[chiqtears]

Hi everyone, I just got a puppy named Patches, he has so many fleas and he is always scratching himself. I have bathed him in flea & tick shampoo and tried flea powder and I just cannot rid the little fellow of his fleas. Please help any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

[Lorina]

Over the counter flea products (shampoos, collars, powders, etc.) are ineffective at best, and can be dangerous at times, especially for puppies.

Check with your vet about getting a product like Advantage or Advantix, Revolution or Frontline. Advantage & Advantix are safe for pups as young as 7 weeks, and Revolution can be used on pups as young as 6 weeks. Not sure about Frontline, since I've never used it and don't have a box on hand to check.

You will also likely need to treat the environment: carpets, bedding, maybe even your yard. Your vet should also be able to suggest a spray or bomb for the house, but for severe cases, you may need to call in an exterminator. Vacuum a lot, and put either a cut up flea collar or moth balls in the vacuum cleaner bag.

It's very important to properly treat the pup for fleas. In large quantities on a puppy, it can cause anemia or even death.

[Love's_Sophie]

Frontline is safe for puppies and kittens as well.

Take your puppy into a groomer, and have them give your puppy a thorough flea bath, while you bomb your house and wash all bedding, clothes and other items you can while the puppy is at the groomer.

Stuffed toys and other items that fleas can burrow into, should be placed into a plastic garbage bag and sprayed with frontline, or some other good residual flea treament; close up the bag and keep it closed for atleast 7 days before taking them out again.

When you pick up your puppy, go pick up from your vet, no less than 6 months worth of one of the listed flea treatments. Frontline, and Revolution are really good. Mine are on Frontline topspot, simply because I work as a groomer and am constantly grooming dogs and cats with flea infestations...I don't want mine to get fleas so I keep them treated. I will probably rotate soon, though to another product just to be on the safe side; to prevent immunity.

[Durbkat]

Frontline isn't safe for puppies as my vet said that all they did was change the label from 10 to 22 pounds, I believe, to 0 to 22 pounds. They didn't change the forumla. So he said that it was to strong of chemicals for a puppy and he gave me frontline for cats.