[RegiaPutri]

Hi,
I was rubbing my pup belly and I found fleas on his bottom, and I think i also saw tick (kinda brownish). My husband said to wash him with Dawn. Has anyone done this before? Does this mean that I also need to treat my house for fleas?

Thanks!

 

[Willowy]

You might not need to treat the house if you take care of the fleas on the dog quickly, but in Houston you probably will need to treat the house. Hiring a professional exterminatir would likely be best if this is the first time.

For the dog, get some Frontline or Revolution (or Advantix if you don't have cats) from your vet. That should take care of the fleas on him. Ticks should be removed (just pull them off) because even if the meds are effective, they take a while to work against ticks. You can wash him in Dawn for now but that will only get the fleas that on on him right now, you need the spot-on for long-lasting effects.

 

[RegiaPutri]

Thank you! Just out of curiousity, do flea collar works?

 

[Willowy]

Not very well. He probably won't have any fleas around his neck but the rest of him will have fleas! And they're quite toxic. Spot-ons are better, but not the store brands (Hartz, Sargent, etc.), because they too are toxic and largely ineffective. You want the kind vets sell. .. you don't HAVE to buy them from your vet (there are a lot of trustworthy online retailers), but those are the brands you want.

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

Frontline is losing effectiveness across the country because it's so popular. The fleas are becoming resistant to its active ingredient.

For a dog that already has an infestation (live adult fleas), I would use an oral flea med such as Capstar. This will kill any adult fleas on the dog within just a couple of hours (you can actually pick them off!), but will not prevent more. For prevention, I'd pair the Capstar with a monthly med such as Program (also oral) or a topical treatment (but again, avoid the most commonly used active ingredients). If you do these things and you do them soon, I think it would be ok to skip treating the house. And don't forget to treat any other animals that live in the home.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, yeah, I always forget about Capstar! Even though I use it all the time . Yes, I give a Capstar to kill all the fleas that are on the animal, then apply the spot-on. This has been very effective and I've never had to treat my house. However, I understand that it's a little different in Houston and in that kind of climate sometimes even people who don't have pets will need to treat their house for fleas.

I should add that there are some very effective tick collars available. But the usual flea-and-tick collars they sell at Wal-Mart or the grocery store just aren't very effective.

 

[DeaconsMom]

In the Houston are you may want to avoid using Frontline. Everyone I have talked to who lives in Houston and surrounding suburbs, has had issues for the past 5 or so years with it not being as effective. Maybe you live in an area that the fleas haven't become immune to it, but I would hate to see you shell out the cash for a 6 month or years supply, just to find it won't work. Advantix and Comfortis I know have been working but not real sure about any of the others. I agree with avoiding anything that you can pick up at WalMart, stick to the ones your vet can give you an RX for.

Like Willowy mentioned, you probably should treat your yard and house. This area is excellent breeding ground for fleas and they will take over in no time at all if you aren't pretty aggressive about treating.