Dog in trouble......

Nekarsulm

We have a little dog, Jack Russell / collie cross. (probably)
Jack Russell size, but collie markings, smooth haired.
She is tearing herself scratching, continuously. She is also continuously getting fleas.
I have washed and bathed her in dog flea shampoo, on about 4 occasions, and this kills them off.
But despite the use of a flea collar, and the odd dusting with flea powders, she still gets re-infested. Has the hair half gone from her back from scratching under the car.

What's left to do?
Could there be an underlying skin condition?
Can't understand why the flea collar isn't working.:mad:

Greengrass1

Nekarsulm wrote: »

We have a little dog, Jack Russell / collie cross. (probably)
Jack Russell size, but collie markings, smooth haired.
She is tearing herself scratching, continuously. She is also continuously getting fleas.
I have washed and bathed her in dog flea shampoo, on about 4 occasiouns, and this kills them off.
But despite the use of a flea collar, and the odd dusting with flea powders, she still gets re-infested. Has the hair half gone from her back from scratching under the car.

What's left to do?
Could there be an underlying skin condition?
Can't understand why the flea collar isn't working.:mad:

The dog here is at something similar too has ripped hair off himself just over his tail and I can see bare skin. Has no fleas that I can tell. Looks sore tbh

mylittlepony

Think it could be mange if hair being rubbed off.
Go vet for treatment.

Kovu

When you say she keeps getting re-infested with fleas, can you actually see them on her Nekarsulm?

DBB

I had better give some doggy advice after all my spouting earlier:o

Are you sure it's fleas? I m assuming you are because you've seen them! It was a great summer for fleas.
Flea collars don't really cut the mustard any more, it takes little to deactivate them (if they get wet a lot, for example) and they're pretty unhygienic. They were at one point a far better advancement on flea powder, which is also really unhygienic, but they've had their day
Also, if you keep using the same product again and again, the local fleas develop resistance to it, so changing your treatments regularly is a good habit to get into.

Washes only kill the fleas that are on board now, but doesn't stop further invasions.
If your dog has fleas and you don't do a flippin chemical warfare on the environment where the dog lives and sleeps, she will keep getting re-infested every time you treat her... you kill one batch off only for the next generation to come along and hop on board.

So, here goes. Patented flea warfare :pac::
1. Get a spot-on treatment from your vet... don't bother with the supermarket ones, they're rubbish. If she's got fleas a lot, then she has a very big risk of having worms too. The spot-on treatment Advocate kills fleas, ticks, mites, and worms. It's not cheap, but it's bloody good. There's also a new oral anti-flea product, can't remember the name of it but will get it for you. These spot-on and oral treatments both kill the fleas on-board, and keep killing any future fleas for weeks to come.
2. Wash all of her bedding in a very hot wash, to kill any eggs in there.
3. Buy a household flea-spray from your vet.. again the vet ones are multitudes better than the supermarket ones.. expensive but worth it. Spray it EVERYWHERE that she has been: furnishings, bedding, carpets, matts. Those eggs get everywhere once your dog has had a flea infestation, and you really have to kill of all life-stages.
4. Hoover everywhere. IF you have a spare flea-collar, some people stick one into the hoover bag to kill any eggs or fleas that are still alive.

Good luck!

Nekarsulm

Kovu wrote: »

When you say she keeps getting re-infested with fleas, can you actually see them on her Nekarsulm?

Yes. Can see the hateful little baxtard's crawling down at the hair root. First time I shampooed her, got 30!

They are tough little feckers. Strength of your finger and thumb, squeezing, has no effect on them.

DBB

In case it's not fleas, there are a number of other possibilities.
Mites
Exzema/hot spots
Yeast infection
Food allergy (very, very common cause of itchiness: if you haven't actually seen fleas, this is a very likely possibility)

Greengrass1

DBB wrote: »

I had better give some doggy advice after all my spouting earlier:o

Are you sure it's fleas? I m assuming you are because you've seen them! It was a great summer for fleas.
Flea collars don't really cut the mustard any more, it takes little to deactivate them (if they get wet a lot, for example) and they're pretty unhygienic. They were at one point a far better advancement on flea powder, which is also really unhygienic, but they've had their day
Also, if you keep using the same product again and again, the local fleas develop resistance to it, so changing your treatments regularly is a good habit to get into.

Washes only kill the fleas that are on board now, but doesn't stop further invasions.
If your dog has fleas and you don't do a flippin chemical warfare on the environment where the dog lives and sleeps, she will keep getting re-infested every time you treat her... you kill one batch off only for the next generation to come along and hop on board.

So, here goes. Patented flea warfare :pac::
1. Get a spot-on treatment from your vet... don't bother with the supermarket ones, they're rubbish. If she's got fleas a lot, then she has a very big risk of having worms too. The spot-on treatment Advocate kills fleas, ticks, mites, and worms. It's not cheap, but it's bloody good. There's also a new oral anti-flea product, can't remember the name of it but will get it for you. These spot-on and oral treatments both kill the fleas on-board, and keep killing any future fleas for weeks to come.
2. Wash all of her bedding in a very hot wash, to kill any eggs in there.
3. Buy a household flea-spray from your vet.. again the vet ones are multitudes better than the supermarket ones.. expensive but worth it. Spray it EVERYWHERE that she has been: furnishings, bedding, carpets, matts. Those eggs get everywhere once your dog has had a flea infestation, and you really have to kill of all life-stages.
4. Hoover everywhere. IF you have a spare flea-collar, some people stick one into the hoover bag to kill any eggs or fleas that are still alive.

Good luck!

Would a drop if cattke pour on do the same thing?

Nekarsulm

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Would a drop if cattke pour on do the same thing?

I an told Ivomec is deadly poisonous to any dog with collie bloodlines. I lost one old dog this summer, don't want to lose the other one............

orm0nd

as mentioned it could be mange or perhaps a blood disorder/allergy condition

I use Parex spot on for fleas and find it very good

DBB

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Would a drop if cattke pour on do the same thing?

I have no idea. Don't cattle pour-ons treat a lot of different things? The dog ones would be specific to blood-feeding insects.
What's more, and I can't emphasise this enough, if there is even the slightest suggestion that there's collie in the dog's ancestry, you must never treat them with products containing ivermectin. It can kill them :eek:

Greengrass1

DBB wrote: »

I have no idea. Don't cattle pour-ons treat a lot of different things? The dog ones would be specific to blood-feeding insects.
What's more, and I can't emphasise this enough, if there is even the slightest suggestion that there's collie in the dog's ancestry, you must never treat them with products containing ivermectin. It can kill them :eek:

Sorry I wasn't clear enough I ment the pour on for lice/flys on cows cattle.

DBB

DBB wrote: »

There's also a new oral anti-flea product, can't remember the name of it but will get it for you.

Comfortis!

These treatments are all a bit pricey though, and you need to co-treat for worms along with fleas because fleas spread worms.
But once you get it under control, life should get easier. When I moved into my house 10 years ago, a new build, it was feckin infested with fleas, so had to do all of the above. But once I got on top of it, I actually can't remember the last time I treated my dogs for fleas!
So you do need to throw money at it (and some elbow grease) to get it under control, but it's usually not an ongoing expense.

DBB

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Sorry I wasn't clear enough I ment the pour on for lice/flys on cows cattle.

None of them are indicated for treatment of fleas, that I can see. I'd err on the side of caution were it me, and stick with the dog products in this case

Nekarsulm

DBB, do rats carry fleas that would live on a dog? She is a terror for rummaging after mice and rats. Has the wood pile half dismantled :rolleyes:

greysides

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Would a drop if cattke pour on do the same thing?

Not necessary when proper licensed products are available.

A few thoughts:

Do all animals in the household, cats and dogs, together to stop fleas reinfesting.

Hoovering is a good way to remove flea larvae from the environment. Newspaper bedding burnt regularly can be used for bedding.

If fleas are readily apparent it's probably a straight-forward infestation. But dogs can become hypersensitive to fleas bites such that a single bit from a passing flea can trigger a massive disproportionate reaction. Treatment then becomes complicated by treating the allergy as well.

Could these fleas be hedgehog or rabbit fleas? You did say Terrier.

greysides

greysides wrote: »

Could these fleas be hedgehog or rabbit fleas? You did say Terrier.

.............. or rats.

DBB

Nekarsulm wrote: »

DBB, do rats carry fleas that would live on a dog? She is a terror for rummaging after mice and rats. Has the wood pile half dismantled :rolleyes:

I'm not sure if rats carry dog fleas, but what is pretty certain is that whatever fleas rats do carry (and they do!), will certainly hop on board your dog. They may not be able to continue their life-cycle if the dog is not a suitable host for them, but they will still cause all the itching.
So to answer your question, you can be sure if she's a good ratter, she's going to pick up their fleas. Or dog fleas that have been lying in wait in the wood pile

slimjimmc

As DBB mentioned, treat everywhere the dog sleeps or enters. Those fleas you see represent a tiny fraction of the overall population. Retreatment is necessary after a few weeks. The dog should be checked by your vet for dermatitis and anaemia caused by severe infestation.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_multi_understanding_the_flea_life_cycle

meathstevie

I found it to be helpful to treat their bedding area with mite powder for hens as well. It destroys insects' exoskeletons.

Nekarsulm

Well, brought her to the vet this morning. Got an anti-inflammatory injection, Colsone. Got a course of tablets to treat yeast infection etc. on the skin . Got a Zantel tablet to hit any tapeworms, got three tubes of advocate, got a bottle of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal shampoo, all the way from Fort Worth, Texas. Got flea spray for her shed. Got instructions to burn all bedding and use cardboard in future. Got to clear out the wood shed........:D

greysides

First time in a car? Or first time modelling for the internet?

TopTec

Lovely looking girl there.

TT

onyerbikepat

Ah! We've all become dog lovers all of a sudden.:D

Nekarsulm

"First time in a car? Or first time modelling for the internet? "

First time on the internet! Hates the car.

"Ah! We've all become dog lovers all of a sudden."

We are all dog lovers here, it's the wild killer dogs we don't like!

td5

A trip to the vet might be the ans.

Cattlepen

I defo wouldn't put cattle pouron her. I would imagine it could make her very I'll cause of dose to weight ratios for one

DBB

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Well, brought her to the vet this morning. Got an anti-inflammatory injection, Colsone. Got a course of tablets to treat yeast infection etc. on the skin . Got a Zantel tablet to hit any tapeworms, got three tubes of advocate, got a bottle of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal shampoo, all the way from Fort Worth, Texas. Got flea spray for her shed. Got instructions to burn all bedding and use cardboard in future. Got to clear out the wood shed........:D

Sounds like you're in for an exciting weekend nekarsulm

greysides

DBB wrote: »

Sounds like you're in for an exciting weekend nekarsulm

What do you normally recommend for the owner of an infested dog, DBB?

Full body insecticidal scrub or dousing their clothes and bedding with DDT?

Keeping them outside the house for a few days is a good precaution while the stuff takes time to work.

Takes a dedicated owner to take an itchy dog to the vet......... Good man, Nekarsulum.

DBB

greysides wrote: »

What do you normally recommend for the owner of an infested dog, DBB?

Full body insecticidal scrub or dousing their clothes and bedding with DDT?

Keeping them outside the house for a few days is a good precaution while the stuff takes time to work.

Yes, I think the owner of the infested dog should do all of the above.
Then they should get around to starting the dog's treatment straight afterwards
:D:p:D

Nekarsulm

Gonna build a flame thrower , gonna burn that dog's hooch to the ground!

All joking aside, watching a scratchy dog makes you feel itchy. A bit like people yawning and setting you off as well.