on the internet about sprinkling Borax Mule Team Laundry detergent on the carpet and sweeping it down into the fibers of the carpet. Let it sit for two days, then vacuum up, simultaneously getting pet flea shampooed, etc.. May have to repeat these steps 2 or 3 times and treat all animals but I'm sure you'll get rid of them this way.

[scoobiedooiscoo]

agree treat all the animals also i have found that orgi dawn dosh soap works well. along with bug bombing the house and vaccuming and emptying the vaccume everyday. pay close attention to the corners and along the walls.there is also a spray at the vet to spray on carpeting. i even steam clean the carpets. its not fun when you have alot of animals fleas have 7 day cycles and you need to keep on top of it for months the eggs can live for along time.

[Lee B]

I got my vet to give me a scrip for COMFORTIS. Their fleas were gone - DEAD - starting in 45 minutes or so and all gone after 3-4 hours. I like this med for several reasons, one of which is that its smallest dose is for 5-10 lb. dogs, versus most of them that are for "less than 20 lbs.". 20 lbs. is overdosing by 4 It works VERY well.

[ladylawinkc]

Originally Posted by browniesmom622

ALL of the animals need to be treated espcially since there outside Weither you see The fleas or not they have them. Treat everyone, Vacumm everything, wash all of her bedding & you should be fine.

I wish I could try that, but since we treat all the animals (inside and outside ones), I vacuum daily and keep the bedding clean - she still gets them

Thank you, though, for the great suggestions!!! I appreciate it.

[ladylawinkc]

Originally Posted by YorkieLover9

Several YT'ers recommend to bathe them in Dawn Dishwashing soap to get rid of the fleas on their body. As far as fleas in the carpet, etc....I had a cat that was covered in fleas many years ago and we could not get rid of them. I read on the internet about sprinkling Borax Mule Team Laundry detergent on the carpet and sweeping it down into the fibers of the carpet. Let it sit for two days, then vacuum up, simultaneously getting pet flea shampooed, etc.. May have to repeat these steps 2 or 3 times and treat all animals but I'm sure you'll get rid of them this way.

I have not heard of either of these things. Do you think I need to call the vet first before I bathe her with Dawn???? If I have Berber carpeting throughout the house, I wonder if the detergent trick will work????

Thanks so much, but what do you think???

[ladylawinkc]

Originally Posted by scoobiedooiscoo

agree treat all the animals also i have found that orgi dawn dosh soap works well. along with bug bombing the house and vaccuming and emptying the vaccume everyday. pay close attention to the corners and along the walls.there is also a spray at the vet to spray on carpeting. i even steam clean the carpets. its not fun when you have alot of animals fleas have 7 day cycles and you need to keep on top of it for months the eggs can live for along time.

OHMIGAWD!! You're killing me over here . I thought about bug bombing, yet I look for those danged little things everywhere and can never find them but only on Bella. How weird is that???

[tortoisekeeper]

My mom raised English Bulldogs and we always used Ortho 7 dust. You can put it on new born puppies too. We also sprinkled it over the carpets, dog bedding etc.

Betty

[dray]

When you have that many animals you must treat all of them and you must make sure the fleas are not in your house. The fact is that one flea can make 2,000 eggs so if there is a flea on your dog they are everywhere. If your dog keeps having fleas that means you stiill have them in your house and they do get on the other animals. As a groomer I can tell you that they are very hard to see on cats. If your animals are going in and out it is very hard to rid your house of fleas.
You might try the comfortis on all your pets and have an extrminator treat your house and yard.

Good luck, it is very hard and veryn expensive to get rid of an infestation.

[ladylawinkc]

Originally Posted by tortoisekeeper

My mom raised English Bulldogs and we always used Ortho 7 dust. You can put it on new born puppies too. We also sprinkled it over the carpets, dog bedding etc.

Betty

Dear Betty,

Thanks so much - but I have only one question. What is "Ortho 7 dust?"

[ladylawinkc]

Originally Posted by dray

When you have that many animals you must treat all of them and you must make sure the fleas are not in your house. The fact is that one flea can make 2,000 eggs so if there is a flea on your dog they are everywhere. If your dog keeps having fleas that means you stiill have them in your house and they do get on the other animals. As a groomer I can tell you that they are very hard to see on cats. If your animals are going in and out it is very hard to rid your house of fleas.
You might try the comfortis on all your pets and have an extrminator treat your house and yard.

Good luck, it is very hard and veryn expensive to get rid of an infestation.

Thank you so much for the tips. You raise some very good issues. In that vein, since we do have so many animals, my vet comes out to the house to treat everyone. Of course, the big dogs stay outside most of the time unless it's really bad weather - as do all of the cats except one. My husband built a "dog hotel" and a "cat hotel" (yes, yes, we are freaks about our animals.) At any rate, the vet was just out here about a month ago and I had him check each animal for fleas because it only makes sense to me if Bella keeps getting them, she surely would be "sharing" them with the others. I'm not sure what "comfortis" is - would you mind letting me know? I suppose I could have an exterminator out, but our "yard" is six acres

[chestermama]

I was searching on the internet and their is some stuff called cedarcide and it sounds good. It will work on the yard, animals and in the house. Fleas do not like cedar and they do not like eculyptus. Do you empty your vacum cleaner bags after each use or suck up some borax mule team stuff, they can jump out of the bags as well.

[tjdmom]

I would treat your yard, your house and your pup all at the same time. It may be that you are killing the fleas on her and then she's going outside and new one's are jumping on. I hate fleas too..... but remember all those medications aren't all that good for her either.....

[luvfla]

Keegan is the flea magnet in our house & he was miserable. Kevin would bathe him & 2 days later he'd be lousy with them...BIG ones. I went to the vet to get Frontline but they recommended Comfortis & it really did the trick. Also, we sprinkle diotenacious (sp) earth in the house, in our bed (under the sheets) in all of the boys beds etc. It's all natural so there is no poision possibly make our boys sick. What it does is cut the ecktoskeleton of the flea & they die like the little pests that they are. It's a pain vaccuming it up (we put it EVERYWHERE) but again, it does the trick so it's worth the effort. We get ours at a local nursery but Lowe's may have it.
I suppose you could sprinkle the DE where your outdoor kids sleep & give them relief too.
One more thing the COmfortis is a chewable tab so there is no ick on their backs.