Help!! My dog has fleas.
By momathome
@momathome (474)
Canada
September 8, 2008 11:22am CST
And I can't seem to get rid of them. She has pretty much scratched herself raw. I have bathed her with flea shampoo. Even sprayed her with zodiac flea spray supposed to be the best stuff out there I know it is the most expensive thats for sure. But they are still on her. I wonder if they are becoming more resistent to shampoos and sprays nowadays like they way head lice are becoming resistent to shampoos. So what is you secret home remedy that will get rid of snoopy's fleas, please tell me so I can put an end to her scratching.
1 person likes this
6 responses
@sidyboy (284)
• United States
8 Sep 08
There is no instant fix for a massive flea infestation.
Start with the house. Clean everything- put a few mothballs in your vaccuum bag/canister and sweep the floors, under couches etc., and be sure to get around the baseboards and under beds. When done with that, take your vaccuum outside and remove the bag and throw it away/empty canister.
Wash dog beds, your bedding, etc- anything that the dog lays near.
Mow your lawn- sunlight kills flea eggs. Then treat your lawn with a yard spray for fleas. Be sure to check directions on the spray to see when the dog can return to the lawn.
Go to the vet and get a capstar or frontline/advantage. Capstar is the pill that kills what is ON the pet, but it does NOT keep fleas off. Frontline/advantage is what you put on the back of the neck- it works for a month. Don't get the cheaper brands like biospot- they may work for mild problems, but not massive infestations.
Get some brewers yeast and garlic supplements from the pet store and give as directed DAILY. This will help your girl get her hair back, and it has a wonderful side effect... fleas will not like her. I've had all my boys on it for years (after a massive infestation) and have not had a flea problem since then. I literally stumbled onto this vitamin when my Cocker Spaniel lost his hair due to the flea problem- I got him the vitamins to help hair growth, and he was the only one in the house that didn't have fleas...
I personally wouldn't keep using flea shampoos on the dog- you may want to get an oatmeal shampoo since her skin is already irritated (the oatmeal will soothe her skin)- any shampoo will kill the fleas. Keep in mind that you will need to wait a couple days after a bath before you can apply Frontline to her.
1 person likes this
@momathome (474)
• Canada
8 Sep 08
Thanks for the great info. I one step away from shaving her bald. lol. I have kept all the carpets vacummed so far and I haven't been bit yet. Usually they eat me alive when they are in the carpeting but so far not yet. I don't like putting to many chemicals on her that's why i'm looking for a natural remedy so I will try the garlic and brewers yeast and see if that helps thanks alot for the response.
@sidyboy (284)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Right now is a horrible time of year for fleas- it's like this every fall. I do understand not wanting to use chemicals on her, but until you can get the problem taken care of, it may be your only way to keep her comfortable.
Just be sure to get rid of your vacuum bag/empty canister each time you vaccuum because the fleas can find their way back out of the vacuum onto your carpet and dog. That's why I recommended putting a few moth balls in there- that will kill them in the bag/canister. As someone else mentioned, cut up a flea collar and put it in the bag/canister also works.
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
8 Sep 08
You need to get her Advantage or one of the other flea medications that you put drops on the back of her neck. They work very well. You can but it on ebay much cheaper than you can get from the vet.
Also you can put some crushed garlic cloves in her food.
1 person likes this
@Robin55 (225)
• United States
8 Sep 08
The vet can give her a pill that will kill any fleas on her within eight hours. However, that's only a part of the problem. You need to treat the rugs in your house and if she has a bed, treat that as well. You need to make sure to use a shampoo that will kill the eggs as well as the adult fleas. She will keep getting infested if the house is not treated. Another thing to do is to put a flea collar in the bag of your sweeper so that when you run it the collar will kill any fleas that get sucked up in it. I hope this helps.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
9 Sep 08
i had a fleacolor for my dog when it was still alive,
they worked very good and last for a couple weeks.
@sandra966 (269)
• Spain
9 Sep 08
We live in Spain, and we use Frontline every month, but this summer the dog had fleas and we couldn't shift it either.
We went back to the vet who said that in the hot weather you had to apply Frontline every 2 weeks instead of 4, well that's a lot of money for 2 cats and a dog, so we didn't do it, but we did do the garlic thing mentioned above.
Funnily enough, we cleaned the whole house and then he got them again. We stopped walking him where the grass is really high and where stray cats are, and so far, so good, he hasn't had them in a while.
Try changing where you walk him - it might be that he's picking up new 'friends' every time you walk him!





