Help!!! My Furbabies have FLEAS!!!

[tinkerrn]

My furbabies had gotten fleas about 2 months ago. Think it was when we were on our Disneymoon, they were at the kennel for 2 weeks. We had them dipped at the groomers and sprayed the house. We washed, vacumed, and sprayed every piece of fabric in our house. We went through 8 cans of spray.
We even bought flea collars. Well, they are back. I have never had a dog with fleas. I went out and bought the spray by Zodiac you actually spray on them. Then sprayed the house throughly again. After, washing everything in hot water my gas bill will be unbelieveable!!! I am not sure what else I can do.

I hate fleas. I hate fleas on my babies and in my house. I feel sooooo dirty!!!! I am a nurse and work with Adolescents, so I have de-liced many a head. UGH!!!! HELP!!! What else can I do to get rid of them??? I have already rerad the threads about HARTZ....no way. My babies are a 3 1/2 y.o.. beagle/husky mix, wt. 45 lbs. and a 10 y.o., 8 lb. poodle.

TIA!!! I am itching.....can I get them too??????

 

[foxfire]

You can definitely be bitten by the fleas and it itches like crazy. You may need to call in an exterminator to set off a "flea bomb" to get rid of them.

We have one cat that stays inside all the time and one that goes out during the day but stays in at night. Sometimes, that cat will get occasional fleas so we use Frontline and it works very well to rid our pets of any stray fleas. Just put one vial of liquid on the nape of their neck every 6 weeks.

 

[lillygator]

after you get rid of them and all the eggs try putting Avon's Skin So Soft (original scent oil) on them...this works great as a repellent on my dog as well as a mosquito repellent which we need here in Florida!

 

[Chuck S]

While pricey, our cats get flea shots from the vet... don't know if they have them for dogs. They sure work well for cats!!

When the first showed up (a stray had kittens ) they were covered in fleas, and they got into our laundry room. I sprayed it well with Bengal Full Season Flea Killer Plus...it worked.

 

[robinb]

I would recommend using Frontline Plus and not "dipping" your dogs. The Frontline will kill the live fleas and their eggs. I use it on my cats (one of which is an outdoor cat) and it works like a charm!

I bought my last batch from this company off of eBay:
http://www.petdirect.com.au/default.php?cPath=1_84_83_78

 

[chrissyk]

Whatever you do, don't use any supermarket/petstore flea killer products on your dogs. Those can be deadly! Someone on here lost a cat to one of those products a while back

Anyways, our rescue kittens had major fleas last spring. We tubbed them in the sink for 2 days in a row, and we used baby shampoo to wash them. We picked out as many fleas as we could by hand. After the 2nd bath, our vet gave us Advantage to kill the remaining fleas. We also flea bombed the house while we were away for the weekend. This regimen took care of the issue.

 

[malibuconlee]

My furbabie had them earlier this year for the first time ever.

The vet can give them a pill that will kill all the ones they currently have on them. Start a monthly flea preventative (I have always given them to mine, but changed brands and hadn't read the instructions, some you put just at the neck, some all down the spine. Plus I hadn't thought about it, but she rolled in wet grass after I gave it to her the month before.)

Keep going with the preventative even during the winter especially now because they've had them so late in the year.

Buy the spray from the vet and vacuum, spray, leave the house, and vacuum again. Spray lots around where they lay a lot. Wash all the bedding. I only used one can of spray for our house, I bought the stuff from the vet. Yes it's expensive, but it took care of the problem.

Our vet suggests putting flea collars in the vacuum cleaner. Helps kill them. Doesn't work well on the animals themselves, tho.

It's a pain. I was exhausted by the time the day was over. DH was at an all day meeting for work and I had to do it all myself. It was worth it tho.

Good luck. I know just how you feel.

Make sure you're up on your heartworm preventive as well.

One more thing to remember, if you have an indoor pet and a pet that goes both inside and outside remember to give preventative to both. Not just the one that goes outside.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Whatever you do, don't use any supermarket/petstore flea killer products on your dogs. Those can be deadly! Someone on here lost a cat to one of those products a while back .

Thank you for posting this. We almost lost our cockapoo by using Hartz flea repellent drops. They market it like it is similar to Advantage but the stuff was just nasty. Our vet told us he sees dogs and cats injured/dead from Hartz products more often than he'd like. Hartz did pay all of our vet bills but honestly I just wanted my dog to be well. We now have used Advantage for at least the last 5 years and are very happy with it. No fleas in our house! We live in the Northwest where the fleas run rampant! REMEMBER - the best thing you can do is take your pets to the vet and get their advice on flea products.

 

[tinkerrn]

Thanks so much!!! I have already sprayed them and the house/bedding. Should I go ahead and take them to the vet now? I want the fleas to die!!! These are adult fleas...the jumping kind with wings. Can I spray it in my hair?? I know that sounds crazy, but I am soooo paranoid. My scalp feels like they are walking all over it!!!YIKES!!!

 

[Iggipolka]

We use Frontline on our dogs and cats have it works wonderfully! Fleas are only the start of the problem as when the pets lick the flea eggs, they go into their stomach and instestines. They can get tapeworms from the flea larva. Prior to us using Frontline, my cat did get tapeworms from fleas and had worms crawling out of her hind end! It was amazingly disgusting.
You can get Frontline at any pet store, or your vet. Good luck!

 

[malibuconlee]

ETA: Yes, take them to the vet ASAP!!

I wouldn't worry about you getting fleas in your hair. Although fleas do bite humans as well. They seem to like the females rather than men. I had bites on my legs around the time my dog had fleas and I'm still not sure where they came from, but haven't had any more since treating the house.

When did you spray the house, and what did you use, something from the vet, or just a discount store? I would do it AFTER you get treatment from the vet to get rid of the fleas on their bodies.

I used Mycodex Plus Envirnmental Control Aerosol HOusehold Spray. It has a growth regulator. The can says it Breaks the flea life cycle and controls reinfestation for up to 210 days.

I used almost the entire can and one can did my house. But we dont' have a lot of cloth furniture. It's leather.

Good luck!!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I have always used Frontline on my dog. Works Great!

aw:

 

[PhotoLisa]

I have three yorkies -- 3.5#, 3.5# and 2#. I use Frontline Plus from my vet each month and have never had problems.

As for your babies . . . instead of using a flea shampoo, use Dawn dishwashing liquid to bath them with and that will kill the fleas on your pups (just a few drops in the water is all it is supposed to take).

It is generally suggested that you don't bathe your pups for 3 days after applying the Frontline to be sure it has had sufficient time to soak into the skin pores in order to gain its full potency to last for the month.

Good luck to you in ridding your home and pets of the fleas!

Lisa

 

[kilee]

We had the worst flea problem last spring. My poor pup was so infested when i got him, that he was itching himself to the point he was bleeding. I took him to vet numerous times over the course of a few weeks. In the end the best treatments were to bath him in an oatmeal bath (this was because his skin was so raw though). Then I used ADVANTAGE. This really worked better than any other product I used. I then went through and vaccumed the house twenty times over- then I had to immediately get rid of the vaccum bag.

Now the next part was recommended by a family member and really seemed to work. Since the eggs can live forever in your carpets and such- you still need to kill them and cleaning doesn't always get them. I was advised to get that 20 Mule Borax Laundry Soap (it's a powder in a box). Sprinkle it on every rug and let sit for at least and hour. Then to do this 2-3 times over a week. It kills the flea eggs- and it really worked. It's safer for the puppy to lay on the rug after-- since it's virtually impossible to get all the residue that sinks into the binding and such.

 

[Pugdog007]

Frontline Plus is the best thing to use. It's well worth the price.

 

[malibuconlee]

Yes, after vacuuming definitely throw away the bag and put it in the outside trash. I have a bagless, so just kept the trash bag outside that I emptied it into while vacuuming that day.

 

[ilovepcot]

I scanned quickly so I hope I'm not repeating something here. If you get BORAX and sprinkle onto rugs and carpets it KILLS fleas fast! (You can use a broom to spread it evenly.) Makes things smell fresh and it's SAFE for you and your pets. Just vacuum it up and you're done. Kills fleas in vacuum, too.

 

[tinkerrn]

Thanks everyone....I ended up going to the vet this morning. I wanted to wait and see if it worked at all. Well, I think it made them worse. I ended up getting a pill for both of them called Capstar, it works in 30 minutes. It only lasts for 36 hours. So, while that is working, I applied Frontline plus. This will work in about 24 hours. After, I gave the pill to my little one, he threw up. The other one had the fleas much worse and was able to keep it down. I called the vet and he said not to give him another one. That we will be ok. I can tell you this...I feel really sick. I am having really bad asthma and my finger tips and kinda tingly. I can only imagine how my babies are feeling from the sprays I used yestaerday. I did keep them outside most of the day while I was spraying the house. This has been a horrible experience!!! I only spend 45.00 at the vet for the x2 pills and frontline. I spent 70.00 on sprays yesterday. Wish I had posted this thread earler...saved alot of money.

 

[DVC Jen]

The only way we ever got rid of them was to bomb the house and bomb it good. Just stay out of it for a while after the bomb goes off and then open the house up (windows/doors) and let it air out really well. I know it is cold outside but it makes a huge difference when you think about breathing that stuff in.

Also.. they will be in your yard. You need to get something and spray the yard with it.

Frontline or advantix are the two best products to get rid of the fleas. Use them consistantly.

Fleas will bite you, but they don't live off you like they will your pets. You are already being bitten but unless you are allergic to the bites you probably don't notice it. My youngest DD and I are VERY allergic and get what looks like a bug bites all over our legs and ankles. My DH and older DD are not and they never look like they have been bitten.

I know how frustrating it is, but just like with lice you can get rid of them.

Good luck.