[foresteronw]

Hello all, this is my first post and I must say it looks like you have a great thing going on here. I hope to gain some knowledge and maybe give some advice along the way.

Here is the problem.

My sister has two indoor/outdoor dogs (1 german shepherd and 1 border caulie mix), three indoor cats.

Over the past year her dogs had gotten fleas and now the cats have fleas. It has gotten to the point that now the dogs have started losing their hair from itching so bad. They have also lost some weight, not much but a few lbs. You can tell that they are stressed but still play and eat.

She has gone back to the vet numerous times for help and he has given her everything under the sun to try and battle this problem. The dogs have been checked for mange and it was negative. They are on frontline, terminex has treated their yard for fleas, the cats are on frontline even though they do not go out. She had also tried some other kind of pill that was a flea preventative given to her by the vet but it didn't work.

At this point she's getting stressed out because the dogs are stressed. Any ideas on what to do?

 

[Spades]

You= Your sister
First, bomb the crap out of the house. Every two weeks. Talk to the vet and explain that you are bombing the house and would like to have them stay there, my clinic offers free boarding to clients that are trying to manage a flea problem. Anyways, bomb the house every two weeks for at least two months. Its not cheap but it will help a lot.

Ask for Capstar, give it often. When the flea bites it dies. The topspot stuff kills also but it has strong and week moments so there are week spots.

Just some ideas.

 

[foresteronw]

You= Your sister
First, bomb the crap out of the house. Every two weeks. Talk to the vet and explain that you are bombing the house and would like to have them stay there, my clinic offers free boarding to clients that are trying to manage a flea problem. Anyways, bomb the house every two weeks for at least two months. Its not cheap but it will help a lot.

Ask for Capstar, give it often. When the flea bites it dies. The topspot stuff kills also but it has strong and week moments so there are week spots.

Just some ideas.

Capstar is the pill she tried.

She has four kids so I don't know if bombing the house will help. She has a contract with terminex and I know that they have treated the yard, but not sure if they treated the house or not.

 

[Spades]

Take the kids on a 5 hour trip... or do it while they are at school and parents are at work. The flea eggs are hatching in the house and are hanging out there. Im sure thats where the problem is.

 

[FancyPaws]

Spades is right. The problem is coming from the house still. I use frontline on my dog and cat and it works great, but without treating the house the fleas are still going to be irritating your animals. The hair loss could possibly be caused by an allergic reactions to the fleas themselves. Ask your vet about the proper dosage of benedryl you can give them and see if it helps them out and more comfortable, there is also a shot your vet can give them that is stronger.

You really should bomb the house at the very minimum at least once or twice. You would only have to be out of the house for a few hours so while the kids or at school is ideal, but if that's not possible then do it on a day when you're going to be visiting family or friends. When you get back into the house make sure you vacuum and wipe everything down real good as well wash all the fabrics. I know it's a lot of work and a pain in the butt, but fleas are very persistent and you must be aggressive when messing with them, especially when the problem sounds as severe as the one you have.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I have a couple of questions, does she still have fleas? Is she postitive that it is fleas she's having problems with? Also, if you don't mind asking, where does she live?(ie cold in winter warn in summer type of place or say like a tropical area) Your sister has done an awful lot to get rid of them. The yard, the pets, the house and she still has them? The scratching and hair loss sounds like flea dermatitis, but could also be related to either the flea medications that she is using on them as well as the yard treatments. Or something completely unrealated.
She might want to consider along with the monthly flea treatments and benedryl or other steroid that the vet prescribes to have her but the dogs and cats on a salmon oil supplement to help with the skin/coat issues. Also here is another thought, the vet checked for mange, but did he check for a skin infection?

She could also use either powdered boric acid (borax) and baking soda or plain old table salt to kill the littler buggers. They both are very old school, and safe around pets and kids. She would sprinkle the salt or boric acid and soda on the carpet, furnicture, pets bedding, rugs, and placed like that ans let it sit over night. Vacuum up the next day. This kills both the fleas and the eggs by drying them out. If she has a really bad infestation she may need to do the treatment more then once.
Also, it maybe diet related or another issue entirely. If the vet is giving her medications and treating for flea related problems and it is not working, then it may not be flea related.
Anyway, I hope this gives her a little help. Please keep us posted on how her pets are doing.

 

[rubyred92]

We had a bad flea infestation last summer so we bombed the house and washed the animals in Dawn dish soap [believe it or not it killed the fleas]. The hair falling out could also be due to a mold that was growing in the midwest area. I'm not sure where you live but tons of dogs all had hair and skin problems because of it, including my Dobe. Not sure if I'm right, but it's just a suggestion! :]
Good luck!

 

[GeorgieGirl]

That is very interesting about the mold. Thanks for the info RubyRed!

 

[DoggieTrainer]

Vacuum everything! Wash everything! We had fleas bad for a while we bombed and still had issues. We used Frontline and still had issues, now we use Advantage it works great! GOOD LUCK!

FYI...
Fleas live on their host, but eggs can be left both on the host and in the host’s bedding. The eggs that are left on the host will fall off and accumulate in beds, clothes, carpets, cars, and anyplace that the host visits. These eggs normally hatch in 1-2 weeks, after which the fleas emerge as larvae that can live in carpets and bedding for up to 200 days before transforming into legless pupae. If conditions are still not quite right, the pupae can sit dormant for over a year before transforming into an adult! This means that many generations of flea eggs can accumulate and lead to a mass-infestation!

 

[dch]

Click on this link.
http://www.dogforum.com/dog-health/fleas-1/#post1019

 

[bonzy]

I use Advantix and have had no problems whatsoever for years...I hope I havent opened my mouth too soon!!