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new flea problem......any suggestions


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Hello there,

 

First time posting....I have a pair of border collies 4 and 3 years old (Kimono and Auron respectively).

 

We moved from Texas in Sept 2007 to the Hudson Vallley NY; where I grew up and plan on living here for the forseeable future. The dogs never had a flea problem 'til about 2 months ago.

 

In Texas, the biggest concern was ticks, which were everywhere, but we managed fairly well enough. In New York, we haven't had a problem with ticks,

but in the last few months we can't keep the fleas off of them. We bathe them at least once a week and have flea collars, but nothing seems to help.

 

Ironically, we have a brindle pitbull/boxer mix (male) which is the third amigo if you will, and he doesn't seem to be having any problems with the fleas.

 

If you have any suggestions on what to bathe them in or brand specific flea collars or shampoo to use, they would be most appreciated. Please help the dogs to lose the itch as it were.

 

Thanks again, Luke

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Welcome to the boards!

 

Flea baths only kill fleas that are on the dogs at the time and so they can become reinfested immediately. I wonder about the effectiveness of your flea collars. Many of the more common, "generic", and been-around-a-long-time formulations are no longer effective.

 

Have you considered using a topical product like Frontline or Advantage? They too are losing their effectiveness in some areas of the country. There are also other, newer alternatives, some of which might only be available through your veterinarian.

 

What causes me to wonder is that your dogs are becoming reinfested at this time of year. The flea population out of doors should be dormant (certainly with all the cold you've had). That leads me to believe that there may be a flea population established in your house and that the products you are using are, as you note, not effective. Or, your dogs are being exposed to reinfestation from another source, like a place you go or dogs/cats that they associate with.

 

Meanwhile, you might find that there are shampoos that can help ease itching or even use Benedryl to help relieve symptoms.

 

Try using the "search" function at the top of the page to find previous topics concerning flea treatment products, which will deal largely with topical drop-on products.

 

Best wishes! This is not a pleasant issue to deal with.

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Hello there,

 

First time posting....I have a pair of border collies 4 and 3 years old (Kimono and Auron respectively).

 

We moved from Texas in Sept 2007 to the Hudson Vallley NY; where I grew up and plan on living here for the forseeable future. The dogs never had a flea problem 'til about 2 months ago.

 

In Texas, the biggest concern was ticks, which were everywhere, but we managed fairly well enough. In New York, we haven't had a problem with ticks,

but in the last few months we can't keep the fleas off of them. We bathe them at least once a week and have flea collars, but nothing seems to help.

 

Ironically, we have a brindle pitbull/boxer mix (male) which is the third amigo if you will, and he doesn't seem to be having any problems with the fleas.

 

If you have any suggestions on what to bathe them in or brand specific flea collars or shampoo to use, they would be most appreciated. Please help the dogs to lose the itch as it were.

 

Thanks again, Luke

 

 

Do you have cats or feral cats nearby they are most likely your flea problem in the NE. I would just get doses of advantix or Frontline plus and get rid of the problem for good. I've purchased frontline plus off ebay for a great price but, you need immediate relief so call around to local pet stores and supplies for a good price.

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Not to question your housing, but what type of place did you move into? Rental, buy, living with a friend? It could be that fleas were in the house before you got there. They can live year round in a warm house. If you have carpeting, I would suggest having them steam cleaned and then follow up with some kind of carpet flea control for eggs that were left behind. Also, talk to your vet about Advantage or other flea meds and a good flea shampoo for itchy relief. The over the counter stuff doesn't really work (Hartz, etc). Good luck!

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Are you sure it's fleas? Have you seen fleas on the dogs, or flea dirt? If you haven't, look near the tail, parting the hair to get a close look at the skin. Also check the belly. If you see fleas or little black crumbs, (pick up a couple of those crumbs, put them on something white like a paper towel, then put a drop of water on it. If it turns reddish brown, it's flea feces.)

 

If it is fleas, then the advice above will help, as will dusting your carpet with food grade diatomaceous earth. You can get that at garden supply store or on the internet, it's pretty inexpensive. Go to www.askthebugman.com for advice about using it. It's relatively environmentally friendly.

 

If it's not fleas, I'd look at allergies that your b collies have to something new in their environment and that your pit mix boy doesn't.

 

Good luck!

 

Ruth

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I agree with treating the source of the fleas, not giving poisons endlessly to the dog. Diatomaceous earth all over your home, under baseboards, under cushions, under furniture, and in all carpets will help. The one time I has a flea infestation ( new cats from across the road) I also used rotenone powder mixed with the diatomaceous earth. The DE will gradually eliminate all small insects by scratching their surface and causing them to dry up. The rotenone will chemically damage all insects, even the larger ones. I have used these on horses as well as dogs. Once I bought a horse at an auction, and she had dandruff - really covered with lice as I later realized.

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I've found after umpteen years of using frontline it is no longer effective for us.

We switched to advantage, (can't use it if you have cats I think) so far it is working.

I'm a huge fan of DE but found in addition to DE we needed some sort of topical to really keep things under control.

Our first flea infestation came last summer. I couldn't get rid of them till I switched from frontline and also had my house treated. I have leather furniture and hard floors but they were still in the house. Haven't had anymore issues.

I also tried comfortis. I didn't like the dogs having to ingest a pill to kill fleas but it did work. Way to expensive for us to continue and didn't have any affect on ticks, which we also suffer from in the summer months.

 

Be careful, if your dogs do have fleas it's likely they have or will get tapeworm. Not for sure but it did follow for us.

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Borax in the carpet left for a few days is also pretty effective. Our doxie would constantly get fleas and Frontline did no good, then I realized it was probably fleas/eggs left in the carpet of my apartment before we moved in. I want to try DE, but went to Lowes/Home Depot to get some and couldn't find any. I'll keep looking at garden supply centers. I need something to treat the yard, but can't use chemicals since it technically isn't my yard. I've read that DE is bad to breathe in, pretty much as with any powder, but do I need to take special precautions? Should I keep the dogs out of the house and wear a dust mask when I put it on the carpet?

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I'll keep looking at garden supply centers. I need something to treat the yard, but can't use chemicals since it technically isn't my yard. I've read that DE is bad to breathe in, pretty much as with any powder, but do I need to take special precautions? Should I keep the dogs out of the house and wear a dust mask when I put it on the carpet?

 

Claire, you can get it mail order if you need to. Check out the web site I referenced above for where to go. When I spread it around, the dogs are outside and the cats in a closed room. It does bother DH, he's got asthma, so I do it by myself . As soon as the stuff is in the carpet it's fine. It is drying to the skin and nasal passages, even when wearing a mask.

 

If you have such a thing as an organic nursery close to you, you'll probably be able to find it there.

 

Ruth

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Are you sure it's fleas?
I was thinking this myself, especially since one of the dogs doesn't seem to be effected. I once had two cats and one of the cats was pulling out its fur and itching. The other cat was uneffected. We could not figure out why the cat was pulling out its hair. A month or so later I got some really funky bumps on my arm. I went to the Dr, they had no clue. Then, they sent me to a dermatologist, and the once again had no clue as to what caused the bumps/rash on my arm. I brought the cat into the vet's office again becuase he now had a bald spot and the vet was perplexed. Then I showed her my arm and a light bulb went off. The non-itchy cat was was a "carrier," of some little bugs that were feasting on me and the other cat. It was a long time ago so I can't remember what the bugs were called. Either way both cats got treated with innaculations and myself and the balding kitty recovered just fine.
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