Hi, I'm new here and I'm sure the advice I'm looking for is here somewhere already, but I'm at my wit's end and I'm hoping you all will humor me anyway.
My husband and I have had canine family members our whole lives, both apart and together. After easing our two mature dogs onto the rainbow bridge around 6 years ago, it took us a while to come around to adopting again, but this past summer a 6-month-old Boston/Yorkie mix came into our lives and we were instantly smitten and already I can't imagine a life without her. Our 8-yr-old daughter named her Jelly Bean
Anyway, to get to the point, I am struggling to find a solution for Bean's flea collection. In the past, applying one dose of Advantage to one medium-large dog was always sufficient enough to eradicate every one of the nasty little pests within days, on said dog as well as other pets. When our new pup started scratching, I ordered a new batch of meds from Amazon, but realized too late that I'd inadvertently purchased Frontline, not Advantage. I knew that Frontline was inferior to Advantage, but I didn't want to hold off treatment another day, and I hoped that since the problem was mild, Frontline would do in a pinch.
Alas, we saw no change in the amount of fleas on our pup, so I purchased some Advantage and then just tried to bathe, comb and spot treat the dog and her bedding with home remedies until I felt enough time had passed to safely apply the correct meds. I fully expected that the problem would then be resolved, but to my amazement, the bugs laid low for a day or so, then came back in force!
HereI have to add that these fleas are unlike any I've encountered before. The ones our larger dogs and our cats have brought into the house before were tiny black specks who eagerly gorged on canines, felines and humans alike. Jelly Bean's fleas are large and maroon-ish, and while they have set up camp on her body, I have seen not one on either of our two cats , and none of us humans in the house have received a single bite from them or observed one anywhere in the house except on our poor puppy.
The insert that came with the Advantage said reapplication a may be necessary, but not to exceed 4 doses in a month. In desperation, I applied a second dose on the second week, and still there has been no change. My neighbor encouraged me to try out a natural method called Flea Away that has kept her herd of chihuahuas flee-free and I have spent this third week giving Bean a tablet of this each day. Still no relief.
What gives?! I have a young daughter and small children and other pets in and out of my house all the time, and for that and other reasons I don't want to resort to fogs or sprays of poison, and it doesn't even seem likely that would help since the only place we see these little jerks is on the dog!
Are there any other options any of you can suggest? Sorry to be do verbose but I just wanted to rule out any suggestions we've already tried. Thank you so much for reading and in advance for any advice!
My husband and I have had canine family members our whole lives, both apart and together. After easing our two mature dogs onto the rainbow bridge around 6 years ago, it took us a while to come around to adopting again, but this past summer a 6-month-old Boston/Yorkie mix came into our lives and we were instantly smitten and already I can't imagine a life without her. Our 8-yr-old daughter named her Jelly Bean
Anyway, to get to the point, I am struggling to find a solution for Bean's flea collection. In the past, applying one dose of Advantage to one medium-large dog was always sufficient enough to eradicate every one of the nasty little pests within days, on said dog as well as other pets. When our new pup started scratching, I ordered a new batch of meds from Amazon, but realized too late that I'd inadvertently purchased Frontline, not Advantage. I knew that Frontline was inferior to Advantage, but I didn't want to hold off treatment another day, and I hoped that since the problem was mild, Frontline would do in a pinch.
Alas, we saw no change in the amount of fleas on our pup, so I purchased some Advantage and then just tried to bathe, comb and spot treat the dog and her bedding with home remedies until I felt enough time had passed to safely apply the correct meds. I fully expected that the problem would then be resolved, but to my amazement, the bugs laid low for a day or so, then came back in force!
HereI have to add that these fleas are unlike any I've encountered before. The ones our larger dogs and our cats have brought into the house before were tiny black specks who eagerly gorged on canines, felines and humans alike. Jelly Bean's fleas are large and maroon-ish, and while they have set up camp on her body, I have seen not one on either of our two cats , and none of us humans in the house have received a single bite from them or observed one anywhere in the house except on our poor puppy.
The insert that came with the Advantage said reapplication a may be necessary, but not to exceed 4 doses in a month. In desperation, I applied a second dose on the second week, and still there has been no change. My neighbor encouraged me to try out a natural method called Flea Away that has kept her herd of chihuahuas flee-free and I have spent this third week giving Bean a tablet of this each day. Still no relief.
What gives?! I have a young daughter and small children and other pets in and out of my house all the time, and for that and other reasons I don't want to resort to fogs or sprays of poison, and it doesn't even seem likely that would help since the only place we see these little jerks is on the dog!
Are there any other options any of you can suggest? Sorry to be do verbose but I just wanted to rule out any suggestions we've already tried. Thank you so much for reading and in advance for any advice!
