dog with fleas in Galway.

CrinkElite

I'm minding a 5 month old lab pup for the next 10 days while his new owner is away.
He's just come from the GSPCA and I know he's been wormed.

I'm convinced he has fleas now as I've found one or two on him and he's beginning to scratch a lot.

I'm in Galway City and I'm going to head out now to get him some sort of treatment.

Can anyone give me any advice as to what to get/ how much to pay and a convenient place to purchase.

I'm in the west side of the city and I don't drive.

lorebringer

All vet practices will stock good quality flea treatments, spot on is the best one to get - squirt it onto the back of their neck at night (because you can't really touch them afterwards), it should work within 24/48 hours (depending on what brand you get) and won't need to be done for another 6-8 weeks. You cannot get him wet for a minimum of 48 hours after being treated. They will be measured by weight so either have that info handy or bring the dog with you and they will weigh him for you.

Brand wise, it doesn't matter as long as you get it in a vet practice (different vets stock different brands). Good brands are Stronghold, Advantix, Advantage, Advocate, ProMeris, PracTic and Frontline, and there are quite a few more. Don't go near the stuff you can get in the supermarket - not worth the packaging it comes in.

If the dog does have fleas, keep him away from soft furnishings (carpet, couches) and vacuum the house like the bejesus to get rid of any that could be lurking. Any soft bedding he has, wash at a minimum of 60 degrees in the washing machine to kill off any that could be in the bedding. Once the treatment take hold, they should all be killed if they bite him, but it doesn't get rid of any that could be in the environment. There are flea bombs and sprays available to kill them off in rooms but if you are careful you will probably not need to use one of these as he has only been with you for a short period of time.

CrinkElite

Thanks for that. I got the Spot on stuff out in Terryland Petworld for under 6 euro in case anyone cares.

I'm going to stick it on him tonight so I suppose he'll be dropping fleas all over the place.

I'm going to wash his bed and hoover the place well so hopefully that'll do the trick.

Thanks again lorebringer.

ISDW

CrinkElite wrote: »

Thanks for that. I got the Spot on stuff out in Terryland Petworld for under 6 euro in case anyone cares.

I'm going to stick it on him tonight so I suppose he'll be dropping fleas all over the place.

I'm going to wash his bed and hoover the place well so hopefully that'll do the trick.

Thanks again lorebringer.

I hope you haven't already used it, if you haven't, then please don't. For that price, it won't be any good, you need to go to a vet and get the proper stuff. A lot of flea treatments are spot on, its just the generic term for how they're used. You need something like Frontline, Advantage, Stronghold, which are prescription only in Ireland.

If you have already used it, then you can't use any other product for a few weeks, you'll have to ask the vet how long.

lorebringer

I'm with ISDW on this one - for €6 you won't get a quality product. Flea treatments are not something to be thrifty with, you get what you pay for and to clear the dog totally of any infestation you'll need something stronger than the product you bought. If you have already applied it to the dog, don't apply another treatment soon after as it will cause irritation and the dog could have quite a nasty reaction. Pet shops sell the same type of thing as supermarkets, a vet practice and some pharmacies (if you are really lucky) are the only places you'll find a product that is any good.