Fleas!!!!!! Help me!!!!!

This probably should be in Dog Health, but I never go there, so I'm posting it here for more viewing.

I have a problem and I'm at my wits end! I just can NOT get rid of these blasted fleas. We've had the yard professionally sprayed 6 times this season so far, plus we've treated it ourselves with 7 dust and other insecticides for fleas....we've flea fogged the house, even though we have hardwood floors. The pets, all 4 of them, have been on flea preventative (we've tried Frontline, Bio Spot, Sergents) AND I flea bathe them at least twice a week. I can't get rid of these blasted fleas and Boone has a flea allergy, so his coat is in horrid condition. He's actually lost the majority of his coat and he even has near-bald spots on his back above his tail. He's been to the vet for antibiotics and steroids once already this season and we have a feeling it's just not ever going to end. He has another hot spot forming. I'm keeping him on Benadryl now to help with the allergy and it's helping a bit.

Since I quit working to be home with my baby, our money is so tight. We have truly tried everything to rid the animals of fleas and nothing, and I mean nothing is working. We are spending money that is set aside for food on flea treatment/prevention stuff. We had to go a week with eating nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because we spent so much money on flea treatment that we didn't have enough left to go grocery shopping. I flea bathe them and just one hour later they're infested again. Being that we're spending so much money, this is heart-breaking for us. The shampoos we've used (I've tried about 6 different brands) are for fleas, flea larve AND flea eggs. Just last week I was nursing Quinn when a flea jumped into her hair, luckly I was able to get the nasty thing out before it bit my baby, but I've also picked a flea out of her crib that I know bit her because she has a flea bite on her ankle. I know this sounds terrible, but I have considered re-homing the cats to cut down on the expense of inefective flea control.

Does anyone have any other ideas to get rid of fleas, becides burning down my house and moving to Antartica? I'm seriously so tired of the fleas. I NEVER EVER had a problem with fleas when I lived in Michigan. I think because the ground freezes it kills them off. I have never heard of Frontline and Bio Spot being completely ineffective. I never, ever see a dead flea on them until I bathe them in flea shampoo.

We are getting the yard sprayed again this Thursday, this will be the 7th time this season alone, and I'm going to buy another gallon of flea shampoo...but flea fogging the house is so hard since I have the baby and I have to cover everything of hers as to avoid exposing her to the chemicals, and spending several hours outside the house to let the fog clear.

And let me tell you, bathing cats is no picnic, and I limit their baths to once a week. Mindy screams like I'm skinning her alive and Minion is OK but as soon as I take a hand off him he immediately tries to jump out of the sink. It's just a miserable problem and I try SOOOO hard to fix it with zero results :(

We just bought this product called Capstar, which is supposed to wipe out fleas for 24 hours...but nothing else has worked, I doubt this stuff will work, but we're trying it anyway because we're desperate. We ordered it so we're still waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

In all the years of owning cats and dogs, I think I can count on one hand the amount of fleas I've ever seen on my animals, and it's usually from a run at the dog park, and it has resolved immediately with just one dose of topical flea treatment. I never even had to use flea treatment on a regular basis when I lived in Michigan. I swear the fleas here in TX are resistant to pesticides......HELP!!!!!

Try
http://www.fleabuster.com/
also
and I have also used
the laundry detergent BORAX
just google borax for fleas

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shais_mom

Try
http://www.fleabuster.com/
also
and I have also used
the laundry detergent BORAX
just google borax for fleas

---

Hmmm, I wonder if I could use Borax on my furniture? It says it's for carpet, but we don't have carpet. That might be cheaper then the Bio Spot foggers and furniture sprays I've been using...and it sounds like it's safer, too. I just can't stand using such harsh pesticides in my house, especially with a baby :(

Thanks, Staci (or Stacy...I forgot how you spelled your name :( )

If anyone else has any more ideas that are affordable please chime in :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

Hmmm, I wonder if I could use Borax on my furniture? It says it's for carpet, but we don't have carpet. That might be cheaper then the Bio Spot foggers and furniture sprays I've been using...and it sounds like it's safer, too. I just can't stand using such harsh pesticides in my house, especially with a baby :(

Thanks, Staci (or Stacy...I forgot how you spelled your name :( )

If anyone else has any more ideas that are affordable please chime in :)

---

yea - you might have to block off room by room so the animals and Quinn aren't in there. I would think you'd be able to use it similiarly like the carpet - just on the furniture.
:)
Good luck,
Staci ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shais_mom

:)
Good luck,
Staci ;)

---

Thanks Staci :) Whoo hoo, I thought that's how it was spelled :) I'll go out and buy a box of Borax laundry soap. I'm sure that'll be good to wash my bathroom and bedroom rugs in, too. That might help hopefully, and it's not outragously expensive :)

OK, one of the problems i seen is that you said that you have the pets on flea insecticides such as Frontline AND you are bathing them?! The Frontline can NOT work if you are bathing them too!!! And are you making sure that you are getting Frontline Plus? I heard that regular Frontline doesn't work worth diddly. (I never even knew there was Frontline and Frontline Plus until we got into a conversation about it at the dog park.)

Second, did you try using a cut up flea collar IN your vacuum and vacuum ALL the rooms twice a day? (Once in the morning and once at night.)

At night use a nightlight near the floor and have a large wide pan with about an inch of soapy water. (Somehow keep the pets away from this.)

As for Boone an injection of cortisone will help more than the steroids and antibiotics will. (and remember... one flea bite stays in their system for about a month.)

And rather than spraying the yard I'd suggest using diatomaceous earth. If you have a front lawn and a back lawn only do one at a time and let the dogs only on the part that you didn't do for about a week. Spray down with water the part you did after a week and then do the other part.

And if you ask me flea shampoos are a waste of money.

Feeding my dog a bit of garlic powder every day seemed to help. I wonder if rubbing garlic powder into your pets' fur would help?

I also found this link with useful advice. I've heard before that Neem oil works great. http://www.natural-pet-care.com/natu...dies-for-dogs/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

This probably should be in Dog Health, but I never go there, so I'm posting it here for more viewing.

I have a problem and I'm at my wits end! I just can NOT get rid of these blasted fleas. We've had the yard professionally sprayed 6 times this season so far, plus we've treated it ourselves with 7 dust and other insecticides for fleas....we've flea fogged the house, even though we have hardwood floors. The pets, all 4 of them, have been on flea preventative (we've tried Frontline, Bio Spot, Sergents) AND I flea bathe them at least twice a week. I can't get rid of these blasted fleas and Boone has a flea allergy, so his coat is in horrid condition. He's actually lost the majority of his coat and he even has near-bald spots on his back above his tail. He's been to the vet for antibiotics and steroids once already this season and we have a feeling it's just not ever going to end. He has another hot spot forming. I'm keeping him on Benadryl now to help with the allergy and it's helping a bit.

Since I quit working to be home with my baby, our money is so tight. We have truly tried everything to rid the animals of fleas and nothing, and I mean nothing is working. We are spending money that is set aside for food on flea treatment/prevention stuff. We had to go a week with eating nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because we spent so much money on flea treatment that we didn't have enough left to go grocery shopping. I flea bathe them and just one hour later they're infested again. Being that we're spending so much money, this is heart-breaking for us. The shampoos we've used (I've tried about 6 different brands) are for fleas, flea larve AND flea eggs. Just last week I was nursing Quinn when a flea jumped into her hair, luckly I was able to get the nasty thing out before it bit my baby, but I've also picked a flea out of her crib that I know bit her because she has a flea bite on her ankle. I know this sounds terrible, but I have considered re-homing the cats to cut down on the expense of inefective flea control.

Does anyone have any other ideas to get rid of fleas, becides burning down my house and moving to Antartica? I'm seriously so tired of the fleas. I NEVER EVER had a problem with fleas when I lived in Michigan. I think because the ground freezes it kills them off. I have never heard of Frontline and Bio Spot being completely ineffective. I never, ever see a dead flea on them until I bathe them in flea shampoo.

We are getting the yard sprayed again this Thursday, this will be the 7th time this season alone, and I'm going to buy another gallon of flea shampoo...but flea fogging the house is so hard since I have the baby and I have to cover everything of hers as to avoid exposing her to the chemicals, and spending several hours outside the house to let the fog clear.

And let me tell you, bathing cats is no picnic, and I limit their baths to once a week. Mindy screams like I'm skinning her alive and Minion is OK but as soon as I take a hand off him he immediately tries to jump out of the sink. It's just a miserable problem and I try SOOOO hard to fix it with zero results :(

We just bought this product called Capstar, which is supposed to wipe out fleas for 24 hours...but nothing else has worked, I doubt this stuff will work, but we're trying it anyway because we're desperate. We ordered it so we're still waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

In all the years of owning cats and dogs, I think I can count on one hand the amount of fleas I've ever seen on my animals, and it's usually from a run at the dog park, and it has resolved immediately with just one dose of topical flea treatment. I never even had to use flea treatment on a regular basis when I lived in Michigan. I swear the fleas here in TX are resistant to pesticides......HELP!!!!!

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We don't have a flea problem in Utah. I will officially never live in Texas. :eek: All I can say is good luck, I don't know much about dealing with fleas.

Try Zodiac products.

I use their flea shampoo on occasion as well as Frontline PLUS (regular Frontline does not work for us.) I only bathe them with Zodiac on occasion. Between those baths they get baths with Tropiclean Neem.

Honestly, the only way we are able to keep fleas at bay are bathes weekly - every 2 weeks, vacuuming daily, spraying the yard often, and making sure to put monthly Frontline PLUS on them.

Try getting hold of a few of these and dot them around the place - particularly little one's bedroom


http://www.lamp-post.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CH20139

found a couple on good old ebay too

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...rap&category0=

Oh how terrible this problem must be for you, especially since you have a baby:(

Last year (the first time in 14 years) we ended up getting fleas and like you we tried everything. I finally got the Frontline Plus and that worked but it still took at least a couple weeks.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works asap!

A couple of years ago my daughter had the same problem. She found the fleas in her daughters bed. They both had bites.

She had her house professionally treated a couple of time, but it didn't help. Finally, she put Revolution on her cat and dogs. It took some time, but the fleas finally disappeared.

Borax is inexpensive. So is Diatomaceous Earth. Both work pretty well.

I live in Texas and have no fleas. I don't fog the house. I don't bathe the dogs in flea shampoo, in fact Oz and Gull only get bathed about once every 6 mos and Murph every 3 mos. No flea collars or flea spray/powder on them. I'm a bit paranoid about chemicals in the backyard with the dogs, so in the 7 yrs I've been here at this house, I think I've only poisoned the yard 3 times, just to keep the ants at bay.

3/4th of the house is either ceramic tile or hardwood floor, which I think helps, but I really think the biggest factor is that they take Sentinel for Heartworm, which also has a flea preventive and the fleas never get a chance to get going. The vet keeps askin' me if I want Frontline or Capstar, but so far *knock wood*, I've not needed anything extra.

Par...

I have worked as a vet assistant for over 6 years, so I have narrowed my flea tirade down to my standard 'flea speech'.


Start of 'flea speech'

By the time a person notices fleas jumping on them in their houses or biting the family you already have a very, very bad flea problem. To prevent that keep a careful eye on your pet looking for fleas. Fleas can either be identified by actually seeing the adult flea, or by seeing little black specks the size of a pin head close to the skin (those are flea droppings, yuck). A cheap flea comb from any pet store will help with this especially if your pet has dark or long hair. On cats fleas are more typically found around the head/neck area. On dogs they are usually found along the spine near the tail, or on the belly.

A single female flea lays about 2,000 eggs in her lifetime! Out of the flea population ONLY 5% is visable as adult fleas. So for every five fleas you see, there are 95% more microscopic immature flea larva/eggs that you can't see. Immature fleas can live inside carpets, pet bedding, etc for up to 2 YEARS before hatching. Fleas can even manage to reproduce in homes with only hardwood flooring in cracks and crevices.

Frontline PLUS is a liquid you put on the back of your cats neck on the skin. It soaks in and attatches to the oils in your cat and circulates over the whole body. Within 24 hours it goes to work. It is important not to bathe your pet for 2 days before and 2 days after using Frontline PLUS, as bathing washes the oil out of their skin and make it hard for the product to circulate properly. However after that 2 day period if you want to bathe your pet, go ahead, it's in your pets skin and is waterproof.

Frontline PLUS works at fleas 2 ways...

1. Fleas are killed upon contact with a pet with Frontline PLUS. Fleas do NOT have to bite the pet for it to kill the flea. It kills the flea before it's had a blood meal (which is required for reproduction).

2. It also contains a 'growth regulator' that as your pet sheds hair/dandruf, it carries the PLUS part of the ingredients down into your carpets, pet bedding etc. This messes up the life cycle of the larva so they never hatch into adult fleas. This part of the process takes patience, however it is the most important part.

Regular and long term use (1-2 years without missing a month), will eliminate the need for messy/expensive flea bombs, sprays, powders, dips, collars etc. It is important not to stop using Fronline PLUS once the flea problem seems to be slowing down or gone, those flea larva may still be lurking in your house for up to a year yet!

Frontline PLUS is somewhat expensive, until you realize how much money has been spent on all the other things that don't work, not to mention the dangerous chemicals, it is def. more cost saving to use Frontline PLUS. The main ingredient of Frontline PLUS (fipronil) has been used in fruit orchards in the US since the 1980's and ONLY affects the system of an insect, not mammals, so it's a safe product.

Many OTC flea products contain more risky ingredients like pyretherins/phenothrins which are not only unsafe, (EPA about Hartz flea and tick drops) but also don't work well. Most OTC flea products only kill the existing adult fleas on your pet at that moment. So you can bathe away in a chemical laden bath and the moment you set your pet back on the floor...whamo, you've got fleas again. Also since the pyretherins have been used for so many years many fleas have become immune to the effects of them resulting in poor perfomance of the product.

End of standard 'flea speech'. LOL

As my standard disclaimer goes.....
I do not work for Merial (maker of Frontline) I do not recieve any compensation for recommending this product, and I only personally recommend products I trust to be safe and are effective.

Another alternative that I have tried Leslie, is take lemons and cut them up
put them in a glass jar and pour boiling water over them - let that sit over nite and then pour the juice into a spray bottle and spray over the dogs coat. Not sure if this works on cats. I also take a bit of lemon mix a solution of DAWN dish detergent and give the kritters a bath. I use maybe a tsp of lemon for the cats - just a small amt - and a Larger amount on Keegan.
and also if you are using a flea comb
dip it into a hot soapy dish (dawn detergent again) it kills them

I have heard, that Ivory soap kills fleas? Correct me if I am wrong, anyone! :o

I'm really no help here, but I must say we some new pics of those pups!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catlady711

I have worked as a vet assistant for over 6 years, so I have narrowed my flea tirade down to my standard 'flea speech'.


Start of 'flea speech'

By the time a person notices fleas jumping on them in their houses or biting the family you already have a very, very bad flea problem. To prevent that keep a careful eye on your pet looking for fleas. Fleas can either be identified by actually seeing the adult flea, or by seeing little black specks the size of a pin head close to the skin (those are flea droppings, yuck). A cheap flea comb from any pet store will help with this especially if your pet has dark or long hair. On cats fleas are more typically found around the head/neck area. On dogs they are usually found along the spine near the tail, or on the belly.

A single female flea lays about 2,000 eggs in her lifetime! Out of the flea population ONLY 5% is visable as adult fleas. So for every five fleas you see, there are 95% more microscopic immature flea larva/eggs that you can't see. Immature fleas can live inside carpets, pet bedding, etc for up to 2 YEARS before hatching. Fleas can even manage to reproduce in homes with only hardwood flooring in cracks and crevices.

Frontline PLUS is a liquid you put on the back of your cats neck on the skin. It soaks in and attatches to the oils in your cat and circulates over the whole body. Within 24 hours it goes to work. It is important not to bathe your pet for 2 days before and 2 days after using Frontline PLUS, as bathing washes the oil out of their skin and make it hard for the product to circulate properly. However after that 2 day period if you want to bathe your pet, go ahead, it's in your pets skin and is waterproof.

Frontline PLUS works at fleas 2 ways...

1. Fleas are killed upon contact with a pet with Frontline PLUS. Fleas do NOT have to bite the pet for it to kill the flea. It kills the flea before it's had a blood meal (which is required for reproduction).

2. It also contains a 'growth regulator' that as your pet sheds hair/dandruf, it carries the PLUS part of the ingredients down into your carpets, pet bedding etc. This messes up the life cycle of the larva so they never hatch into adult fleas. This part of the process takes patience, however it is the most important part.

Regular and long term use (1-2 years without missing a month), will eliminate the need for messy/expensive flea bombs, sprays, powders, dips, collars etc. It is important not to stop using Fronline PLUS once the flea problem seems to be slowing down or gone, those flea larva may still be lurking in your house for up to a year yet!

Frontline PLUS is somewhat expensive, until you realize how much money has been spent on all the other things that don't work, not to mention the dangerous chemicals, it is def. more cost saving to use Frontline PLUS. The main ingredient of Frontline PLUS (fipronil) has been used in fruit orchards in the US since the 1980's and ONLY affects the system of an insect, not mammals, so it's a safe product.

Many OTC flea products contain more risky ingredients like pyretherins/phenothrins which are not only unsafe, (EPA about Hartz flea and tick drops) but also don't work well. Most OTC flea products only kill the existing adult fleas on your pet at that moment. So you can bathe away in a chemical laden bath and the moment you set your pet back on the floor...whamo, you've got fleas again. Also since the pyretherins have been used for so many years many fleas have become immune to the effects of them resulting in poor perfomance of the product.

End of standard 'flea speech'. LOL

As my standard disclaimer goes.....
I do not work for Merial (maker of Frontline) I do not recieve any compensation for recommending this product, and I only personally recommend products I trust to be safe and are effective.

---

Ok, yeah it was Frontline that I used, not Frontline Plus. I will have to start saving my money. I'm just going to stop buying all the crap that we've been buying because it's just a total waste of money and I hate to be around all the chemicals.

This is great advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm going to first treat the dogs, especially Boone, who is just so miserable. He USED to be such a gorgeous GSD, and now I'm embarresed to walk him because I feel like a terrible owner since he has so much hair loss and bald spots and hot spots :(

I thank you all for such good advice. I never thought I'd ever have this kind of problem :( You are all wonderful!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

Ok, yeah it was Frontline that I used, not Frontline Plus. I will have to start saving my money. I'm just going to stop buying all the crap that we've been buying because it's just a total waste of money and I hate to be around all the chemicals.

This is great advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm going to first treat the dogs, especially Boone, who is just so miserable. He USED to be such a gorgeous GSD, and now I'm embarresed to walk him because I feel like a terrible owner since he has so much hair loss and bald spots and hot spots :(

I thank you all for such good advice. I never thought I'd ever have this kind of problem :( You are all wonderful!!!!!

---

Yes there is a plain Fronline product, it was the first of the line produced and only killed the adult fleas (remember that's only 5% of your flea problem). The Fronline PLUS has the additional ingredient.

If at all possible treat all animals in the house at the same time, othewise you'll just get fleas feeding on the untreated animals and laying those 2,000 eggs making fighting the problem take so much longer.

Flea problems aren't just for people that don't care about their pets, they also happen to caring pet owners. It sometimes depends on the area you live in, how good your pet tastes to fleas (sometimes they prefer one pet over another), and weather conditions. Where I live some years we see very few flea infestations, and other years people who have never had a problem suddenly find themselves infested.

Good luck and hope your critters get relief very soon. It's no fun to be itchy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

I'm going to first treat the dogs, especially Boone, who is just so miserable.

---

http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/confused.gif

Hmmmm ... you might want to re-think that thought ...

Once the Fleas figure out who's packin the Flea-Zap, and who's NOT ...
the Fleas might just carry off a Kat and have a banquet! http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/eek.gif

Paint ALL the critters, and they'll sort of mutually protect one another.

Wonder if it's safe to use on Quinn?? http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/eek.gif http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/tongue.gif

By this post something in my head clicked. Wouldn't it then be better to forgo vacuuming a little longer than usual? Like maybe a week or so. Or three weeks if you can tolerate that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catlady711

I have worked as a vet assistant for over 6 years, so I have narrowed my flea tirade down to my standard 'flea speech'.

Start of 'flea speech'

By the time a person notices fleas jumping on them in their houses or biting the family you already have a very, very bad flea problem. To prevent that keep a careful eye on your pet looking for fleas. Fleas can either be identified by actually seeing the adult flea, or by seeing little black specks the size of a pin head close to the skin (those are flea droppings, yuck). A cheap flea comb from any pet store will help with this especially if your pet has dark or long hair. On cats fleas are more typically found around the head/neck area. On dogs they are usually found along the spine near the tail, or on the belly.

A single female flea lays about 2,000 eggs in her lifetime! Out of the flea population ONLY 5% is visable as adult fleas. So for every five fleas you see, there are 95% more microscopic immature flea larva/eggs that you can't see. Immature fleas can live inside carpets, pet bedding, etc for up to 2 YEARS before hatching. Fleas can even manage to reproduce in homes with only hardwood flooring in cracks and crevices.

Frontline PLUS is a liquid you put on the back of your cats neck on the skin. It soaks in and attatches to the oils in your cat and circulates over the whole body. Within 24 hours it goes to work. It is important not to bathe your pet for 2 days before and 2 days after using Frontline PLUS, as bathing washes the oil out of their skin and make it hard for the product to circulate properly. However after that 2 day period if you want to bathe your pet, go ahead, it's in your pets skin and is waterproof.

Frontline PLUS works at fleas 2 ways...

1. Fleas are killed upon contact with a pet with Frontline PLUS. Fleas do NOT have to bite the pet for it to kill the flea. It kills the flea before it's had a blood meal (which is required for reproduction).

2. It also contains a 'growth regulator' that as your pet sheds hair/dandruf, it carries the PLUS part of the ingredients down into your carpets, pet bedding etc. This messes up the life cycle of the larva so they never hatch into adult fleas. This part of the process takes patience, however it is the most important part.

Regular and long term use (1-2 years without missing a month), will eliminate the need for messy/expensive flea bombs, sprays, powders, dips, collars etc. It is important not to stop using Fronline PLUS once the flea problem seems to be slowing down or gone, those flea larva may still be lurking in your house for up to a year yet!

Frontline PLUS is somewhat expensive, until you realize how much money has been spent on all the other things that don't work, not to mention the dangerous chemicals, it is def. more cost saving to use Frontline PLUS. The main ingredient of Frontline PLUS (fipronil) has been used in fruit orchards in the US since the 1980's and ONLY affects the system of an insect, not mammals, so it's a safe product.

Many OTC flea products contain more risky ingredients like pyretherins/phenothrins which are not only unsafe, (EPA about Hartz flea and tick drops) but also don't work well. Most OTC flea products only kill the existing adult fleas on your pet at that moment. So you can bathe away in a chemical laden bath and the moment you set your pet back on the floor...whamo, you've got fleas again. Also since the pyretherins have been used for so many years many fleas have become immune to the effects of them resulting in poor perfomance of the product.

End of standard 'flea speech'. LOL

As my standard disclaimer goes.....
I do not work for Merial (maker of Frontline) I do not recieve any compensation for recommending this product, and I only personally recommend products I trust to be safe and are effective.

---

Yeah, when we first rescued King almost his whole back half was bald except for his legs and end of his tail. Not only was it bald, but it was pretty much one big oozing scab. He too had a severe flea allergy. I'm against chemicals, but going natural just wasn't worth the risk for this poor baby. We had had him for about three years. It was getting into the late spring (here in MI) and we hadn't got around to putting the Frontline P on him yet. He started having episodes of itching like crazy and going bald again. One flea bite is all it takes.

Those scabs can't heal if the itching continues. That's why the vet gave him a cortisone shot. So that he could have immediate relief for a few days. It was plenty of time to get the itching to go away. (We had to give him two the first time i got him.)

I highly recommend trying it over steroids for now. Steroids are great for food or seasonal allergies.

It did take a few months for the scab to entirely heal. If Boone scabs up please do your best NOT to pick at it. It will scab over a few times. And yes, the hair should grow back in fully with quality feed. (I recommend raw eggs and fish oil too if you can spare it.)

(If you haven't noticed <---- King was a GSD too. That's why i thought his case might be relevant for you.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

Ok, yeah it was Frontline that I used, not Frontline Plus. I will have to start saving my money. I'm just going to stop buying all the crap that we've been buying because it's just a total waste of money and I hate to be around all the chemicals.

This is great advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm going to first treat the dogs, especially Boone, who is just so miserable. He USED to be such a gorgeous GSD, and now I'm embarresed to walk him because I feel like a terrible owner since he has so much hair loss and bald spots and hot spots

I thank you all for such good advice. I never thought I'd ever have this kind of problem You are all wonderful!!!!!

---

Ok, i am seeing a problem. What you need to do is take all of your carpeted or furry stuff out of your house, wash it. Before you bring it back in, get down on your knees and check the area where the wall and the floor meet for ANY cracks
which could allow a flee into or out of the wall. If you find one, get some flea chemical and spray the entrance of the crack with it. Then spray under anything that has a solid bottom (like the entertainment centers on the market). Then bomb the place then bring your stuff back in. If you still find fleas then i dont know what to do. Also, do you have a attic or basement?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reggie

Ok, i am seeing a problem. What you need to do is take all of your carpeted or furry stuff out of your house, wash it. Before you bring it back in, get down on your knees and check the area where the wall and the floor meet for ANY cracks
which could allow a flee into or out of the wall. If you find one, get some flea chemical and spray the entrance of the crack with it. Then spray under anything that has a solid bottom (like the entertainment centers on the market). Then bomb the place then bring your stuff back in. If you still find fleas then i dont know what to do. Also, do you have a attic or basement?

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she's already said she doesn't have carpet.

Well, where the hardwood floor and the wall meet. And i ment things like rugs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reggie

Well, where the hardwood floor and the wall meet. And i ment things like rugs.

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Yeah, I've even fogged the entire house, even though we don't have carpet. I also wash the bathroom rugs and the rug we have in the bedroom.

So.........
step 1: save some money
step 2: buy frontline PLUS for the doggers and kittens
step 3: take Boone for a cortazone shot, poor baby
step 4: pray, pray, pray and pray

PT is the best! I really, really hope the Frontline Plus works. It'll be awhile before I can afford it as it's very expensive and we have 4 pets, two of which are big ol' doggers. It hurt us to have me quit work, but being home with Quinn is worth all the sacrifices, even if we have to live with fleas for a little longer.

You guys are the best. Thanks so much :)

Would you mind if the rest of us skip right to step 4 for you? ;) :D

Money saving tips for Frontline Plus. (Mind you some people will advise against these.) 1). If you have a dog that is near the border of the weight categories choose the lower weight package. Our vet said that there is no harm in doing so. (Now putting a Chihuahua's script on a Grate Dane is another matter.)(Also you'd never want to overdose.) 2.) Also, if you have a large dog and a small dog and you've seen how much you have to give each out of the standard package, and the large dog is on the border of the two weight categories buy the larger weight package. Apply most of the application to the large dog and save the appropriate amount for the smaller dog. This is ONLY if you are ABSOLUTELY certain of the proper dosing. 3.) I don't know how well this would work in your situation, but under NORMAL circumstances you actually only have to apply Frontline Plus every three months. NOT every month. (I think though due to your situation you have to apply it every month... something to do with the breeding cycle of the fleas and how long certain ingredients last for.) After you get the situation under control though it is something to consider. Maybe you could extend it by a week rather than applying it on the month on the dot, or at a month and a half. It's not like this stuff magically leaves their system.

I'm still curious on what would happen if you sprinkled garlic powder in one of the rooms (that the kitties aren't allowed in.) *slightly amused feeling.* *wonders where she can get a bag of fleas and a labratory at* (Well i at least have the answer to one of those questions. :-/ )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

So.........
step 1: save some money
step 2: buy frontline PLUS for the doggers and kittens
step 3: take Boone for a cortazone shot, poor baby
step 4: pray, pray, pray and pray

PT is the best! I really, really hope the Frontline Plus works. It'll be awhile before I can afford it as it's very expensive and we have 4 pets, two of which are big ol' doggers. It hurt us to have me quit work, but being home with Quinn is worth all the sacrifices, even if we have to live with fleas for a little longer.

You guys are the best. Thanks so much

---

All those suggestions are good. One more thing you can do that may help, and doesn't cost a thing except time:

Take some time to examine your floors VERY closely and VERY carefully, and you will learn to identify the flea egg cocoons that are doubtless there. Once you do, take the time to scrape them loose (thereby killing them) and vacuum them up, and you should dramatically slow down the hatching of new fleas. This will help you get in control of the situation much faster.

We also have hardwood floors, but one year we still had an infestation of fleas that just would not quit! I finally discovered that in the grooves between the boards, the flea cocoons were lined up just waiting to hatch. They are white and look like small grains of rice. They attach themselves to the wood and a vacuum will not pull them loose. It is necessary to take a sharp tool to smash them and drag them out. A table knife will work, or a letter opener is good, too.

You will doubtless find, as I did, that the with activity in the house, the eggs that fall off your dog get brushed to the side where they spin their cocoons and attach to the floor. Typical places to look are under the sofa, under tables, and around the perimeter of the room -- especially up close to the baseboards.

I have a home organ with full pedal board, and once when I pulled the pedals away, I was shocked to see flea cocoons lined up between all the hardwood boards in the floor. Then I knew why all my vacuuming and dog washing had been for naught! Since learning where to look for the flea cocoons and destroy them, I've had no more infestations.

Hope this helps!

Dottie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crow_noir

Would you mind if the rest of us skip right to step 4 for you? ;) :D

Money saving tips for Frontline Plus. (Mind you some people will advise against these.) 1). If you have a dog that is near the border of the weight categories choose the lower weight package. Our vet said that there is no harm in doing so. (Now putting a Chihuahua's script on a Grate Dane is another matter.)(Also you'd never want to overdose.) 2.) Also, if you have a large dog and a small dog and you've seen how much you have to give each out of the standard package, and the large dog is on the border of the two weight categories buy the larger weight package.

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Yes, please...skip to step 4 for me :D

I wish I had small dogs, it would sure save me $$. Both my puppers are 80 pounds, so I think that may be the very most expensive box :( I also have 2 kitties, so this should cost darn near a house payment to get them all the treatments they need to clear out this problem. *ouch*

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dot

All those suggestions are good. One more thing you can do that may help, and doesn't cost a thing except time:

Take some time to examine your floors VERY closely and VERY carefully, and you will learn to identify the flea egg cocoons that are doubtless there. Once you do, take the time to scrape them loose (thereby killing them) and vacuum them up, and you should dramatically slow down the hatching of new fleas. This will help you get in control of the situation much faster.

We also have hardwood floors, but one year we still had an infestation of fleas that just would not quit! I finally discovered that in the grooves between the boards, the flea cocoons were lined up just waiting to hatch. They are white and look like small grains of rice. They attach themselves to the wood and a vacuum will not pull them loose. It is necessary to take a sharp tool to smash them and drag them out. A table knife will work, or a letter opener is good, too.

You will doubtless find, as I did, that the with activity in the house, the eggs that fall off your dog get brushed to the side where they spin their cocoons and attach to the floor. Typical places to look are under the sofa, under tables, and around the perimeter of the room -- especially up close to the baseboards.

I have a home organ with full pedal board, and once when I pulled the pedals away, I was shocked to see flea cocoons lined up between all the hardwood boards in the floor. Then I knew why all my vacuuming and dog washing had been for naught! Since learning where to look for the flea cocoons and destroy them, I've had no more infestations.

Hope this helps!

Dottie

---

The floors were done very recentlly and our friend did the floors. He put an extra coat of sealant (or whatever it's called) and there are no cracks in the floor. He filled in all the cracks there were with this wood filler stuff, so they're all smooth, and since they were done so recentlly, the cracks have not formed again. It probablly wouldn't hurt to fog the house again though, once I get the Frontline Plus. I bet there may be some eggs/cocoons on/in the furniture and under it and such. Blasted, nasty bugs from hell!

Thanks again for the help, everyone. One thing I'm going to do is put a cut up flea collar in the vaccum for when I vaccum the hardwood and furniture. That'll probablly help. I didn't think of that, so thanks so much for that idea, it was good! I am also starting to save a little bit from every paycheck to eventually buy the Frontline Plus I need for all 4 critters....man do I ever need to win the lotto!

I suppose your dogs haven't learned the shrink commend yet? No. Darn. (Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood.)

I sure wish i had magic shrinking dust for when it's bath time for the dogs!

That's a wonderful suggestion and doesn't cost a dime! I sure hope someone out there reading this thread can get some use out of your suggestion!

Ahhh...the endless battle with fleas...we are currently fighting it at the moment too. (And Nathan has flea bites on his legs as well) We vacuum daily (Nathan's room gets 2 daily) Still...to no avail. And we tried everything you are trying too..I will have to try some of the suggestions on here.

You should try JDS shampoo its a flea killer and it kills all the fleas on the animal instantly. you leave them to soak for 5 mins then watch the little fleas be washed away!

I do this with my dogs and I use frontline

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Muddy4paws

You should try JDS shampoo its a flea killer and it kills all the fleas on the animal instantly. you leave them to soak for 5 mins then watch the little fleas be washed away!

I do this with my dogs and I use frontline

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I have used many different types of flea shampoos. They all have killed the fleas instantly. They then become re infested within an hour or two. The shampoos I have bought and used were not only supposed to kill fleas, but their eggs and larvae as well. They all advertise being effective on the animal for up to 14 days. They're not even effective on the animals 3 hours :(

I wanted to thank each and every one of you for the advice. I am at a loss as to how I'm going to fix this flea problem but I'm really trying and hopefully there will be a light at the end of the flea-infested tunnel.

(((((hugs to you all))))))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crow_noir

Yeah, when we first rescued King almost his whole back half was bald except for his legs and end of his tail. Not only was it bald, but it was pretty much one big oozing scab. He too had a severe flea allergy.

Those scabs can't heal if the itching continues. That's why the vet gave him a cortisone shot. So that he could have immediate relief for a few days. It was plenty of time to get the itching to go away.

It did take a few months for the scab to entirely heal. If Boone scabs up please do your best NOT to pick at it. It will scab over a few times. And yes, the hair should grow back in fully with quality feed. (I recommend raw eggs and fish oil too if you can spare it.)

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Oh trust me, not picking at his scabs won't be a problem, being as I can't even touch Boone without being repulsed at his smell. You know that smell that a dog with a flea allergy and hot spots has? Super-duper musky and smells rather like he's not been bathed after rolling in some oiley, rotton substance. I feel bad but I can't even touch him without running to the sink and scrubbing my hands. I try to touch him as little as possible, but he gets talked to quite a bit. I feel bad, he's such a sweet dog, but I'm quite repulsed at his odor :( I feel like such a bad furmom :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

I have used many different types of flea shampoos. They all have killed the fleas instantly. They then become re infested within an hour or two. The shampoos I have bought and used were not only supposed to kill fleas, but their eggs and larvae as well. They all advertise being effective on the animal for up to 14 days. They're not even effective on the animals 3 hours :(

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Hence the reason I have this part included in my 'standard flea speech' I use at work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catlady711

Most OTC flea products only kill the existing adult fleas on your pet at that moment. So you can bathe away in a chemical laden bath and the moment you set your pet back on the floor...whamo, you've got fleas again. Also since the pyretherins have been used for so many years many fleas have become immune to the effects of them resulting in poor perfomance of the product.

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Oh god! Thanks for reminding me. <---sarcasm.

I think i nearly puked and my eyes were watering (both from the nausea and the sad memory.)

It IS an awful smell. Yes, i know that smell. Apparently it is ingrained into my brain. (Thankfully King's smell from back there didn't cling horribly... maybe that's because there was next to no oil back there.)

Poor babies.

*gives virtual scritchies to Boone. (away from the bum)*

Oh yes... and that HUGE raw area made bath time oh so much fun for King. :eek: :rolleyes: :( It was so hard to gently wash him around the scabbing and toweling him was even more of an adventure.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

Oh trust me, not picking at his scabs won't be a problem, being as I can't even touch Boone without being repulsed at his smell. You know that smell that a dog with a flea allergy and hot spots has? Super-duper musky and smells rather like he's not been bathed after rolling in some oiley, rotton substance. I feel bad but I can't even touch him without running to the sink and scrubbing my hands. I try to touch him as little as possible, but he gets talked to quite a bit. I feel bad, he's such a sweet dog, but I'm quite repulsed at his odor I feel like such a bad furmom

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Leslie, have you tried this stuff?

http://www.sergeantsnatural.com/science.html


I picked it up at Krogers for about $8. I needed something to spray in
my garage and some areas inside the house. It works GREAT.The smell
is unusual but not unpleasant. I use the Advantage flea drops for the dogs
and cats, but I apparently was carring the critters into the house on my
clothes. :rolleyes: The Vet told me this flea season has been the worse
in a long time around here. i really hope you find something soon. I've been
in your situation once long ago & it was the pits. :(