# HELP! Invaded by Fleas!



## Tinkerbell (Apr 10, 2007)

Geez 

Seems like one problem after another. Tiki has a million fleas on him and I can't seem to get it under control. I bathe him and get them off but it seems he is still having a major problem with them.

Is there something I can use after his bath or before or what to do????????????/


Cheri


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Are you using a monthly flea preventative like Frontline or Advantage? If not, no matter how much you bathe him, the fleas will keep coming back. If your carpet is infested, you'll have to treat that, too.


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## 3Maltmom (May 23, 2005)

OMG!! You MUST get rid of the fleas. 

As Marj asked, are you using a monthly treatment? I do not have a "flea" problem, in fact, have not seen a flea since Daisy came on board. I do, however, use Frontline Plus, when they are boarded,, or staying at someone elses house. I do this two weeks in advance. 

If you have fleas, this IS a major problem. 

My Daisy's entire body was infested with fleas. They were "sucking" the life out of her. Her skin was black and thick. She had many allergies, and fleas were one of them. 

Imagine, one flea can bite, well over, twenty times a night. Now, times that by hundreds


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Fleas also cause tapeworms.

The adult form of the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum lives in the small intestines of dogs and cats. The worm is made up of multiple segments. One at a time, the segments, full of eggs, are passed in the feces. While warm, the segments are active, but as they dry, they break open and liberate the eggs inside. A flea larva ingests the eggs. The egg develops into an immature form in the flea. When a dog or cat eats the flea (usually while the animal is grooming), the immature form of the tapeworm is released from the flea. This immature tapeworm then develops into an adult in the dog's or cat's intestine and the life cycle is completed.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cl...;articleid=1175

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tapeworm.html


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

I suggest asking your vet for a "Capstar" pill. It starts killing the live fleas on the body within like 30 minutes. Then give a bath in flea shampoo, or some even suggest "Dawn" dishsoap, but I like the flea stuff. Immediately after the bath, put Advantage/Frontline on her. The hardest part is treating your house. We have our pest control company come out and spray our carpet and furniture. It is part of our quarterly contract. You might consider spraying the yard or portions of it also. I have had good luck the last few summers by rinsing the boys in "Downy" fabric softener (pink lid). I heard it worked somewhere on here awhile back. It does seem to keep the fleas at bay, and makes the boys smell like fresh towels.







(PS-I dilute the Downy quite well and do not put it on their heads)
Good luck. I hate fleas...


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## bootoo (Sep 3, 2006)

If you have carpeting in you house, look into FLEABUSTER - it is a compound made for finely ground sand and it lacerates the fleas but causes no harm to animals and people. I had a 17 year old cat when we were suddenly invaded. I could not use any chemicals on her due to her age and health. I also had a 6 year old child and did not want anything strayed all around my house. 

It really worked. 

It is not a do it yourself product. It is a franchised company, but well worth the cost.


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## Tinkerbell (Apr 10, 2007)

Thank you all for your advice. 

We do use a 3 month spot protector on Tiki but it doesn't seem to do much of anything. I will call the vet tomorrow and see if I can get something for him.

We have 2 cats and one of them is deathly allergic to fleas. We have to put her on antibiotics and prednisone almost everytime she has a reaction.

The cats are both strictly indoor cats. Tiki only goes out in a well protected area. One thing I forgot to mention is that we live on a sailboat. At the moment we live in a marina but hope to cruise really soon for a few months at a time. 

I will try all of your recommendations and also we are going to use flea bombs tomorrow and see if that will take care of the major part of the problem.

Cheri


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

What brand spot on flea control are you using? We have found by comparing notes here that sometimes fleas seem to get immune to them in different areas of the country. I can't use Advantage. A week after I apply it and give Lady a bath she is crawling with fleas the first time we go outside, but Frontline works great - the full three months. Other members swear by Advantage and say Frontline doesn't work for them!

BTW, you probably already know this, but never ever use over the counter flea control spot ons like Hartz, Sargeants, Zodiac, etc. They contain permethrin and are very toxic, especially to cats.


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## Tinkerbell (Apr 10, 2007)

> What brand spot on flea control are you using? We have found by comparing notes here that sometimes fleas seem to get immune to them in different areas of the country. I can't use Advantage. A week after I apply it and give Lady a bath she is crawling with fleas the first time we go outside, but Frontline works great - the full three months. Other members swear by Advantage and say Frontline doesn't work for them!
> 
> BTW, you probably already know this, but never ever use over the counter flea control spot ons like Hartz, Sargeants, Zodiac, etc. They contain pyrethrans and are very toxic, especially to cats.[/B]



Do you know anything about the Adams Brand Products?

Another thing,

If you put the spot stuff on does it matter that you bathe them? Tiki gets so dirty when he goes out and plays with the other dogs. 

They are all white too but I think they are all Bichons ? 

Cheri


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Adams is one of those over the counter ones that contain permethrin and should be avoided. It is especially dangerous to cats.

What is known about Bio Spot's main active ingredient, Permethrin? A few drops of it can be deadly

to a cat. Toxicological studies have linked this pesticide to serious acute and chronic health effects. The EPA has classified it as a possible human carcinogen because it increases the frequency of lung and liver tumors in laboratory animals. It suppresses the immune system. Permethrin is also suspected to have played an important role in the development of illnesses known as the Gulf War Syndrome. 

In a recently published journal entitled, Experimental Neurology, researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that frequent and prolonged use of Permethrin on adult rats lead to cell death in their brains. In another recent study, researchers at Virginia Tech found that low-level exposure to Permethrin caused changes in the brain that could lead to Parkinson's Disease.

http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html

http://www.apnm.org/publications/resources/fleachemfin.pdf

There is a lot of information on the internet about the dangers of Bio Spot, Hartz and other over the counter flea products that contain permethrin if you google it.


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## Mojito's Mommy (May 3, 2007)

I recommend Frontline Plus every 30 days. also you can find flea shampoo. be careful with the fleas!


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## lonestar (Dec 21, 2004)

Yeap........monthly frontline it's the only way. Also, be aware that fleas cause worms. If you baby eats a flea he'll get worms!! We never stop the treatments,even in the winter months. I hate the thought of fleas or any pest on my babies.


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## pico's parent (Apr 5, 2004)

I've been battling the worst flea infestation ever! I have not had a flea in 7 years but this year is terrible due to our wet winter and spring. I sprayed the nematodes in the yard as usual but my biggest mistake was in not keeping Advantage or Frontline on Pico even though we did not have fleas. I'll never do that again.

I bombed the house.

I've also sprayed the yard with an organic mixture of Clove oil, Sesame Oil and Thyme oil in a water base. It kills adult fleas it touches but it has to touch them so I have to repeat it and it isn't cheap to use.

I re-sprayed the nematodes again 4 weeks later and used the organic spray in the yard a few days later.

Of course I put the Advantage on Pico as well and every time he goes out to potty I immediately throw him on my lap and go over every inch of his little bod 3 or 4 times to pick off any fleas he's picked up. I can tell if I've missed one because a few minutes later he'll start scratching. I check him over again and almost always find another flea! 

The diatomaceous earth is what lacerates the fleas and it IS something you can purchase and spread yourself. We had our pest control guy out and he basically talked us out of letting him spray the yard because he said they spray Sevin but it doesn't kill eggs or larvae and none of his customers are ever happy with the treatment because of this. The Beneficial Nematodes WILL eat the larvae so eventually we will be flea free again but it takes about 2 months to rid a yard of an infestation that way.

Fleas live about 6 weeks and eggs can remain unhatched and viable for up to a year! So you kill the larvae so no more fleas hatch and in 6 weeks the already hatched fleas are dead. (Many at MY hand.......I pick them off Pico and drop them in a jar of water to drown!) Then continue to apply beneficial nematodes every 6-8 weeks for a year or so. It's not cheap but I can't abide a flea on my baby! I've forgone my pedicures in favor of ridding our lives of fleas


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## Elly B. (Oct 27, 2006)

I had terrible flea trouble with Nick when I first got him (I got him too small and too young) and it was about six weeks before my vet thought it was safe to put a Frontline on him. I did some of the herbal flea powders that you shake out on his bed and the carpet but I didn't see any improvement.

During that time, Nick got daily baths and onceovers with the tweezers, and a dot of hydrocortisone cream on the bites that looked especially bad or itchy. I don't think he had an allergy but the poor little guy was getting chewed up. He became much more vibrant and energetic within a week of his first Frontline treatment.

I think the monthly vet-sold treatments are the best bet. Frontline I usually give a couple of days to be sure it is all soaked in before bathing, but they excrete it through their skin so bathing shouldn't be a problem after that. Even so, I try to limit him to one bath a week after that just in case.

Nick plays with a lot of other dogs and gets pretty dirty too, but it's mostly his feet. I've washed just his feet off in the sink quite a bit.


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## ClaBec Maltese (Feb 19, 2007)

<span style="color:#CC33CC">*I live in Florida and the past 3 years since Hurricane Ivan came through we have been having the hardest time with fleas. Even during the winter months. I have finally been able to get them under control around January of this year. I did a lot of research and found that if I rotated the Frontline and K9 Advantix that it worked wanders. I rotated them every month. I am happy to say that we have finally gotten them under control. Good luck.







* </span>


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