Flea Advice

Muppet Man

Hi Folks, need some advice on flea's.

Just spotted the tell tale black specks in my little Jack Russells fur and think its Flea eggs. Between shoulder blades and at the lower back at the start of his tail. How long before they hatch? Where is mammy and daddy flea? I couldnt find them even after a good look around.

Whats the best way to get rid of them? I think its a fairly recent infestation to be honest and he has never had them before. How to treat the house / should I treat the house if I dont find any live flea's on him right now?

He's just been reunited with his buddy (a west highland) who doesnt have flea's / eggs. I presume I should keep them seperate for a while and / or treat both of them... prevention better than cure etc.

TIA,
Muppet Man.

paultf

Treating a dog that already has fleas, you'll need to get a bottle of flea spray like Frontline from a vet. Costs about €15. Spray the whole of the dogs body and that should kill the fleas.

Probably best the dogs are separated until this is done.

Also you'll need to get the fleas out of the bedding etc.. aswell. Would washing do that?

In future, every couple of months you should treat your dogs with liquid flea tabs (put on the neck of the dog) to prevent the dogs getting fleas and ticks. Costs about €5.

doggiewalker00

I pressume you give him flea treatment every month?

Sigma Force

Hoover regularly and wash the bedding, if it's not a bad infestation I wouldn't worry too much just a good hoover now and then should sort it.

Advocate or Stronghold can be used, it's strong stuff and to be honest I use it sparingly and not every month as I find it's not needed..the dogs have access to a large garden with lots of long grass and all sorts and never have a problem with fleas. Mites on the other hand my lot tend to get now and then but I still usually treat every two months ish or if they appear to have some crawlies.

There's another drop on flea product that contains neem oil, have used it on our collie recently and waiting to see if it works you can get it in Dunnes or other supermarkets can't remember the name of it but it comes in a pack with two green vials.

boomerang

Flea eggs are white - what you're seeing (if your dog does indeed have a flea infestation) are little specks of dried blood. But it could just be honest to goodness dirt!

Fleas are vectors for tapeworm so you should also get a separate wormer like Drontal or Milbemax.

Some products such as Advocate treat both fleas, ticks and worms - but it's only roundworms, not tapeworms, which is why you need the separate wormer.

paultf

I got a new pup recently and I got her checked over by the vet. The pup had fleas.

The vet told me the flea tab liquids that you put on the neck of the dog only prevent fleas/ticks. Doesn't work if the dog already has fleas...

So with my pup the vet had to spray its whole body with a Frontline flea spray in order to kill the fleas.

morganafay

I just use the drops on the back of the neck if my dogs ever get fleas and that gets rid of them. My vet said that was fine It always worked anyway, since mine never got a bad infestation. (To be honest, I don't treat them regularly, just when they get fleas, since they're outdoors and it only ever happens maybe once every few years.)

Be careful with frontline spray, to follow the instructions. Don't use it more often then it says on the bottle because it can cause serious neurological damage apparently.

When my indoor cat got fleas before, I just hoovered really well (after treating him of course) and it was fine. You can get household flea sprays, but I didn't bother. Oh, but I did steam clean the carpets and chairs a bit, and wash his bedding (aka my bedding!) on a high temperature.

boodlesdoodles

I use Frontline on my dog starting in April until October as recommended by my vet and I only need to use it every 10 weeks or so not every month. Another way to prevent them getting fleas is to use a shampoo with tea tree oil in it for the final rinse. Fleas hate tea tree oil.

lorebringer

A spot on treatment, like the ones mentioned, is your best bet. I would treat both dogs so that they can have contact with each other. They work by killing fleas when they bite. Wash the bedding, blankets, etc. (anything the dog has come into contact with) at 60deg with bio washing powder and that will sort them out. I spray the beds with Tea Tree oil in warm water once they are ready for use (and leave to dry afterwards) to prevent any fleas hanging around too long. Next thing is to vacuum the bejesus out of the house - pulling out furniture and such - an this should sort it if it is at an early stage.

If you are unsure what product to use to treat the little buggers on your dog, your vet will be able to recommend one. Good luck!

andreac

I have to say ive never given any flea or tick treatment to my dog and hes never caught either.

Muppet Man

Thanks to all for the great advice. I'm going to start with Frontline on the two of them... beds are already on for a wash and Hoover mania tonight.

To be honest, I check them both very regularly for ticks and fleas and in 6 years, I've never had a flea. Couple of ticks alright. I worm them fairly regularly with a wormer... It's not a large outbreak as far as I can tell, but I'm not going to take any chances with it.

I guess in the summer / heat they are more prone to getting infested.

Great advice all around & Thanks again.

Muppet Man

Genius147

Type these words . [ neem oil for dogs] on the internet. i have been using it for my dogs and find it quite good. I dont expect your vet to agree as they will prefer you to use spot on.