# Flea Allergy Help?



## Madeleinesmommy (Nov 30, 2012)

My mom's Maltipoo is having a severe flea allergy issue. He's struggled with a flea allergy and seasonal allergies since we got him. If one flea bites him , he has a full attack. He digs his skin until his fur falls out. Right now he has a bunch of scabs on his belly and has patches of hair missing. I tried to take pictures but he was running from the camera.

He went to the vet about 6 weeks ago and got a steroid shot and we were told to him benadryl as needed. He did really well after the shot but now my brother and his dog moved home and his dog had fleas and boom instant reaction. My brother's dog does not have fleas now and neither does Maddie but Johnny is still a mess.

What can we do for him? He is up all night digging and biting. We did try the tar-rifc shampoo and that did give him relief for a day or so but we can't bathe him everyday because then his flea medication will wash off.

Help?


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I would think that once the fleas are gone completely, and he is on a flea preventative(hoping the preventative isn't making him itch) that as soon as the flea bites heal he'll be OK. My dogs itched with the Vectra even after it was washed off!


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## Madeleinesmommy (Nov 30, 2012)

Yes he is on a preventative but he is so sensitive to fleas! Even with the preventative one bite and he still has a reaction. Also October is the hardest month for his seasonal allergies.

His bites just look awful. 

Here are some pictures.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Poor guy! I haven't had much experience with this (and I consider myself very lucky!) so I can't help much...but have you tried using some kind of natural spray to keep fleas far away from him? I think a lot of the topical flea preventatives like Frontline don't actually deter fleas...they just kill the fleas that bite. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! I have used natural sprays made of essential oils that claim to keep fleas away from the pet - they smell really strong but seem to do the trick, for us anyways. Maybe something like that would help Johnny?


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## Rin (Feb 6, 2013)

Try using the Diatomaceous earth food grade. Just sprinkle on dog.


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## IzzysBellasMom (Jan 16, 2013)

We have the same issue with Jojo and recently experienced it when he was going to my daughters future in-laws (they have 4 big indoor-outdoor dogs and 3 indoor-outdoor cats). The vet switched him to Zyrtec. The vet explained that since Benadryl is a 6 hour med, even twice a day, there is an up and down period of itching, with Zyrtec, a 24 hour med, there is no up and down as long as you give it consistently. You need to go ahead and bathe him in a good flea med to get rid of the fleas, the Tar-rific controls itching, but does not kill the fleas. Tar-rific also makes a spray and a cream to apply directly to the bite, I would get the cream as it seems to last longer - we have both. I also have a natural flea spray that I use when we take him out, I spray one squirt on his back and one squirt on his belly, this will deter the fleas from outside from jumping on him to bite him. It may be a lot of steps, but it is working and as of right now we are scab free!!! I also agree with the diatomaceous earth, you can get it at Home Depot. Spread it on your carpet and you can spread it outside, I have never put it on the dog. But it will kill the fleas in your yard or carpet. Remember that a flea only needs to feed once, then it will live up to 2 years just waiting. If you aren't sure if you have fleas in the house, at night, put out a pie or cake pan with about 1" of water with a squirt or 2 of dish liquid. The fleas are attracted to the water, but the soap traps them. This will help you evaluate the areas that need the diam. earth.

Sorry so long, but being we just went through all of this I had a lot of information.


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## Madeleinesmommy (Nov 30, 2012)

IzzysBellasMom said:


> We have the same issue with Jojo and recently experienced it when he was going to my daughters future in-laws (they have 4 big indoor-outdoor dogs and 3 indoor-outdoor cats). The vet switched him to Zyrtec. The vet explained that since Benadryl is a 6 hour med, even twice a day, there is an up and down period of itching, with Zyrtec, a 24 hour med, there is no up and down as long as you give it consistently. You need to go ahead and bathe him in a good flea med to get rid of the fleas, the Tar-rific controls itching, but does not kill the fleas. Tar-rific also makes a spray and a cream to apply directly to the bite, I would get the cream as it seems to last longer - we have both. I also have a natural flea spray that I use when we take him out, I spray one squirt on his back and one squirt on his belly, this will deter the fleas from outside from jumping on him to bite him. It may be a lot of steps, but it is working and as of right now we are scab free!!! I also agree with the diatomaceous earth, you can get it at Home Depot. Spread it on your carpet and you can spread it outside, I have never put it on the dog. But it will kill the fleas in your yard or carpet. Remember that a flea only needs to feed once, then it will live up to 2 years just waiting. If you aren't sure if you have fleas in the house, at night, put out a pie or cake pan with about 1" of water with a squirt or 2 of dish liquid. The fleas are attracted to the water, but the soap traps them. This will help you evaluate the areas that need the diam. earth.
> 
> Sorry so long, but being we just went through all of this I had a lot of information.


Was the doggie Zyrtec more expensive than what they sell at the store? And thank you for all your recommedations!


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

My kids are currently on Sentinal. Have used Comfortis and TriFexis. All work great, no fleas. 

Got 6 month supply Sentinal from Dr Foster & Smith for 29.99.


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