We've got fleas!

[allison]

Both of my dogs have fleas. I'm hoping we caught it early. We gave them a bath with flea shampoo and put some flea stuff on them. We gave Sophie (Shih Tzu mix) a hair cut. Anything else we should do? I really don't want to do flea bombing because of the birds, is their anything else I can use for the carpets and furniture?

 

[atvchick95]

I don't know about the carpet and furniture

but my b/f bought The Top of the line flea shampoo and spray (used between baths) for sheba at a dog show It's not cheap

but WORKS GREAT

he paid like $12.45 for both bottles

Best Shot Flea and Tick Combo Pack | Best Shot Grooming

 

[allison]

Can you get it at pet stores?

 

[atvchick95]

I'm not sure, I was looking for the actual website for it, I went to it when he brought it home. but now i can't find it

He was at a dog show at our fair grounds with his dad last month I think it was (they were selling crates and dog beds) and he was walking around and looking at the vendors, Came across the table that was selling this stuff
told the guy" I don't care what it costs give me the Best stuff you have for fleas"

So he did there are many different colored bottles on their website, I think they all do something different

but thats the one I have the shampoo and the spray

i'll try to find the Site again

 

[Billie Faye]

OH I so feel for you!
Somer, Borzoi, has NEVER has fleas but we started about 3 weeks ago..I was bathing her with flea shampoo every 3rd day! It wasn't working....finally was able to buy Frontline Plus for her and BOY! what a difference...I called my dog vet in NH to ask what to do/give her and that is what he suggested...she is about 90% less in 8 days....I still brush her and find at least 1 live flea each day and I know it will take time...but the soap/powder just didn't work...

 

[ortegah]

Frontline is the best stuff out there in my opinion. And please do NOT use Hartz spot on flea meds as many people have reported their dogs have gotten sick and some have died after using it.

 

[ortegah]

Here's a site about it. http://www.hartzvictims.org/

 

[Aleu]

Both of my dogs have fleas. I'm hoping we caught it early. We gave them a bath with flea shampoo and put some flea stuff on them. We gave Sophie (Shih Tzu mix) a hair cut. Anything else we should do? I really don't want to do flea bombing because of the birds, is their anything else I can use for the carpets and furniture?[/QUOTE

I'm not sure what flea stuff you put on them, but for the monthly stuff, I find that frontline plus works the best. My dogs have only had fleas once, but after 3 months of Frontline, with weekly vacuuming and washing bedding, it knocked out the fleas completley.

Good call on not doing the house flea bombs. It's toxic for everyone involved.

 

[Brigidt36]

We had fleas a couple months ago and our dog is allergic to the flea bites. The fleas didn't seem to physically bother the cats, but it was driving me crazy. We tried various pet flea shampoos and Frontline. Nothing worked. Ended up getting oral Comfortis for the dog and topical Revolution for the cats. Those meds, along with vacuuming carpets/furniture and washing the dogs bedding every day worked wonders. The Comfortis is expensive, but it's worth it in the long run. The vet also told me that shampooing with a dish soap, like Dawn will help kill the fleas. You coat the dog with Dawn (the dog not being wet yet), first applying the soap in a ring around the top of the neck creating a barrier to the face and then applying to the base of the tail, the genitals, the anus, the feet and between each toe. This prevents the fleas from getting on the face or hiding in those other areas. Then you coat the rest of the fur. Leave the dish soap on for about 10 minutes, this allows the fleas to smother. Add some water and lather up working the soap thru the fur. If you can, comb soap through with a flea comb, cleaning the comb of fur and fleas after each swipe. Rinse the dog thoroughly to get rid of all the soap residue. This won't prevent fleas, but it will kill the fleas on the animal by suffocating them and the dish soap is gentler than the flea shampoos with all the chemical. Good luck. The vacuum will end up being your best friend, lol

 

[Brigidt36]

Oh, one more thing. If you use a bag type vacuum, get a flea collar and snip about 2 inches of it off and put in the vacuum bag, this will kill the fleas that are vacuumed up. Store the rest of the collar in an air tight container, putting a new piece in a new bag each time you vacuum. Take the vacuum bag and throw away in an outside trash container after vacuuming, you don't want any fleas to escape from those tiny holes.

 

[suncoast]

I was going to also say DO NOT use the Hartz crap or anything other than a vet recommended flea preventative. It can kill your pet.

Ginger

 

[Billie Faye]

We were using Dawn on Somer. Kills those fleas on her but by the next day she had more and by the 3rd day she was covered...I would go through her hair after rinsing her and still pick out the dead fleas next to her skin...she is a very big dog! It doesn't kill the eggs and you would have to do this every day....there are lots of feral cats here and the yard is where she is getting them when she goes out to potty...​

 

[Holiday]

If you need a way to get them in the environment, you can build a soap trap by placing a desk lamp over very soapy water. The fleas are drawn to the light and they fall into the soap and become trapped and die:
How to Make a Flea Trap - wikiHow

They can work well, if placed in the right area, but you have to be careful. Electricity and water is a dangerous combo. You need a stable lamp placed where it will not be knocked over (but also on the floor near the fleas).

 

[dolldid]

Im not sure if vets recomend this now but we used it 50 60 yrs ago and i fed my dog it garlik dosent look speled right forgive me it will keep your dogs and cats from getting flees i have never had that problem i grated garlik every day on something they likes just a small clove or 1/2 a clove and you will never have that problem again
good luck
oh we had great danes i had stbenards my last dog was an english oh dang it left me a small dog long hair will thin of it after i post for sure,,lol oh english peakanese wow ..lol

 

[allison]

Wow, thanks for the advice. Do you get frontline at the vet or can you get it at a regular pet store?

 

[ortegah]

Wow, thanks for the advice. Do you get frontline at the vet or can you get it at a regular pet store?

You can get it from Petco and Petsmart as well as your vet's office, but the cheapest is probably from like 1800PetMeds or something like that.

 

[Billie Faye]

You can get Frontline Plus at Wal Mart or such...You need to know your dogs weight because you buy by weight...also one package of Frontline Plus is 3 months worth of meds...it is expensive..for Somer at 99# it was $50....and you put it between their shoulder blades..it is a liquid that spreads out...Make sure you follow the directions.

 

[Aleu]

You can get it from Petco and Petsmart as well as your vet's office, but the cheapest is probably from like 1800PetMeds or something like that.

Lots of good ideas here I agree. 1800petmeds is probably your best bet, cheap-wise (and...if you find it for cheaper on another site, 1800petmeds will price-match).

I believe they even have a spot to type in your dog's weight so that the site brings up the right one for you. It says the weight range on the box anyway

I've heard revolution works well for some animals...if they have it for dogs you can also give that a try. I'm sure 1800petmeds sells that too.

 

[*K*J*B*]

1800PetMeds isn't any cheaper than my vet and you have to wait for it to be shipped. If your dogs have fleas now then they need to be treated NOW. Get them a chewable pill that will kill all adult fleas within 24 hours AND get frontline and treat them every month. You will rid of all the fleas in just a few days by doing it this way but remember for the future that it is best to PREVENT fleas and way easier than getting rid of them.

Call your vet first and get his price, then call a few others. They all sell the exact same thing, but some are quite a bit cheaper than others. Good luck!

 

[Renae]

We have only ever used Frontline Plus for out cats and dogs.. cost $65.00 from the vet.