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

[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.

[shais_mom]

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

[*LabLoverKEB*]

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

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

[sumbirdy]

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.

[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

[AdoreMyDogs]

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

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))))))

[Catlady711]

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

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

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.

[AdoreMyDogs]

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!!!!!

[Catlady711]

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.

[Cinder & Smoke]

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

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!

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

Wonder if it's safe to use on Quinn??

[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. 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.)

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!!!!!

[Hellow]

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?

[shais_mom]

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?

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

[Hellow]

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

[AdoreMyDogs]

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

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.