Dexter Has Fleas - YorkieTalk.com Forums

ginya1975 · 07-17-2012, 07:45 PM

My poor Dexter has fleas. I can eliminate them with a good bath, but two days later they are back with a vengence. The vet says there is not much he recommends on such tiny doggies, and he specialized in the small breeds. He said that we could try a smaill dose of the Advatix once a month. It worked, but for only about a week, and we couldn't retreat for another 3 weeks. Is there anything natural, or any product anyone has tried with great success? Dexter is three pounds and just shy of 6 months old.

bchgirl · 07-17-2012, 08:16 PM

I use topical medications on all of mine and also treat our yard. Don't bathe him 24 hours before applying or after

MikaTallulah · 07-17-2012, 09:15 PM

You have decontaminated the house and yard right?

MY OSCAR · 07-18-2012, 02:04 AM

after you treat your house and yard for fleas
apply Revolution. it comes in puppy dose 0-5 lbs. i use it for my little guy with no problems..
however it does also treat heartworm & ticks..

gracielove · 07-18-2012, 02:08 AM

Since poor Dexter has had fleas more than a couple of days you have fleas and flea eggs in your house. The medication you used on your puppy cannot keep up with the supply of fleas that are getting on him. When you have an issue like this you need to take some serious steps to get rid of the problem or it is only going to get worse.

First of all vacuum your rugs daily. Also vacuum your furniture and under the cushions of the furniture. Fleas also like to lay eggs along the edges of rooms, in dog beds, etc. Empty the vacuum outside in the garbage in a tightly closed bag. Put some moth balls in the vacuum bag or container to kill any unhatched eggs that may have been left behind.

You want to spray as many areas in your home as safely possible. Places like under cushions and along edges of the room as well as any dog beds need to be treated. Most things you buy in department stores are really not effective. There is a product called Siphotrol that is sold by many vets and online that does a pretty good job. Of course you want to remove all pets and people from the room while treating.

If you have a yard where your dog hangs out you will need to use an outdoor treatment there also. There is also an all natural product that is a powder you can use both inside and outside of the home to kill all kinds of insects called Diatomaceous Earth.

I don't understand why your vet would want you to use Advantix when you are not having a tick problem. That is one more chemical that your dog does not need. If he is concerned about using such products on the pup why would he use a double chemical product? I have used Advantage II for dogs under 10lbs on Gracie since she was a puppy with no problems. I got her right in the middle of flea season so there was not much choice.

When your dog is being assaulted by fleas like yours is the topical treatments cannot keep up with the number of fleas and you do have to retreat more often. The best thing you can do for your puppy is eliminate as many of the bugs as you can and keep the Advantage on him. Do not apply it until 3 days after a bath or it will not work. I have heard that Dawn dish washing liquid will kill the fleas that are on the dog's body but it will do nothing to keep the fleas off. This is war and you are in the middle of flea assault season so you have your work cut our for you. Of course if you have any other animals that could be effected make sure you treat them also.

ginya1975 · 07-18-2012, 11:12 AM

Well we don't have ANY carpet, so that part will be easier with just the furniture. The yard has been treated. The problem is that we do a lot of outings such as camping, hiking, parks, etc and can't treat everything. I will talk to his vet about the the treatments you guys have mentioned and give a thorough treatment to my furniture. Luckily we haven't seen them on us or the kids yet. Just poor ole Dex.

MikaTallulah · 07-18-2012, 11:52 AM

I use Revolution on mine and also a topical natural spray in mine.

Ark Naturals Ark Naturals :: Flea & Tick. I prefer the protect one because Buddy is allergic to both fleas and ticks. Thankfully in my area only ticks are a problem.

Boric acid can be used safety on all fabrics and even in his bedding. You should be able to buy it at most grocery stores or the pharmacy.

Buddylove86 · 07-18-2012, 01:18 PM

Comfortis is the best medication for fleas out there right now and with heartworm medication it is called Trifexis. I would ask your vet for that because it last 30 days. They guarantee their product. You also have to treat the environment too.

gracielove · 07-18-2012, 01:41 PM

Once you get your home free of all fleas and flea eggs you can take a flea comb and comb him with it whenever you come in from outside. That way you can keep from bringing anymore inside.

bamawife · 07-18-2012, 04:15 PM

I recommend Vectra or Comfortis for fleas. Also, we use diatomaceous earth (IT HAS TO BE FOOD GRADE TYPE) under the furniture in our house, under furniture cushions and outside near the doors, porch as well as all over our yard. It really, really works. It is not harmful to your pet and you can even sprinkle a little of it on your dog. There is also a product called Over and Out that you can use in your yard. It says it is for ants but kills fleas, too. It is also safe for your pet.

I would wash all bedding, floor mats, etc....and would vacuum everything including the cushions on your furniture. You have to break the cycle and this is one of the best ways to do that. If you have a vacuum that uses bags, throw the bag away outside as soon as possible.

Don't get discouraged. All of us who live in the hot and humid south are all fighting them right now. Since our winter was unusually warm they are worse. Even our vet is fighting them!

Good luck!

cheryl19 · 07-19-2012, 03:23 AM

Last year I had a BIG problem with fleas too. I used diatomaceous earth both inside and out, sprayed the house, vet gave them pills, frontline, everyone (also the cats) got bathes every week. I looked like a monkey as all I did was pick and kill fleas on them

What worked?, an exterminator he had to come to my home 3 times. They come and spray to kill the fleas then come in 2 weeks to kill the fleas that hatched but I still had fleas so they came a 3rd time and now we are flea free!!

gracielove · 07-19-2012, 04:31 AM

Every year I say this is the worst. As long as I start the Advantage II in the early spring and keep it on until all is frozen we do fine. I don't ever want to have to go through having to debug the home again. My other dog had a horrid flea allergy. He suffered terribly with just one flea walking on him so I had to resort to something that not only killed the fleas but kept them away.

07-17-2012, 07:45 PM	#1
ginya1975 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Summertown, TN Posts: 21	Dexter Has Fleas My poor Dexter has fleas. I can eliminate them with a good bath, but two days later they are back with a vengence. The vet says there is not much he recommends on such tiny doggies, and he specialized in the small breeds. He said that we could try a smaill dose of the Advatix once a month. It worked, but for only about a week, and we couldn't retreat for another 3 weeks. Is there anything natural, or any product anyone has tried with great success? Dexter is three pounds and just shy of 6 months old. __________________ Virginia

07-17-2012, 08:16 PM	#2
bchgirl Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: at da beach Posts: 15,444 Blog Entries: 2	I use topical medications on all of mine and also treat our yard. Don't bathe him 24 hours before applying or after __________________ Deb, Reese, Reggie, Frazier, Libby, Sidney, & Bodie Trace & Ramsey who watch over us www.biewersbythebay.com

07-17-2012, 09:15 PM	#3
MikaTallulah YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 1,812	You have decontaminated the house and yard right? __________________ Beware of Nestle Purina Cozy (4/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/08), Lucy (4/09); Buddy 4/09- Rescued 12/11); Mika ('98) & Tallulah ('00) RIP Harley 4/2009; Lucky 11/2010; Zoey 4/2012

07-18-2012, 11:12 AM	#6
ginya1975 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Summertown, TN Posts: 21	Well we don't have ANY carpet, so that part will be easier with just the furniture. The yard has been treated. The problem is that we do a lot of outings such as camping, hiking, parks, etc and can't treat everything. I will talk to his vet about the the treatments you guys have mentioned and give a thorough treatment to my furniture. Luckily we haven't seen them on us or the kids yet. Just poor ole Dex. __________________ Virginia

07-18-2012, 11:52 AM	#7
MikaTallulah YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 1,812	I use Revolution on mine and also a topical natural spray in mine. Ark Naturals Ark Naturals :: Flea & Tick. I prefer the protect one because Buddy is allergic to both fleas and ticks. Thankfully in my area only ticks are a problem. Boric acid can be used safety on all fabrics and even in his bedding. You should be able to buy it at most grocery stores or the pharmacy. __________________ Beware of Nestle Purina Cozy (4/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/08), Lucy (4/09); Buddy 4/09- Rescued 12/11); Mika ('98) & Tallulah ('00) RIP Harley 4/2009; Lucky 11/2010; Zoey 4/2012

07-18-2012, 02:04 AM	#4
MY OSCAR YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: USA Posts: 4,514	after you treat your house and yard for fleas apply Revolution. it comes in puppy dose 0-5 lbs. i use it for my little guy with no problems.. however it does also treat heartworm & ticks..

07-18-2012, 02:08 AM	#5
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Since poor Dexter has had fleas more than a couple of days you have fleas and flea eggs in your house. The medication you used on your puppy cannot keep up with the supply of fleas that are getting on him. When you have an issue like this you need to take some serious steps to get rid of the problem or it is only going to get worse. First of all vacuum your rugs daily. Also vacuum your furniture and under the cushions of the furniture. Fleas also like to lay eggs along the edges of rooms, in dog beds, etc. Empty the vacuum outside in the garbage in a tightly closed bag. Put some moth balls in the vacuum bag or container to kill any unhatched eggs that may have been left behind. You want to spray as many areas in your home as safely possible. Places like under cushions and along edges of the room as well as any dog beds need to be treated. Most things you buy in department stores are really not effective. There is a product called Siphotrol that is sold by many vets and online that does a pretty good job. Of course you want to remove all pets and people from the room while treating. If you have a yard where your dog hangs out you will need to use an outdoor treatment there also. There is also an all natural product that is a powder you can use both inside and outside of the home to kill all kinds of insects called Diatomaceous Earth. I don't understand why your vet would want you to use Advantix when you are not having a tick problem. That is one more chemical that your dog does not need. If he is concerned about using such products on the pup why would he use a double chemical product? I have used Advantage II for dogs under 10lbs on Gracie since she was a puppy with no problems. I got her right in the middle of flea season so there was not much choice. When your dog is being assaulted by fleas like yours is the topical treatments cannot keep up with the number of fleas and you do have to retreat more often. The best thing you can do for your puppy is eliminate as many of the bugs as you can and keep the Advantage on him. Do not apply it until 3 days after a bath or it will not work. I have heard that Dawn dish washing liquid will kill the fleas that are on the dog's body but it will do nothing to keep the fleas off. This is war and you are in the middle of flea assault season so you have your work cut our for you. Of course if you have any other animals that could be effected make sure you treat them also.

07-18-2012, 01:18 PM	#8
Buddylove86 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: ME Posts: 48	Comfortis is the best medication for fleas out there right now and with heartworm medication it is called Trifexis. I would ask your vet for that because it last 30 days. They guarantee their product. You also have to treat the environment too.

07-18-2012, 01:41 PM	#9
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Once you get your home free of all fleas and flea eggs you can take a flea comb and comb him with it whenever you come in from outside. That way you can keep from bringing anymore inside.

07-18-2012, 04:15 PM	#10
bamawife YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 592	I recommend Vectra or Comfortis for fleas. Also, we use diatomaceous earth (IT HAS TO BE FOOD GRADE TYPE) under the furniture in our house, under furniture cushions and outside near the doors, porch as well as all over our yard. It really, really works. It is not harmful to your pet and you can even sprinkle a little of it on your dog. There is also a product called Over and Out that you can use in your yard. It says it is for ants but kills fleas, too. It is also safe for your pet. I would wash all bedding, floor mats, etc....and would vacuum everything including the cushions on your furniture. You have to break the cycle and this is one of the best ways to do that. If you have a vacuum that uses bags, throw the bag away outside as soon as possible. Don't get discouraged. All of us who live in the hot and humid south are all fighting them right now. Since our winter was unusually warm they are worse. Even our vet is fighting them! Good luck! __________________ Meg, Mom to Raley megraley.scentsy.us Last edited by bamawife; 07-18-2012 at 04:17 PM.

07-19-2012, 03:23 AM	#11
cheryl19 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NY USA Posts: 1,749	Last year I had a BIG problem with fleas too. I used diatomaceous earth both inside and out, sprayed the house, vet gave them pills, frontline, everyone (also the cats) got bathes every week. I looked like a monkey as all I did was pick and kill fleas on them What worked?, an exterminator he had to come to my home 3 times. They come and spray to kill the fleas then come in 2 weeks to kill the fleas that hatched but I still had fleas so they came a 3rd time and now we are flea free!! __________________ Ivy, Max, Reggie & Cheryl Last edited by cheryl19; 07-19-2012 at 03:27 AM.

07-19-2012, 04:31 AM	#12
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Every year I say this is the worst. As long as I start the Advantage II in the early spring and keep it on until all is frozen we do fine. I don't ever want to have to go through having to debug the home again. My other dog had a horrid flea allergy. He suffered terribly with just one flea walking on him so I had to resort to something that not only killed the fleas but kept them away.