Fleas....HELP

Jinxi

My new pup has fleas(Ew ew ew). So while getting her chipped and final boosters this morning my vet gave me Advocate treatment for her.
All good:D
I have a few questions! How long until they are completly gone? Will they keep reoccuring? How long before I can stop washing her dog bed? Are they living in my carpets?(I don't want to spray chemicals all over my house) Will my outdoor rabbits get them too(they only get cat fleas but its difficult to be able to tell which one the pup has)?

paultf

When I bought my pup home at 8 weeks recently I got her checked by the vet. She had fleas. The vet treated her by spraying Frontline all over her body and that killed the fleas straight away.

Did the vet give you Advocate tabs? The ones you put on the neck of the dog? Well my vet told me that if a dog has already fleas that you need to spray the dog to kill the fleas - the tabs won't work in this case.

The tabs are for preventive use only. The manufacturer suggest using it once a month. I only use it every 3 months. It all depends on your setup, where you bring your dog for walks, etc.

antocann

get some flee wash and a spot on and youl be grand

Jinxi

Advocate is a spot on(?? little tab of liquid applied to back of neck).
From what the vet and vet nurse explained to me because she is over 12 weeks I could use it and it worms her too! They did say it would kill the fleas at all stages on her and would protect her for 1 month.
We will wash her but not for a few days so the spot on has time to absorb. She is grand:D but I'm more worried about the rabbits and my house being the source of reinfection. Is it true they can live in lawns?

lorebringer

Once your dog is treated, you will need to wash all bedding etc. that she has come into contat with at (at least!) 60degrees with a biological wahsing powder to get them out - if there are any. Hoover the living bejesus out of the house - all nooks and crannies (behind things, in the couch etc.) paying really close attention to areas the dog would have been. Because you were quick to act, your house probably is not infested so a good clean should sort it all out.

Jinxi

How long until the fleas are gone? She is still scratching!

Jennyfer

From what I know it takes roughly 24 hours before all fleas on your dog at the time of treatment will be dead. Your dog may still be scratching because of bites which may remain itchy for a while, or there may be a flea or 2 around the house but dont panic, the treatment will continue to work for approx 4 weeks so therefore your dog is basically a flea-killing machine! Hoover around the house couple times a day to pick up any eggs or larvae and empty the bag straight away each time, they'll be gone in no time.

I use this on my own dog every 4 weeks as a preventative, dont have to worry about it then!

cucoigcrice

Hi Jinxi, i dont mean to make you itch at this thought but flea's can live in you house for a year or more. They can lie dorment for that length of time. They then become active when the environment heats up and when the sense vibrations. They tend to live in fabrics, skerting, cracks in floor boards and pet beddings etc. I know you said about not liking spraying of chemicals but just so you know they are products such as acclaim etc out there that may just kill the life cycle without causing irritation to you. The fleas are probably the cat flea as this is generally the flea that affects the dog. Continue to treat and prevent fleas every month using frontline combo.:D hope it helps

CookieMonster.x

Wash her with salt in a few days. I mean literally in the bath or whatever, put salt in the water. Pour it all over her. Use loads of normal table salt. Works wonders, fleas hate it and die from it! Have used it on my dog when I thought he has fleas and it keeps them away too.
Also, I have heard that Sun dishwasher liquid is really good too. Put some in a small dish in a dark room beside a mirror and a lamp. The fleas will jump into the liquid to see their reflection. It's meant to work really well but you might want to just check on the internet if I've told you right.
I haven't done it with my dog (haven't had fleas I don't think or a bad case anyway) and also if you have your dog in the room, be careful she doesn't drink it.

Definitely try the salt. You could also maybe try putting salt on the carpets and hoovering it up? Not sure if it'll work but it's worth a try.

Jinxi

:eek: on them living in my house dormant for a year!!!

And why would fleas want to see their reflection

I will def try the salt. Also I read they hate lemon juice so I put some of that in her bath too.

She is still scratching a bit on day 3 post treatment. Hope its just residual bites. Horrible little blighters