I can't BELIEVE we have fleas

[marcerella02]

UGH- I went to do Layla's nails tonight, I flipped her over on her back and saw her poor belly- it is full of bites- I went to show my dad and then I saw a little bug!!!!! I think we have fleas. I bathed Layla using dish soap (not Dawn- going to get that tomorrow). We have flea meds BUT they are in Florida- I need to find a vet open on Sunday (which I will not find I am SURE- as it is a holiday this weekend!!!!).
Can anyone tell me what else I can do while I wait for Tuesday? I have done the following:
- bathed her in dish soap -getting Dawn tomorrow
- Washed all of her bedding
- gave her a benadryl for her itching

- Should I get a flea shampoo or just dawn?
Is there anything I am missing/
I feel just awful- I am sick over it- I am so glad we caught it early- she has been itchy yesterday and today- when I bathed her only 1 came out (maybe- not even sure it was a bug) so I think we got it before it got her.

looking for ANY help or suggestions- I know NOTHING about fleas...

[RustysMom]

I will try to help based on years of fostering and having my own pack. When you bathe dunk the head to get it really wet. Fleas don't like water and go to dry hair. If her face is not throughly wet, they will run there, while you wash the rest of her. Check her ears to make sure they are not hiding there.
Use dish washing soap. Any kind. After her bath, towel dry, lay her down on her back first and look for the fleas and dislodge them with a flea or cat comb. Put them into a small cup with water and soap AND a lid so that they cannot jump out.
With her bath water, leave it sitting in the tub for about an hour or so, so that they will drown (I learned years ago that fleas can hold their breath or whatever for about an hour in water, so you want to catch the water in a tub and let it sit until you are sure they have drown)
You can also fill a small spray bottle with water and soap and spray it on any flea you see, comb it up, then put it in the covered cup.

This will hold you until the vet opens on Tuesday.

If you have carpet in your house that she walked on, it wouldn't hurt to treat it before the flea eggs hatch out. Then you have BIG problems if they do.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by rustysmom

i will try to help based on years of fostering and having my own pack. When you bathe dunk the head to get it really wet. Fleas don't like water and go to dry hair. If her face is not throughly wet, they will run there, while you wash the rest of her. Check her ears to make sure they are not hiding there.
Use dish washing soap. Any kind. After her bath, towel dry, lay her down on her back first and look for the fleas and dislodge them with a flea or cat comb. Put them into a small cup with water and soap and a lid so that they cannot jump out.
With her bath water, leave it sitting in the tub for about an hour or so, so that they will drown (i learned years ago that fleas can hold their breath or whatever for about an hour in water, so you want to catch the water in a tub and let it sit until you are sure they have drown)
you can also fill a small spray bottle with water and soap and spray it on any flea you see, comb it up, then put it in the covered cup.


This will hold you until the vet opens on tuesday.

If you have carpet in your house that she walked on, it wouldn't hurt to treat it before the flea eggs hatch out. Then you have big problems if they do.

thank you

[Shelby&Seymour]

You can buy ADAMS flea and tick spray at many Petsmarts here..... it is quite safe (we used it when ours were puppies). Spray it on a towel and rub it on her if you son't want to just spray her directly.... it works well and will keep those little buggers away. I am not sure if you can get it in Canada... but worth a try. Call your local pet supply store!

[Ellie May]

No need to go get Dawn if you used another kind..
Also no need to try to get an appt today.


I'd really avoid anything you could get at a petstore for fleas unless your vet also sells it. Do they have any Frontline or Advantage products OTC over there? If they don't and you are up for crossing the border today, a few stores here carry it (Meijer, Petsmart, etc.). I don't trust any flea shampoos on mine. Not only do I think most are just too toxic, but they tend to just be adulticides (kill the adults onle - which Dawn should be doing).

Yes, her bedding needed to be washed, but so does yours and any other washable thing in the house.. Pay special attention to carpets. Vacuum constantly. I like boric acid (sprinkle on carpets and then vacuum them), but it is toxic. I also put some in the vacuum cleaner so the fleas can't escape.

If you are sure they are fleas and the bites start to heal, then you don't need to see the vet. Hydrocortisone can be used topically if you can stop her from licking the area (e-collar, onesie).

[Shelby&Seymour]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

No need to go get Dawn if you used another kind..
Also no need to try to get an appt today.


I'd really avoid anything you could get at a petstore for fleas unless your vet also sells it. Do they have any Frontline or Advantage products OTC over there? If they don't and you are up for crossing the border today, a few stores here carry it (Meijer, Petsmart, etc.). I don't trust any flea shampoos on mine. Not only do I think most are just too toxic, but they tend to just be adulticides (kill the adults onle - which Dawn should be doing).

Yes, her bedding needed to be washed, but so does yours and any other washable thing in the house.. Pay special attention to carpets. Vacuum constantly. I like boric acid (sprinkle on carpets and then vacuum them), but it is toxic. I also put some in the vacuum cleaner so the fleas can't escape.

If you are sure they are fleas and the bites start to heal, then you don't need to see the vet. Hydrocortisone can be used topically if you can stop her from licking the area (e-collar, onesie).

My vet sells Adams and also recommends it for puppies that are too young to use other products on. We use it occasionally with no issues.... and also used it when the dogs were puppies.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

No need to go get Dawn if you used another kind..
Also no need to try to get an appt today.


I'd really avoid anything you could get at a petstore for fleas unless your vet also sells it. Do they have any Frontline or Advantage products OTC over there? If they don't and you are up for crossing the border today, a few stores here carry it (Meijer, Petsmart, etc.). I don't trust any flea shampoos on mine. Not only do I think most are just too toxic, but they tend to just be adulticides (kill the adults onle - which Dawn should be doing).

Yes, her bedding needed to be washed, but so does yours and any other washable thing in the house.. Pay special attention to carpets. Vacuum constantly. I like boric acid (sprinkle on carpets and then vacuum them), but it is toxic. I also put some in the vacuum cleaner so the fleas can't escape.

If you are sure they are fleas and the bites start to heal, then you don't need to see the vet. Hydrocortisone can be used topically if you can stop her from licking the area (e-collar, onesie).

Thanks Crystal- I'll skip Petsmart then. I really didn't want to use the shampoo as I could only imagine it is full of chemicals.

I am almost positive we cna't get Frontline or Advantage here OTC- but I will try today- otherwise I'll wait until Tuesday and go get some from our vet.

We have boric acid (had major ant issues) but if it is toxic we'll probably skip that. I just vaccumed again (did it last night) and am going to go throw a load of wash in- I think my washing machine has been running 24/7. What a disaster- lesson learned!

Thanks for the info. I was in a complete panic last night. I did a very good once over on her- I can't find a single flea or flea dirt and her scratching has gone way down so I hope I caught it earlY!

[RustysMom]

To test your carpet periodically, put on white knee socks and walk around on the carpet. If there are any fleas, they will jump on the white socks and get stuck, enabling you to see them.

I like the boric acid too. For hardwood floors, dust it on them, making sure to fill any cracks or seams (as that is where fleas will live), wait about an hour and then vacumn. Of course, keep all humans and pets out of a room being treated.

I do all of this as part of my spring cleaning.

[gracielove]

As some one mentioned a pet store should have Frontline or Advantage available to purchase. You should also purchase a flea comb while at the pet store. You cannot always see fleas on your pet. They may actually appear very clean and bug free but running a flea comb through the pet from head to toe will reveal any fleas. The fleas will get caught is the comb and you can dispose of them from there. A flea comb is not really for getting rid of fleas but more for detecting them. Use it a couple of times a month to make sure you are still flea free.

[marcerella02]

Well we were VERY lucky to find a vet's office open on Sunday that could take us!

The vet looked at her belly and ran a flea comb through her- not a single flea or flea dirt- but I had just bathed the crap out of her the night before. I told him I had seen a bug on her and one came out when we bathed her. He thinks she has a flea allergy since she is so red (tummy, legs, her little behind) and has so many spots and yet we can't find a single flea. So he gave her some Advantage and I've been still giving Benadryl- poor thing woke up with her belly all wet from the chewing last night. The vet said since he can't find any evidence of fleas that our house should be ok but to keep vaccuming daily.

So that's where we are now- I have a very red and itchy girl who is very tired from the Benadryl. I will be calling our vet tomorrow to see what we do next. I can't thank you all enough for your help and support!

[gracielove]

My Shih Tzu was horribly allergic to fleas. I could tell if we had any because just one flea would send him into a total mess. He would itch and chew and itch and cry. It was an awful thing to see. The allergy is actually to the flea and it's excretions. So just one can cause an awful problem. My vet gave my dog an injection of a steroid. It was the only thing that brought relief to the poor guy. It made the redness and itching go away. Otherwise it would take a long time for him to get over the effects of the flea. Hope you can get your baby some relief. It was horrible to see how my dog suffered until I got him to the vet. I used Advantage after his first attack and then we were flea free for several years. Then one year all of a sudden he started itching and crying. I had not seen fleas but apparently he had one. He was older then and seemed to have an even worse reaction then the first one.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by gracielove

My Shih Tzu was horribly allergic to fleas. I could tell if we had any because just one flea would send him into a total mess. He would itch and chew and itch and cry. It was an awful thing to see. The allergy is actually to the flea and it's excretions. So just one can cause an awful problem. My vet gave my dog an injection of a steroid. It was the only thing that brought relief to the poor guy. It made the redness and itching go away. Otherwise it would take a long time for him to get over the effects of the flea. Hope you can get your baby some relief. It was horrible to see how my dog suffered until I got him to the vet. I used Advantage after his first attack and then we were flea free for several years. Then one year all of a sudden he started itching and crying. I had not seen fleas but apparently he had one. He was older then and seemed to have an even worse reaction then the first one.

I think that is what Layla has going on- but I am not surprised- Layla is VERY sensitive to everything- food, the environtment- you name it! THe vet wanted to give her a shot for her reaction, but because he is not our regular- I decided not to. Layla tends to react to shots and so I only want our vet giving her something like that.
I have found a onesie to put on her when she sleeps tonight and we are just about due for another dose of Benadryl.

It is just AWFUL seeing her so uncomfortable. I feel terrible for her but I am SO glad we caught it early!

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Just wondering how Layla is doing? I hope she is feeling better

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

Just wondering how Layla is doing? I hope she is feeling better

That is so sweet of you to ask. She has been off of Benadryl since yesterday morning- her belly looks good and she didn't itch all day yesterday. I put her in a onesie last night so when I go t oget her up (yes she is still sleeping) I'll see how her belly looks- but *fingers crossed* all looks well!

[My lil friend]

Poor baby!
I use Frontline on mine,but only when we are going out of town,vacation or to a faire of some kind where there will be other dogs and strange potty areas. I also do a search for fleas if we have been out.
Hope your baby is all better soon!!