Flea Dirt Problem. Help!!

[zoey]

Daisy is scratching and biting all the time.
I took her to the vet and he said it was flea dirt. I have only ever seen 1 flea on her, and she's with me practically 24/7. The vet said that sometimes it's just the irritaion from a bite, and perhaps the eggs they lay subcutaniously.
He said the flea only stays on the dog for 7 seconds, a lot of times.
He said to treat her and the home. Well, I have and she still is scratching and biting 10 days later.
I bathed her thursday, re-applied her frontline to her back, treated the carpets and floors with a boric acid compound and will repeat due to the incubation period.
I'm looking into essential oils. I've read that the neem oil, mixed with aloe repels the fleas.
Has anyone had any luck w/ any?
If so, where is a good place to buy the pure essential oils online?
Any replies welcomed! Thanks!
Zoey

[MajesticCollies]

I have heard that remedy before, I heard it works but I also have heard that neem oil doesnt smell that great.

I just use the frontline keep garlic and Solid Gold Seameal in thier diet for thier skin. Your babys skin may be sensitive obviously to flea bite. The seameal will correct that. Also do not bathe her more than once a month or so. You are taking the oils out of her skin to often.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/catalogue/catDog.pdf pg 15

[Catlady711]

Didn't your vet give Daisy anything for the itching? Some animals can have an allergic reaction to flea bites which causes alot of scratching.

Also if you have alot of flea dirt (flea poop) that means you have more than one flea. I posted some information on flea life cycles below. If you are using the Frontline PLUS every month then you really don't need to do anything else except vacuume and wash pet bedding, as Frontline PLUS not only kills adult fleas on the animal BEFORE they bite, but also breaks the life cycle of reproduction in your house. The PLUS part of the ingredient is carried down to carpets, crevices etc. when your Frontline treated pet sheds hair and dandruff, and we all know how pet hair/dandruff seem to get everywhere. lol



Flea Life Cycle

Understanding the life cycle of the flea is necessary in order to control it. The flea has several stages to its life cycle. Adult fleas spend most of their time on the dog or cat - they must be dislodged to leave since they will not do so voluntarily. Despite this, when the flea population on the dog becomes excessive humans tend to be an acceptable alternative to the flea. The average life span of an adult flea is probably about 6 weeks - but fleas can live as long as a year under certain conditions. A female flea can lay 20 to 28 eggs a day. She may lay several hundred eggs over her life span. These eggs fall off the pet and develop where they land. They are small and can even develop in the cracks in wood floors or other small crevices. A larvae hatches from the flea egg. It takes as few as 9 days to as long as 200 days to go through its growth stages. At this time is forms a pupae and waits for the right time to hatch. It is estimated that for every adult flea found on the pet, there are about 10 developing fleas in the pet's environment.



Flea Larvae

Flea eggs hatch into worm-like larvae which move away from light and downwards. This means that they are usually found deep in the carpet pile. They tend to accumulate in areas where the pet rests, but have been observed to crawl as far as 20 feet while in this stage of the life cycle.


Whilst larvae are susceptible to household flea insecticides, they only account for 35% of a typical infestation. And because they are so small, and tend to move into hard-to-get areas, it is just about impossible to know whether you've managed to spray them all.


Once again, the lesson is that flea prevention is better than cure. In other words, far better to treat your pet with a product that stops flea reproduction before it happens, than end up trying to chase possibly hundreds of larvae around the house.

[poodleempire]

Try some Malaseb Shampoo its available from the vets and it worked for us when we had 'scratin' problems....her skin will be sensitive now so a medicated shampoo to soothe her skin might work...Oh you have to leave it on for 15 mins before washing it off :D ,so you will have to keep your little girl amused until wash off!.....

[MinnieandJakesMom119]

[QUOTE=MajesticCollies]I have heard that remedy before, I heard it works but I also have heard that neem oil doesnt smell that great.

My Poodle had Flea Dirt once and the neem oil worked really well but just like MajesticCollies said it does really smell. Is it possible that you cna contain your dog to a certain room for a period of time so it doesnt dtink up ur whole house. Thats what I had to do and my poodle wasnt very happy about it but it is for the better.. Good Luck!!

[dragondawg]

Daisy is scratching and biting all the time.
I took her to the vet and he said it was flea dirt. I have only ever seen 1 flea on her, and she's with me practically 24/7. The vet said that sometimes it's just the irritaion from a bite, and perhaps the eggs they lay subcutaniously.
He said the flea only stays on the dog for 7 seconds, a lot of times.
He said to treat her and the home. Well, I have and she still is scratching and biting 10 days later.
I bathed her thursday, re-applied her frontline to her back, treated the carpets and floors with a boric acid compound and will repeat due to the incubation period.
I'm looking into essential oils. I've read that the neem oil, mixed with aloe repels the fleas.
Has anyone had any luck w/ any?
If so, where is a good place to buy the pure essential oils online?
Any replies welcomed! Thanks!
Zoey

A good point was brought up on the flea allergies. Most dogs will end up with an allergic reaction to the flea bite, followed by a possible skin infection. Try Benedryl to suppress the allergic reaction. Usual dosage is 1-2 mg/lb - consult with your Vet. When your dog is under a flea attack there are several approaches:

1. Shampoo the carpet as you apparently already have done.

2. If the dog is heavily infested with fleas, then get a Capstar pill from the Vet. Any flea that bites the dog in the next 24 hrs- dies instantly. Sometimes a second dose is needed 2 weeks later if eggs start to hatch.

3. The monthly Sentinel heartworm medication has the Program medication embedded in it. If you are using Heartguard instead, then ask the Vet for the Program medication. Any female flea that bites the dog treated with Program, causes her eggs to become sterile.

At this point you have killed the adult fleas, and sterilized the female fleas to prevent any future eggs layed to be able to hatch. Two breaks in the life cycle.

What I have to battle off/on is when my dogs get around a neighbor's dog that has fleas. They hop onto mine, and then I have to contend with a few adult fleas causing problems. The solution is to buy a flea trap. Consists of a photo-electric light that sits above a sticky pad. Flea hops off dog in the middle of the night, jumps towards light, lands on pad, and gets stuck.

Also if the dog has been licking flea feces, then that could lead to tapeworm. The way a dog will get tapeworm is to eat the flea feces, or the infected flea itself. Keep an eye out for anything that looks like rice in the dog's feces.

You can try supplementing the diet with fish oil, and Vitamin-E (dry succinate salt form). This will help with skin repair.