Fleas back again! Help!

[TopDog01]

well this has been going on for about 3 weeks now and i havent seen a flea in about 4 days i think? but the scratching is there and the rashes seem to get worse. i went out and bought some baby oil with lavendar, hopefully it'll relive some of the itching. and put 5 teaspoons of vinegar in a gallon on water to keep away the fleas but it doesnt seem like hes going to drink the water. hes already on frontline and sentinel but he keeps getting bit. and he seems to be nipping at his front paws alot and shaking his head. at this point im trying any and everything. i really feel helpless in this war against the fleas.

[elleandca]

you need to go to the vet and get some anti itch tablets .. it sounds like its gone from *its fleas* to a flea allergy! do it while your dog has hair.. believe me they can rip their hair out in no time ..only takes a few days of being on the anti itch meds and our girl stops with the constant itching/licking herself bald and sore.

one bite from a flea is all it takes to send your dog on a endless mission to scratch an itch that is not there <== what my vet told me

the sad misery of it is you will probably have this bad reaction every summer as our girl and heaps of other dogs/cats do

as mentioned earlier in your thread most flea treatments work by killing the fleas after they have bitten ..one bite is all it takes to start that horrid itch cycle

yes invest in a hard floor hoover .. hehe took us years of buying regular good quality hoovers to realize they sit higher while hoovering as they are designed for carpets so spit junk out as they don't sit close enough to the floor when hoovering a hard floor

have comfort in winter and the colder weather will be here in no time.. then the fleas go into hybernation so the problem will ease

[WV~Yorkies]

You said he was itching around his face.. are you sure he doesn't have ear mites or an ear infection? One of my girls got an ear infection once and scratched all the hair off her neck.

[TopDog01]

Originally Posted by WV~Yorkies

You said he was itching around his face.. are you sure he doesn't have ear mites or an ear infection? One of my girls got an ear infection once and scratched all the hair off her neck.

i told the vet about his scratching around the face and ears and she checked his ear and said it didnt look too bad. she thought it was an allergy from the flea bites. she prescribed me hydro something for his allergies but it hasnt helped much. dollar went back to the vet the next day and got an anti-inflammatory shot which helped him alot for the next couple days.

anyone in the Bergen/Hudson NJ area that can recommend a caring vet? i currently go to Rutherford animal hosiptal but im not happy with their services. I know of Oradell animal hospital but im looking for a vet that actually cares about the animal as opposed to trying to find a way to fill their pockets.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by TopDog01

i told the vet about his scratching around the face and ears and she checked his ear and said it didnt look too bad. she thought it was an allergy from the flea bites. she prescribed me hydro something for his allergies but it hasnt helped much. dollar went back to the vet the next day and got an anti-inflammatory shot which helped him alot for the next couple days.

anyone in the Bergen/Hudson NJ area that can recommend a caring vet? i currently go to Rutherford animal hosiptal but im not happy with their services. I know of Oradell animal hospital but im looking for a vet that actually cares about the animal as opposed to trying to find a way to fill their pockets.

Good vets are difficult to find. I hope you find a great one!
If no one on YT has a suggestion, do a search on Petfinder for dogs in your area. Then, write to some of the rescues that you find and ask them about vets...tell them exactly what you are looking for. Rescuers always know good vets...kind of like looking for a good people doctor...ask a nurse!
Good luck!

[Abby08]

I sympathize with you!

I also disagree with the studies that say vacuuming kills fleas and larvae. Vacuuming must be done, however, if there is a bag, it must be taken out and disposed of in the trash soon after, cause those fleas will live and eggs will hatch in the bag ! The study must have used vacuums that work better than the average household vacuum! Yes, I would cut up a flea collar and vacuum it up first thing!

We found out the hard way, fleas can make their way right back out of that vacuum bag! Its a shame they only used small amounts of fleas in their study and not a real household situation with real world vacuums!

Also I have never heard of using vinegar in the drinking water to kill fleas, but it is supposed to be good to make the urine less smelly, just have never been able to get cats or dogs to drink it after it has been added to the water.

I'd bathe the animals daily and vacuum daily until the fleas are gone from inside the house anyway. We did use a chemical on our rugs, it came in a tiny bottle and we mixed it with water into a gallon container with a sprayer. It killed the adults,and kept the eggs from hatching out and kept the larvae from going into the adult stages. I haven't seen it in 15 years and only saw it in a local farm hardware store that is now out of biasness. We only used it once, but never had to repeat it. Wish I could remember the name and the company that made it. It worked a miracle for us! I remember it started with a V, but it was not vinegar

I have heard of using orange peels in the pet bed area,supposed to kill fleas, but the oil from the orange can be bad for pet skins, especially cats.

Also I wonder if dawn might not dry out pet skin if used daily?

Fleas are quite good jumpers,though dog and cat fleas can't reproduce on human blood, they will bite you anyway cause they just know they are hungry! Vacume your bed, under the bed and wash your sheets and pillow covers. Couch, under the cushions,under the couch, anywhere the pets can go, the fleas and larvae will go. Fleas don't stay on the pet, they will bite to eat, go to the nose,eyes and anal area to get water and yes bite around the eyes and anal area too. Then they jump off to lay eggs or what ever until they get hungry again. It has been a long time since I have read this stuff and don't know where to point you to for current information. But it is good to know the enemy so you can fight them!

Oh and if you have a yard, it might be good to find somthing you can apply in areas you pet likes to visit or nap in. Read the fine print, most say to keep kids and pets off treated areas for so many hours after applied.

good luck

[TopDog01]

That's a great idea. I got the number for the Hudson County Animal League and plan on calling early tomorrow. I'm seriously thinking of purchasing a hardwood floor vacuum but i spent almost $900 already in efforts to get rid of the fleas.

Dollar was itching pretty bad again so i gave him an oatmeal bath and i found an adult flea but it was about half the size of the ones i've seen previously so im guessing it was a newly hatched flea. i feel like the couple spots i overlooked to vacuum are the spots they live in.

And no Dollar does NOT drink the water with vinegar, maybe a sip before barking at me. i tie up the vacuum bags with 2 plastic bags as soon as im done vacuuming and toss them out my porch into the garbage can.

my landlord who lives downstairs has a yard that dollar never goes into but she grows her own vegetables and im wondering if maybe thats the cause of the fleas? ( I live on the 2nd floor but i always have my window open with a window fan, but i dont take out the screen.) But then again she has a 4 year old dog with white hair that stays outside all day and he doesnt seem to scratch at all.

I came across a website about flea prevention and it mentioned something about keeping the dog's skin healthy through proper diet makes your pet less prone to be bitten. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? like what to feed him?

I'm taking dollar to the vet tomorrow to get some meds for the itching and continue the daily vacuuming. in 7 days i have to sprinkle the whole house with borax again but i really don't think i can go through that again. I just might have to call an exterminator and hope for the best. we'll see.

[Abby08]

It sounds like you are doing all of the right things, it does take a while and seem discouraging because the fleas are hard to get rid of, they eat,poop and reproduce, it is their existance!

I am not an expert, but have had more than a couple of bad experiences with fleas in the past. The last time occurred after I got married and had my own house, and indoor Persian cats, and 2 little girls, so I read extensively on the current info that was available at the time and used the chemicals that were available. I did not use a bomb, just sprayed chemicals on the carpet that worked really good!!!

Any yard can be a source of fleas, and just because you don't see a dog scratching, doesn't mean that they don't scratch. Fleas will jump on, eat their meal, get some moisture,(water) from the eyes,nose,anal area and poop where ever they are and jump off again, go lay eggs,poop some more,etc. then jump right back on again for another meal. This will continue until they die.

If the landlord's dog also comes inside, it can bring in fleas. If you pet the dog or go for a walk, the fleas can jump on your clothes and come in the house with you and jump on your dog. Could be someone in doggy day care brought some in, but didn't know it either!

From personal experience, fleas will bite human ankles with enthusiasm!!! I have also been bitten on the eyeball by a flea, or it jumped on my eyeball, it was a painful experience either way!!!

I am not saying that the fleas came from the landlord's dog or yard, as any passing dog or cat can bring in a flea, or someone visiting who has been exposed to a flea source and not been bitten, but just not aware they are carrying one on their clothes.

It doesn't take a lot of fleas, it only takes one. That one flea can make lots more and it just takes a while for the eggs to hatch and the larva to reach adult hood, then "boom" you have an infestation!

Fleas will bite any warm blooded animal. Cat fleas will bit dogs and people or what ever is available, same with dog fleas,and rat fleas and other fleas. Doesn't matter if the skin is healthy or not. If a flea is hungry, and on an exceptable food source, it will bite. Having said that, dog and cat fleas can reproduce from each others food source, human fleas for instance, cannot reproduce from eating blood from dogs or cats. I would say that healthy skin would be more resilient to pests, perhaps not have an allergic reaction or as bad of one, though I'd think that might be genetic. Perhaps not all dogs are allergic to fleas, but it might just depend on how exposed they are to the biting and flea feces. I guess a vet would be more able to tell you about that.

I would investigate nutrition for dogs and how it affects the skin and pest prevention on same,fleas, mites,ringworm,etc.

Fleas are aggravating and frustrating, but keep up what you are doing, you will conquer them!

Oh, I forget how high a flea can jump, probably not up to the second floor though.

[TopDog01]

Gave dollar a bath in dawn but i didnt see any fleas. i applied some hydrocortisone on the irritated areas and he went to sleep. woke up this morning to find a few bite marks on the underside of his belly near his tesitcles, and by his tail. he wouldnt stop scratching himself. Im guessing Frontline and Sentinel DOES NOT LAST a month. the borax seemed to have no effect or i must be missing a spot somewhere in the house. will shaving his hair make them a bit more manageable? also i seem to be the only member in the house thats also being bitten and its not my ankles, its my stomach, chest, and arms. could it be bed bugs? is there a difference in bite marks? god i hope not.


has anyone tried flea traps or plug in repellents? im desperate at this point.

[elleandca]

all the baths you have given dollar has probably washed away all the frontline

if the white dog had bad fleas its fur would not be white but a manky brown white

just curious do your floorboards have holes in them? the fleas could be living under the boards and hoping out through the cracks/holes

if fleas are biting you then there are still fleas about .. tell that to your new vet and beg for a solution to sort the problem

psst move house.. start a fresh in a flea free home

[Abby08]

Again, I am not an expert, just giving my personal experience with flea battles.

Yes, fleas won't just bite you on your ankle, but if they are in your carpet, that is how they mostly get on you, they will hop to your foot or ankle,(from the floor/carpet) and crawl thru your sock to your skin. Not saying that the ankle is the only place they will bite. It is just more common when the carpet is infested.

Have you treated your closet floor? Vacuum there often as well.

Yes, you can vacume your mattress, it cleans it of tiny dead skin particles that have fallen off of our bodies and any tiny little bugs,mites, bugs,Flea larve,and other living things,(that eat the dead skin particles) that folks can be allergic too whether they are visable or not.

At the time we had a bad case of fleas, my cats,(2 Persians) would jump to the top of the washer in our laundry room and sleep there, cooler on them I suspect. When I did laundry, I found that there was a red stain on the rubber skirt that lined the inside lid of my washer. Those fleas would jump off of my cats and down into the space that is left around the lid of the washer and the poop they left would get wet and stain it. So fleas can go just about anywhere in your house, you have to clean every nook and cranny those tiny little things can get into.

If I remember correctly, Borax works on fleas by dehydrating them, I don't know how long it takes to do that, but it probably takes longer than over night or a week. So how long to leave it down and how often to vacume it up? I have no idea.

It would help you to take a look at the info available on the web, look up life cycles of the flea,how long it takes the eggs to hatch, and the various forms of flea treatments,(the Borax maker may have suggestions and solutions as well!) of what is available to use on carpets and hardwood floors, what is toxic to pets and children and what is not. The more you know, the better informed decision you can make about what you want to use and not and if you decide to go with a professional exterminator, if they are telling you the truth or running up your bill for their profit.

Oh and find out who publishes the websites you visit as some of them are put out by the companies that make the products mentioned in some of them. Self promotion there but some good info as well.

You will have better luck if you become self educated about fleas and you can sort thru things better.

I am sorry I have forgotten so much and wish the stuff I used was still available. It was rather toxic, might be why it is not availablel anymore or if it is I havn't seen it. But I havn't really had to look for it since then either. I imagine there is new flea killers out there and new info too so the info I am giving you was good for 15 years ago but you need new info!
I hope the fleas all die soon and stop biting everyone in your home!
Abby and me.

[TopDog01]

Originally Posted by elleandca

all the baths you have given dollar has probably washed away all the frontline

if the white dog had bad fleas its fur would not be white but a manky brown white

just curious do your floorboards have holes in them? the fleas could be living under the boards and hoping out through the cracks/holes

if fleas are biting you then there are still fleas about .. tell that to your new vet and beg for a solution to sort the problem

psst move house.. start a fresh in a flea free home

That is one of my main concerns, the house we moved into 2 years go has massive holes and cracks all over, it seems like whoever built this place was on a low budget becasue all the caulk that was filing the holes seems to be wearing out. I really feel that my only option is to bomb the house and worse case, call an exterminator. I looked into some exterminators and prices vary depending on the treatment plan i decide to go with. however, its almost winter here and i wouldnt want a 3 month treatment plan especially if theyre gonna go into hibernation. any thoughts?

Abby,

you've been very helpful and i thank you. i've been vacuuming everyday and yes i have been looking at all sorts of websites to keep myself in the know about these damn fleas. I've been thru almost every page on the web that has to do with fleas, some even more than once.

I have not vacuumed the closet because dollar never goes in there and the fact that i have TONS of clothes that are very expensive and arent meant to be washed in hot water or tumble dried. also i have a small little space with folding doors where we keep the washer and dryer, i thought about giving the area a quick vacuum because it seems like a very cool and dark place but the machines must weigh a ton. i'll try my best to get underneath and hopefully suck them out.

The dog downstairs has white and brown hair and i hardly come in contact with it so i wouldnt really know. my friend had a flea problem and he's telling me to shave dollars hair off, would that help even in the slightest?

Ive been reading alot about keeping up your dogs health to make the skin more resistant to flea bites. Can anyone recommend a nutrient supplement?

[Abby08]

Okay, here is one website that has 4 articles to read. And yes, they are probably like the ones you have already read. But just in case it has some extra information that the others did not, well hope it helps.

FLEAS

It is from NC Agriculture extension serivice. It won't advertise specific brand names but it does mention IGR's, (insect growth regulator). This is what I used to spray on the carpet. I can't remember the name of it, but I have never had to use it again. It came in a tiny bottle and I mixed it with water and put it into a big gallon bottle with a spray nozzle and hose. (When I get rid of this old carpet, I will expect I will have to find a new IGR for hardwood floors!!!)

I would vacume everywhere you can reach, every nook and cranny, all closets included! It doesn't matter if the dog has been in there or not, fleas can travel on you, your kids, and the adults can jump around pretty well!!! Where you have heavy furniture or spaces too tiny or narrow to get a vacume tool into or under, I would spread the Borax and or dog or cat flea collars either cut them up into smaller pieces and push them under the washer dryers/furniture/tiny spaces or leave them whole. I would just leave them there for the amount of time mentioned on the life span of the flea collar or at least 24 hours or more for the Borax.

One of the articles above also mentions that drying out and heat will kill fleas in certain stages. Rediculous to raise your house temp to 103 F.

In my first flea experience before I got married, I brought my cat into my newly rented appartment for an hour, took her back to my parents and went off for a week. I came back to the apartment,(that I had not been to in a week, that my cat had only been in for only an hour) and I was attacked by a hoard of fleas! My parents did not have a problem when my cat was in their home and I never had flea problem at my previous apartment. Could have been fleas from a pet from a previous resident, never figured it out.

My boyfriend and I went and got some flea bombs and let them go for over night. I went back to my parents to stay until the next day. When I went back in, the fleas were dead, but I had to vacume not only the carpet, but the tables and counters and chairs,couches, my bed, dressar were covered with dead fleas where they had tried to jump and get away but were killed by the fog from the bomb. That was before IGA's were invented.

If you cut the hair on your dog, you will be able to see the fleas/flea dirt better, and use a flea comb and catch the fleas faster than if his hair is long. I had Persians, (still have one of them) and never had to shave them. Their hair is not as long as a Yorky's but it is very thick as the coat is made up of several different kinds of hair. Fleas can hide in a Persian's coat, you never see them until they are infested. Use a flea comb, don't let the fleas get away that you catch, have a small container of extreamly soapy water so close that you can dump that flea in there, it will help trap them so they can't jump out while you keep combing and searching.

Oh, before we used the IGA, we also had some good use of a small aluminum pan of water with a light blub over it,(like a utility light, has a long cord and a plastic cage around it,the light will get pretty hot) The idea is the fleas in the area will get hot and jump into the water,not be able to jump back out and drown. It only works in a small area, can't do that all over the house. Those lights get pretty hot, could cause a fire under unsupervised situations. Kids have to be kept away too.

This hot light/water solution will only work in the area that the light is in, it will not draw fleas from other areas of the home. It may not be practical but just suggesting it, in case you do have a situation where it can be safely used under supervision.

Not sure if they will have something with IGA's(available at this time of year?) in them for the home at Lowe's Home Improvement or the other Home improvement store or farm/aggriculture stores that might be in your area. If you do find one, it is not something little kids should be crawling around in, nor pets, until it has had a chance to dry really good and then I would still not let the kids skin be touching the floors or carpets/rug while the chemical is in them.

This is all I can suggest,so I'll be quiet now and let you find your way through this situation.
Wishing you the quickist, cheapest ,and best working solution which ever way you decided to go

[Nascar Fan]

Smokie is doing great since we had him to the vet. The Comfortis tabs have kept him flea free, and the meds the vet gave him for his allergies to the fleas have completely cleared him up. I mixed equal amount of baking soda and salt, and spread that on the carpet - took a brush looking thing and rubbed it into the carpet. Then a couple hours later we vacumned. Of course we did the comforter, Smokie's bed, toys , etc. And we removed the vacumn bag, put it in the indoor garbage bag and carried it all to the outside container all tied up. My husband double treated the yard. Our vet said the fleas can come from a wild animal coming thru such as a raccoon, or we had a skunk come through right before Smokie's flea outbreak. The vet said that very well could have been the cause of it. I also read that rubbing alcohol will kill fleas, so here's my question. Everything I read was like oh don't put it on the animal because it will burn, although some were doing it anyway. Well duh. But what about in a spray bottle plus in the carpet shampooer. My daughter has worked at a groomer's before she became pregnant, and that is where she learned about the dawn and the rubbing alcohol. I still use the baking soda and salt on the carpet. We haven't been having any further problems. So far. Good luck to all of you. Reva ~ Smokie's mama

ps - I meant the rubbing alcohol to spray on carpet and furniture, not pets. Just to clear that up.

[Mytinkerbell]

Here's my input....my daughter fought fleas terribly this summer and here's what the vet told her. It took approx 6 weeks to get into this mess with fleas and it would take about 6 weeks to get out of it. They told her to "bomb" her apartment and to "leave" it for as long as they could. Than to vacume, take the bag out right away and to vacume EVERYTHING. Continue to vacume everyday. To put Frontline, or any of them on her furbaby. Than to NOT give them a bath! They say that they are water proof, which they are BUT they are not shampoo proof. That everytime she was giving her a bath that she was washing more of the product out. So to wait as long as possible to give baths. The fleas are gone now, but it did take about 5 weeks and several bombings later. (they bombed like every week for a while) My daughter and BF were both getting flea bites, and she was at her wits end but they finally got ahold of it! Thank goodness! Good luck.