My dog has fleas. Yes.....

[Smarmie Doofus]

... "God gave those fleas to him."

Now if only he/she/it ( i.e. "God&quot would ... ya know...make them "begone".

Anyway... vet told me to buy an apply Frontline Plus. Which I bought and applied two days ago.

He's still a-scratching and a-biting. ( That's the *dog", btw. Not the vet. And not "God", ya' blasphemous %$#$%@$-ses.)

How long does it TAKE?

Anyone been through this before?

Any alternative ( i.e. CHEAPER) treatments you know of? The product in question is 58.99 for three little applications. (Supposed to last for three months, Hmmm..... but when does the clock start.... if you know what I mean?)

Thanks.

[LiberalEsto]

1. Dawn dish detergent

Put your dog in a tub or sink with lukewarm water and wash with Dawn blue detergent. Make sure before you start that you have a plastic container for rinsing, and plenty of towels for the two of you.

This will kill the live fleas.

Also, vacuum everywhere and throw the bag out.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Dawn dish detergent is better than that Hartz Mountain Flea shampoo I just bathed him in on Friday?

This is going to be the cleanest dog on the east coast.

What about the larvae, eggs, etc.?

Do I just keep dish-washing the poor guy?

But thanks.... I'm waiting for the stores to open at 9 and I'm out the door.

[LiberalEsto]

3. You might pick up a flea comb and use it to remove eggs and larvae.

Although I don't know how well that would work on a long-haired dog.

I've also read that setting up a night light with a dish of water under it will lure fleas. They jump in the water and drown.

We have been using Vectra for our two dogs for years and have not had any flea problems. However I've heard that some dog breeds can't tolerate it.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. Thanks. I'll try it on some tea partiers up the street first.

>>>I've also read that setting up a night light with a dish of water under it will lure fleas. They jump in the water and drown. >>>>

I'll let ya' know.

[Rainforestgoddess]

5. We don't have frontline in Canada

But there is no treatment that works instantly because of the life cycle of the flea. Most treatments work on the adult flea, some environment sprays work on the larvae. Nothing works on the eggs. So you will have a hatch going on for some time. The vacuum suggestion is great, because the larvae are stimulated to adulthood by heat, humidity, vibration and carbon dioxide. So vacuum once. Wait a bit, vacuum again. And for goodness sake, get rid of the bag, because the fleas can hop right on out of there. Alternatively, you can put one of those cheap flea collars in the vacuum bag. It's pretty well the only thing they're good for.

Also, vacuum every day to catch the new hatch.

Bathing isn't a great idea, you can damage the skin if you bathe too often.

From what I know, frontline is a decent product, so keep up with that.

It also depends on where you live. If you're somewhere that gets a good cold on in the winter, you shouldn't have to treat year round. If you're somewhere warm and humid, flea treatment is a year round proposition. (personally we're in the Pacific northwest, and it's year round here)
http://m.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_multi_understanding_the_flea_life_cycle?page=1

[newfie11]

6. I use food grade diamasous earth

It also is great to put it in your yard.
It's non toxic and used in silos to kill any insects .

[Big Blue Marble]

7. If your dog has fleas,

your house has fleas. Fleas only spend 5% of their time on your dog.
Be sure to clean the areas where your dog sleeps. Wash the bedding
and vacuum throughly every day. Many eggs fall off your dog in this area.

The eggs and fleas are where your dog goes, so vacuum all carpets, furniture,
and hardwood floors everyday. It is good to shampoo your carpets if you have any.

Then buy flea traps. As many as you can afford and put them everywhere.
The best ones are white (fleas are drawn to white and warmth.) They
have a small light. The fleas will then get stuck on the sticky paper at
the bottom.

As someone recommended, get a flea comb and comb your dog two or three
times a day. Have a cup with ice water ready to place the fleas otherwise
they will escape. Afterwards pour the ice water down down the disposal and
chop. I have had fleas crawl up from a drain if I did not use the disposal.

I have completely rid my house of fleas without pesticides, multiple times over
the years using these techniques even with five animals in the house.
It takes persistence and patience, but you can eliminate them.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. I always used hot water with some dish detergent in it

and as soon as I had a flea on the comb, I dunked it and it died almost instantly.

[iscooterliberally]

8. I have 3 large dogs, and we had a bad case of fleas too.

The best product I ever used on fleas was something called Comfortis. It killed fleas faster than anything I have ever seen. It comes in a pill. I was living in Boston for two years, but I moved back to South Florida back in February. As soon as we got back the dogs picked up fleas from the yard. It was awful. The Frontline Plus did not do the job, but the Comfortis took care of it within a few hours. I had a friend use this product as well and he has about 7 dogs. My dogs are all healthy rescue mutts. Make sure your dog is healthy too before giving this medicine. It is expensive, but it's worth the money if you can swing it. Of course we had to treat the house too. I had to treat my kitties as well. We used Revolution on them instead. Good luck!

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Don't do anything else except clean, clean, clean

the house. It takes a week or two for the Frontline to kill all the fleas. If you wash the dog, it may wash the Frontline off (or maybe not if it is in the blood stream now). You can't use more Frontline for a month. Give it some time to work before you try anything else. But you do want to vacuum, clean or replace all bedding, and I always would put a pair of white socks on and walk around the house to see if there were any more fleas and where they were---they will jump on the socks and are easy to see.

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. I can do that. I'd have to quit my job if I had one. But since I don't.....

It's strange: I've yet to see one of these little buggers. And, believe me, I've looked.

Vet says he found flea excrement in the coat. OK... I believe him.

That Frontline was hard to apply. It was hard to get a decent swath of bare skin.... my pooch is pretty hairy.

So I hope he absorbed it all.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. you need to get them out of your house

If your pet has fleas then you have an infestation. For every flea you see there are a gazillion more of them that you don't. You not only have to treat the pet you have to treat the environment.

Bathe the dog with Dawn dishwashing soap. Since you already applied the Frontline don't do that again or apply any other flea killer until it's time for another dose of the Frontline.

Get bug bombs for the house that kills both fleas AND their larva and follow the instructions for bug bombing the house. Yes, it's a pain in the ass, but the fleas and their eggs need a clean sweep or you're just going to be fighting a losing perpetual battle with them.

Continue using the Frontline every month except for those months that are the dead of winter. Depending on where you live this can mean continual year round flea protection.

ALL the pets in the home need flea treatment. If one pet has fleas the others do as well though they may not show any signs of being bothered by them. And if one pet has fleas and that pet spends time in the home then the home is also infested with them.

Continue to treat your pets with flea repellent so that an infestation doesn't happen again. Though you've used the Frontline on your dog you're still having a problem because the house is so infested that enough fleas are still getting on the dog and biting before the Frontline kills them. Fleas don't stay on a pet. They get into and lay their eggs in carpeting, draperies, bedding, etc. which is why if they're on the pet then your whole home is infested. Try to keep your pets out of tall grass or wooded areas that are natural flea infested outdoor areas.

Make sure you are using Frontline Plus because it's waterproof whereas the old regular Frontline was not though I don't think they even make the old non-waterproof Frontline anymore.

If your pet frequently rides in the car then your car probably has fleas in it, too. Get a spray that kills fleas AND their eggs and spray all the carpeting and upholstery in the car, and let it sit with the windows shut for a few hours to make sure the spray kills every flea or egg in there, and don't let the dog back in the car until both the car and the dog are flea-free.

It's a whole lot easier to do the pets, the home and the car all in the same day so there is no chance of re-infesting any of them and having to do it all over again.

In future, keep yourself and your pets out of other peoples' flea infested homes. That's how I ended up getting another flea infestation... being in someone's home that was so grossly flea infested that you could see dozens of them hopping up and down all over the carpet. Though I washed my clothes as soon as I got home I must have carried home a few in my jacket, and weeks later had my own infestation. Never again am I ever going into anyone's house that has a flea infestation. That was decades ago and I've never had a flea problem since.

Fleas are a freaking plague. All it takes in ONE female flea laying eggs in your home that gives you an infestation in a few weeks.

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. Wow. We might have to just learn to peacefully coexist.

I jest.

What about general insecticide.... like Ant and Roach killer. Will that suffice as a WMD for these fellas?

Or do I need something more.... you know.... *lethal*.

[TorchTheWitch]

14. actually the bug bombs are easier and a lot cheaper

Since you don't know where the fleas are in the house it's both cheaper and easier to just bug bomb the whole house. That's why they make them. I've always called them "bombs" but technically they're called foggers. They're canisters that look much like a spray canister but once you press the button to start them they continue spraying until empty. You have to be out of the house and have the pets out of the house as well while they're spraying. If you have a fish aquarium there's instructions on how to cover the tank so the aquarium stays in the house but the fish are protected.

What's a pain in the butt about it is preparing the house for fogging (you have to open all doors of closets and cabinets and drawers of dressers, etc.) and cleaning up afterward (you have to clean all the kitchen counters, dining room table, and any other surfaces where food is eaten or prepared, and clean all the dishes and utensils that are used for eating or preparing food. Since the chemicals from the foggers get on everything in the house any of the dogs toys you'd want to wash before they get their mouths on them again, but you also don't want to take them out of the house because they're also likely places that fleas or flea eggs are going to be. Since a lot of my dog's toys are stuffed fabric toys, I would toss them all in the washing machine and wash them in hot water and let them air dry. Rubber balls or other chew toys can just be tossed into a sink full of hot water soapy water and rinsed.

The foggers (bug bombs) ARE lethal and the easiest and cheapest way to make sure you kill all the fleas and eggs in the whole house. They also kill all kinds of other bugs like spiders or roaches or pretty much every other creepy crawly or flying beast in the house. You just have to read the instructions with the cannisters and make sure you get the ones that say they also kill the flea eggs or you have to do the whole thing again once the flea eggs hatch. Raid, Black Flag, Ortho... pretty much every insecticide company makes the foggers in the easy disposable cannisters that just look like most any other aerosol spray can.

They usually come in packages of two or three foggers that are enough for an average sized house though they tell you on the package how many you need to cover X square footage. I have a row house and would probably only need two of them in here - one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs.

Generally, they all work the same way in that you set them off and leave the house with any living creatures. They go off for something like a half hour to an hour, then you have to run back in the house and open all the windows and doors and let it air out for another half hour or hour. It will say on the package. No people or pets should go back in the house for any length of time until it's aired out.

Bug bombing/fogging the whole house is the only way to make sure you've killed them all along with their eggs, and you HAVE to kill them all along with their eggs or keep fighting infestations. Yes, it's rather a pain to prepare the house for fogging, finding somewhere to go or something to do with the pets until it's done and aired out and then cleaning up the kitchen and dishes and doggie toys afterward to get rid of the chemicals, but it's a hell of a lot easier to do a clean sweep this way then try to keep battling the bugs with contact sprays where you THINK they are when the damn things are pretty much everywhere, and all it takes is one single female flea laying eggs somewhere in the house to start a new infestation.

I think the last time I bombed the house I used the foggers made by Raid or maybe it was Black Flag. Came in a package of three canisters though I only needed two of them to do my apartment where I was living at the time. After that I always put Frontline on the dog and never got fleas on the dog or in the house again though I'm on the third dog and the second house.

You can get the foggers at any hardware store or anywhere that has a garden department. Even a lot of drug stores and supermarkets carry them. I think the last time I did this I bought them at my local supermarket but they had a good section of various home and garden supplies - even stuff for the car.

In poking around on the intertubes it looks like most companies make foggers that don't leave a residue on stuff. Personally, I'd wash counters and dishes and stuff anyway though. I'm not seeing how it can be effective and not leave a chemical residue.

[Sunlei]

16. good post! some good home foggers out there & yes this is a easier way to clear bugs out!

[Sunlei]

15. you didn't mention if your dog lives outside or inside? & was it thousands of fleas or a couple?

Flea bites are very itchy, after a couple months of biting/chewing some dogs develop hairless areas , sores because they chew/scratch. By then even if you get rid of every flea (very hard if the dogs yard is infested) even a couple of flea bites starts the itching because the dog developed allergic reactions.

It will probably take a couple weeks of no fleas for a dog very infested to stop itching. Imagine if you had 1,000 bug bites. Your Vet has some medications to help take the itch away but no use if you still have a flea infestation.

We're lucky to have many great flea products these days. What I do if I rescue a dog covered with fleas is first I would give it Capstar. This is over the counter, kills all fleas. second- a gentle bath to help remove the itch a little. Dogs I rescue usually have very sore itchy skin from a life of bugs.

Capstar- http://www.petco.com/product/105391/Capstar-Flea-Tablets-for-Pets.aspx

I use "Frontline plus" on all my dogs, important thing is it kills-(off the label)- "Kills fleas, flea eggs & larvae, ticks & chewing lice" also over the counter, google it, its less pricey than your Vet.

I don't have a flea problem, in my house or yard. I use frontline monthly in the summer months or if my dogs go off property I'll use it to keep bugs off my dogs.

Haven't had a problem in years. In your case if it's an infestation of your house or yard. you should fog the house and spray your entire yard.. or hire a company that guarantees to get rid of fleas to do it for you. Sometimes that's the least expensive way to go.

[Smarmie Doofus]

17. He's a 95% indoor dog.

We have a little yard but he doesn't like to go there alone. This apartment is kind of "buggy" in the summer. Lots of houseflies in particular. (Do fleas piggy-back on them?) Screens are there but they get in somehow.

Could be there were visible fleas mixed in w. other UFOs in August. I didn't notice. But... last nite... I noticed the first identifiable "flea" .... buzzing around the light of this very laptop. It's cooler now, the windows are closed and this was definitely a *flea* related to the dog and/or the indoor environment.

I'm assuming the Frontline Plus... applied about four days ago.... still needs time to work. ( He's still biting and scratching; perhaps not as much.) Would it make sense to "bomb" now? Or should I wait till the dog infestation part of it improves significantly?

Can you use Capstar WITH Frontline Plus?

[Sunlei]

18. Ok, an apartment with a small yard.

you may have a next door neighbor with a flea infestation on their dog & the fleas jump into your yard/home. The house flies come from dog poop, garbage, or a maggot infested dog. Dog poop needs to be cleaned up daily. It attracts house flies. Take a look over your fence and make sure you don't have a next door dog living in bad conditions, who needs help.

Yes, you can use capstar to kill all the fleas on your dog even if they're on frontline. Do you see fleas on your dog? If not, you don't need to use capstar. read the directions on the capstar box. Yes, I'd fog the apartment now and spray your yard.

Here's the wiki on dog fleas, many of the posters here gave the same good advice as on the wiki. Fleas don't 'fly' they jump. A good wiki, it covers everything. good luck!

Dog flea- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_flea