Fleas

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

I hope this doesn't sound stupid but I am curious.....my 3-1/2 month old puppy, Ginger, has fleas. Any tips, thoughts, ideas on how to help her with this. Her vet doesn't suggest the Frontline or Advantage type of flea treament. We tried the alcohol combed through the hair. She just wanted to chew on the comb the whole time. Just looking for an easier solution I guess. She has a vet appointment on Tues (2/17/09) and I plan on addressing a solution with him also. Never a dull moment in a puppy world......I always appreciate the experience and opinions of my favorite people.

UPDATE...OK. Just got home from Vet. He does NOT want her on Frontline. The reason is because Ginger has also been having diarrea for the last couple days and today there was dark red blood in the watery stool. Poor baby girl can't seem to get a break. Dr thinks maybe there is some sort of an enzyme imbalance in her tummy. On meds. Yogurt. So, at this unstable time healthwise for Ginger, he doesn't want her using any chemicals and wants me to use the alcohol/comb process again. On a very happy note...Ginger now weighs 12 lbs.!!! (last time she was at Vet was 3-1/2 weeks ago and she weighed 4.8 lbs). OMG! LOL.

[2m42srv7vi6sq]

I know this will sound kind of stupid, but get pennyroyal extract, from a health food store and add it to your dog shampoo. It works great on killing and repelling fleas on puppies and is non-toxic.

You will eventually have to do something a little stronger however.

[Adina P]

Did your vet say why he doesn't recommend Frontline?

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

Vet said she is too young & small for that type of treatment. I am just sick at the thought that she is uncomfortable with the fleas biting her little body.....need to do something asap. She is not going too crazy but to even have one flea biting is one too many for my baby girl!
Oliver is currently using the Frontline so he doens't have any fleas. Our cat has also been treated.

[Adina P]

Frontline is okay for pups 8 weeks and over...at least that is what the packages says.

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

OK. Just got home from Vet. He does NOT want her on Frontline. The reason is because Ginger has also been having diarrea for the last couple days and today there was dark red blood in the watery stool. Poor baby girl can't seem to get a break. Dr thinks maybe there is some sort of an enzyme imbalance in her tummy. On meds. Yogurt. So, at this unstable time healthwise for Ginger, he doesn't want her using any chemicals and wants me to use the alcohol/comb process again. On a very happy note...Ginger now weighs 12 lbs.!!! (last time she was at Vet was 3-1/2 weeks ago and she weighed 4.8 lbs). OMG! LOL.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sheri, didn't the vet tell you to have her come in for a flea bath? You are going to have to do something to kill the fleas, they won't just die by themselves. Even worse, they are laying eggs which are in & on all the soft surfaces in your home...rugs, upholstery, dog beds, etc., and the larvae can live dormant for years. I guess if they bite your other animals, that will kill them, but as long as they stick to Ginger, they'll live & multiply. They can be extremely hard to get rid of once they're established in your home.
I also agree with Adina that Frontline can be used on puppies over 8 weeks. I hope your vet can give you a solution. I had a flea infestation some years back & I will never be the same, LOL! Good luck!

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

We did give Ginger a flea bath but I don't think it worked very well. I am going to try Frontline. It has always been successful on my other animals through the years. Then we will see what happens from there......Luckily not much in the way of carpeting here in my home. Hardwood floors etc so hopefully I will have the upper hand.
Thanks!

[Lynn D.]

The all natural dog food store I used to visit in Washington sells a flea shampoo you could try.
I will look to see what the name of it is.

[Ali]

Okay, I am now a pro at getting rid of fleas in the home. Since there are fleas on her, there are now fleas (eggs, and all the other stages of fleas) in your house. The sooner you start treatment in your home the better. So this is my really gross story with fleas, not caused by the dog I was living with at the time, but he and I suffered the most. There was a opossum in my wall that had babies and died. The pest control people took it out through my house while all their fleas jumped off and landed in my house. It go to be a big problem and I and the dog was the only one getting bit. My whole body was becoming scarred from flea bites. I felt disgusting and dirty, and my co-workers still make fun of me to this day. Anyways here are some tips on how to get them out of your house. 1st: vacuum vacuum vacuum! But you need to by a flea collar to put in your vacuum so once you vacuum the fleas die. If you have a bag throw it out frequently. 2nd: Wash all the rugs you can, all the linens you can in hot water. 3rd: Go get some flea bomb or flea spray for you house and upholstery. You need to spray every crevice you can. Spray in the corners of couches, under beds, along the edges of your house, under the mattress of you bed, etc. Get a spray that kills all stages of fleas or at least makes the fleas infertile so they can no longer reproduce. Repeat these steps as necessary. A lot of the sprays and flea bombs give you protection up to 7 months, so doing this before the summer season helps a lot for prevention. If you feel like you need a stronger grade in flea spray call pest control and see what they can do. They gave me the flea spray for free since they carried the opossum through my house. Also wear a mask when dealing with these chemicals and take your dog somewhere else as well as you stay out of the house for a few hours. then go open the windows for another few hours.

[Marianne *OZZY & ZOEY]

Zoey is 4lbs and will be 3 months old. My vet gave me Frontline to use on her when she was just 8 weeks old. It goes for puppy and weight. You can get fleas in the winter just as bad as the summer. She is also on heartworm meds too. An instect bite can cause serious damage to a dog. Hope you get rid of them it has to be a pain

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, this is what I went through, and worse. It was so bad, I was getting bitten. We had to replace all our mattresses, pillows, & the dog & cat beds.
If you walk around the house in white socks, any fleas that may be there will appear on your socks. I bought a set of white scrubs and lived in them for weeks. We bombed the house twice ourselves and had the professionals in twice before we got rid of them. Had to board the dog & cat for those days. It cost me thousands of dollars & most of my sanity. (Now you all know why I'm crazy, lol)
Fleas are the WORST!!!!
Flea allergy dermatitis is also a very serious allergic condition that can affect dogs who get infested with fleas. Frontline is SO worth avoiding all of this.

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

OK. Just got home from Vet. He does NOT want her on Frontline. The reason is because Ginger has also been having diarrea for the last couple days and today there was dark red blood in the watery stool. Poor baby girl can't seem to get a break. Dr thinks maybe there is some sort of an enzyme imbalance in her tummy. On meds. Yogurt. So, at this unstable time healthwise for Ginger, he doesn't want her using any chemicals and wants me to use the alcohol/comb process again. On a very happy note...Ginger now weighs 12 lbs.!!! (last time she was at Vet was 3-1/2 weeks ago and she weighed 4.8 lbs). OMG! LOL.