At the week-end my daughter in law found a flea on Tess. She rang me last night to tell me. At nine this morning I was at the pet shop door in a panic. So far I have flea combed her thoroughly and I have sprayed the carpet and furniture in the sitting room. I found one flea when I combed her thoroughly (it is now scrunched up in wet tissue in the dustbin). When she comes back from her afternoon walk with PetPals I shall put the stuff onthe back of her neck and then hope for the best.
Any advice anyone???
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I wouldn't panic too much Pat, just apply the Frontline (or equivalent) and keep an eye on Tess, the fleas might not even be dog fleas, could be from a rabbit.
To the best of my knowledge, in 40 years of keeping Jack Russell dogs they've never had dog fleas. However, when killing rabbits, they do pick up rabbit fleas but being white and short-haired dogs, it's easy to spot the fleas and pick them off and they've never become an infestation.
Be careful with any treatment you apply directly to the skin. We had a cat that was allergic and developed an awful abscess so we only used powder and combed him regularly, the fleas never came back and we didn’t find any on our furnishings. Sounds like you don’t have an infestation let’s hope it was just the one.
Sounds like you're doing a belt and braces Weave. I only get as far as furniture spray when I actually encounter a jumping flea on my bare leg from the floor. Frontline works well on the cats so I expect the dog equivalent will be good too. Cats display a good giveaway if they have fleas - scratching. I assume dogs would be the same.
As our cat is hard to handle she goes to the vet every 6 months for a Program flea injection. Prior to that it was mayhem trying to get the Advantage flea sachet of liquid behind her neck. We find the vet is more efficient at providing the injection (£50 twice a year).
This week I removed 2 ticks from our resident hedgehog with a tick-fork tool. Horrid little creatures they are!!
When i put the stuff behind the neck of my cat he started acting funny... I didn't like the reaction he was having so i quickly gave him a bath.. Now he wears a flea collar that i switch out every 6 months.. He is a completely inside cat but sometimes we can bring in the fleas ourselves into the house so i spray my carpets in the Spring /early Summer with a flea/tick spray..That helps alot i think.. Ticks are terrible here... they are little tiny seed ticks.. maybe the size of the head of a pin.. Good that you are on top of it Pat.. It can get away from you quickly. Hugs~ deb
Ask your vet for "Bravecto"
It's a chewy pastille that dogs love. It lasts 3 months and there's no greasy patch on the back of their neck.
Flea collar.
Don't panic, there is enough stuff out there on the market to kill them. Perhaps spray the carpets as well.
My cat reacted horribly to a topical treatment, but my dogs have always done well on Frontline or similar products from the Vet. Do you vacuum your carpets and rugs? If so, buy a flea collar and put it in the canister so that fleas vacuumed up are killed :) If you DO get an infestation, read up online about treating with diatomaceous earth...
Like Christina above we give Rick a tablet every three months - keeps ticks and fleas away and is less messy than Frontline.
We, long ago, had fleas in the house. A flea trap got rid of the ones in the rug (shallow pan, white is best, with an inch of water and squirt of dish soap. Position it under a small lamp at night.) It was an eye opener to count the fleas in the morning.
They are called cat fleas and infestations can be horrible. The stuff on the back of the neck works wonderfully, just make sure the label says for nymphs and eggs too. That way it covers all the bases and I doubt you'll see anymore. At the farm not only fleas, but zillions of ticks. It is horrible.
I use Frontline on my cat. Works really well. Give it about three months and she should be fine. Not sure what to do about the house. Maybe we caught ours early as we never had a problem in the house with fleas.
You only have to spray everywhere if you have an infestation. Which one flea does not amount to!
No advice but your post reminded me of the run up to my wedding. My roommates cats got fleas, she wouldn't believe me until the flat was completely infested. We had to have a professional company come in and spray. I wouldn't let him spray my wedding dress but no itching on the day thank goodness.
It's all been said and I am sure that Tess will be flealess soon.
On a different note, the first reply on here is I am pretty sure, from a spammer. I had one and got deleted it as it leads others to your blog.
Give the house a good vacuum getting into all the corners and wash any dog bedding. Lived in a bit climate for years not a big problem except when I went away for a month my legs were covered in them when I walked in the door. Insect spray and vacuum cleaner and all was well.
ie hot climate
If you have squirrels in the area they can bring fleas to your yard and she could get them when she goes outside. If that is the case there are products you can treat the yard with that work well. It sounds like you have caught it early and that is good.
Ah. Join the club. Had the same problem with Penny recently. Did the same as you, Spot On, spray everywhere, vacuum, washing bedding. We now seem to be a flea free zone again. I read somewhere that it has been a good / bad (depending on whether you are a flea or a dog) year for fleas with all the hot weather we have had.
My dog has no nose...
Don't panic, if you live in the country it is almost impossible for a dog not to get fleas, especially in the summer. We used flea collars for a while then Frontline but I am sure there are now newer treatments. Your vet will advise you if you are not sure which to choose.
Several years ago I had a flea infestation with my cats......all of whom are indoor, btw. Apparently, a flea can come in on your shoes, or on a mouse, or whatever. Anyway, my vet told me this: treat the animal...and then treat every month.....or get a Seresta collar that lasts 8 months.......then vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.........no need to spray your carpets, or launder anything.......but vacuum everything......we did it every day for a couple of weeks, and they were gone.
I use Indorex for the carpets it last up to 6 months a big tin will last over a year. Costly at £11 from Amazon but well worth it. Good vacuum then spray . I also use a steam vac round the edges of the carpet. Not seen one for ages but the little critters can live in carpets for ages and then hatch.
Flea infestation can be a grueling, stressful ordeal. I can understand why your concerned. Hopefully she had only a few on her. I’ve had the misfortune a few years back of having to fumigate several times to get rid of the pesky fleas. Gabs
I agree with Heather above. We use Frontline which keeps things under control.
Ted will eventually swallow and not spit out the Bravecto 'pill' - no fleas or ticks on him. I have found, well in the past, that a dog flea would bite me in three close places.
My Dad used to tune his ukelele by singing 'My dog's got fleas'.
You're doing the right thing. Apply the Frontline to the back of her neck, don't forget to remove her collar for the evening while it soaks into her skin thoroughly. Then give your whole house a good hoover. Any fleas that have 'jumped for their lives' will end up in the hoover and you will once again be flea free.
Put a note on your calendar when the next treatment is due and stick to the four weekly time period this time. In future it will be safe to go between five or six weeks.
And don't worry at this time of year unless she has been mixing with another dog with fleas there is every chance it is a rabbit flea that has taken up residence, your quick spotting of it will mean it is nipped in the bud nice and quickly.
Oh and fleas won't die in a damp scrunched up tissue ... flush it down the loo :-)
Thanks for all your advice. I am a bit calmer about it all today!
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