i found a flea! =(

rogueslg71

well last night i was looking at arisu and i saw a creepy crawler on her! so i got it out and i believe its a flea!!! i found 1 more and then i took a bath for her hoping itd help and i found 1 more during the bath that was dead but stuck in her hair. then this morning i found another one on her (probably from her blankets so im going to wash them today).

she is a lhasa apso with short hair right now so thats why i spotted them on her underside easily.

i've never had to take care of a dog before her, and this is the first time we've run into this issue. this was around 10 pm last night and i was vacuuming all over the place like mad after her bath and today i will be pretty much putting everythign thrugh the laundry room.

so what do i do though? do i just give her a flea bath? also i am out of flea preventative, i was using frontline - should i use a new one since im out now? i was thinking about flea collars but honestly i dont know much about this stuff and our vet gave frontline so i have been using that for fleas and heartgard for heart worm prevention. if someone could point me in some sort of direction so that im not just bouncing around cleaning my house like nuts i would very much appreciate it!

briteday

Where do you live and are fleas a year 'round problem?

Dana1384

Fleas are normal for pets. You did the right thing by cleaning her bedding and whatever else she is on. Are you using flea and tick shampoo? and also frontline is a monthly treatment, so if you have problems with fleas, you need to treat you dog once a month with it. Flea collars work depending on where you live, I find they didn't work well in Louisiana, but here in mississippi where we live they work good. Just make sure you get the right size to her neck and don't get it wet.

Dieselsmama

Frontline Plus is what we use here now. Fleas are a seasonal issue here, it's too cold for them to survive outside in the winters. We use it monthly from April through November, and so far so good. Remember for every flea you see there are many many more you don't see hanging out waiting and breeding like mad. You definetly should be continuing monthly treatments through the year with frontline plus should you live somewhere it doesn't get really cold in winter. I also think flea collars are not only a waste of money, they will only deter them from about an inch or two either side of the collar, they have lots of nasty stuff you don't want to getting all over you when you pet or hug your dog.

rogueslg71

thanks for the info and replies everyone.

i live in south east texas so it does not get very cold here often. its actually around 80 degrees out today. i use frontline every month already.

i did not use flea and tick control shampoo but i just went out to petsmart and bought this ' sentry pro flea and tick shampoo' it says it kills fleas ticks and flea eggs so hopefully this will help.

there are lots of stuff for home treatment too but i had no idea which one to get so i didnt buy any yet. also is vacuuming the areas and doing the laundry enough? do flea eggs survive the washing machine and all that soap or do i need to buy something to treat that stuff too? i will continue to keep her on flea stuff and use the flea and tick shampoo from now on.

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Dieselsmama

For home treatment, I prefer the premesis sprays. Check with your vet as to which one's they carry. The vet's usually carry better quality and safer flea products than can be bought in petstores. Spray all areas the pet populates well with premis spray including under couches and beds. Repeat this treatment once a month for three-four months to break the flea/egg cycle.

briteday

Because you live in a warm climate I would keep the dog on flea preventative year 'round. Shampoos and such sold at pet stores are often of little use because only vets can sell products with enough active ingredient to kill fleas, etc. So call your vet to see what they have. You might also consider a flea bath at a groomer.

Just washing and vacuuming will not get rid of fleas. Fleas are hardy little bugs. I would probably opt for a pest control treatment due to your climate.

Hot water washes will help keep things down to a dull roar. And when you vacuum be sure to throw the bag away, sealed in a plastic bag, to the can outdoors...every time you vacuum. To disrupt the flea cycle you may have to vacuum every day or every other day. We have rare flea problems where I live now. So I sprinkle borax on rugs and upholstered furniture if I suspect anything. Leave it for a day or two and vacuum up, getting rid of the bag right away. You can leave borax sprinkled around doorways and under the dog's bed, between the bed and floor. borax can be found in the laundry aisle at the grocery.

But since you have already spotted the fleas, I would opt for professional treatment of the house, wash everything you can while the dog is at the groomer for the day getting a bath, use monthly preventative religiously, and don't leave your dog outside to lay around where fleas are found. Don't forget to launder your own linens and vacuum your mattress as fleas love humans too.

rogueslg71

first thanks for everyone's help before . its been about a week /week and a half and everything was fine but today - i found one!!!!!!!! then i took a bath for her with some flea shampoo and i found like 8 more. they were biting her and she had some red spots on her shoulders and one right on top of her butt. =( will the reddish marks go away like regular bites (for example misquito bites) ? i am cleaning everything out again and vacuuming and am going to vacuum every other day for a while to try and break their 'cycle'. i used advantix last time and it didnt work good (since the fleas got back on her!).

is it okay to use frontline now even though i put advantix on her not too long ago? also my vet said i can use some of this carpet powder stuff that i put on and then vacuum up so i'm going to do that.

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