Flea Problem!!!!!

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Solo2driver

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At my wit's end here. We have a 40lb Australian Shepherd/border collie mix who is very energetic but likes to jump 6' fences and roam the neighborhood. When she's kept indoors, she tears apart vertical blinds and has even broken a window trying to escape (she gets very scared at thunder/lightning and burglars, of which we have many!).

We have used vet-prescribed flea and tick formulas (Advantix, etc.), OTC treatments, anti-flea sprays, etc. We used expensive bomb/foggers in the house and vacuum every day. We can't get rid of them!! There are fleas in the carpet, we have used the sprinkle-in-and-vacuum stuff as well.

There are a ton of them in my daughter's room, which the animals spend zero time in. They bite her up all over her body, it is pitiful!

My wife went as far as to shave my Aussie-- she looks rediculous!! And her skin (the dog) is all cut and chewed up from getting at the fleas.

We can't afford another trip to the vet, and all chemical treatments inside and outside the house have failed (we spread the anti-flea granules all over our front and back yards, no avail).

What do we do next, short of getting rid of the dog (and the indoor-only cat, which now has fleas also)??

-James
 
James:

I'm no expert, but one thing to keep in mind is the flea's reproductive cycle. Google it, as apparently, it can vary depending upon location and type of flea. The key concept, however, is that killing them just once NEVER works because within a few days (or maybe a week or two), the last batch of a zillion eggs hatch, and you've got 'em all over again, despite how extensive your initial chemical warfare efforts may have been.

I went through such a struggle back in 1991. I had just left active duty (and the regular pay check) to go to law school, and my wife (the realist in the relationship) was about to be done with me, as I had no solid answer about how we were going to feed the kid (only one then) next month. We rented a nice little house in Gainesville FL, but little did I know, the previous renters had left it with about ten bazillion dormant (and very hungry) fleas. I came in for the movers, and was promptly set upon. A day later, I had several hundred flea bites, mostly on the legs and up to the belt line, if you catch my drift. Owwwwww. I only stayed out of the hospital because I was not going to miss the first day of school, and because I nearly OD-ed on painkillers and antihistamines.

A very nice guy at Home Depot saved my marriage by pointing out that I needed to do two rounds of flea killing -- first to get the live ones, and the next a week or so later to kill all the offspring.

To this day, I'm convinced that if my wife had joined me and found the house full of fleas, she'd have been gone on the spot, and I'd never have seen her again. . .
 
Diet, IMO is one of the best protectors against fleas.

My animals only ever got fleas when they weren't well.

A bit of garlic in their food seemed to help.
 
Get rid of the dog. Then spray the yard and house till the problem subsides. I have gotten rid of less than favorable dogs, cats and horses. You can eat the pigs and cows though. Life is to short to deal with problem animals. A good animal is a pleasure to own and worth its weight in gold.
 
ek has it. I had to do treatments every 3 days to rid them from the back apartment.

The hardest thing to do is managing to keep the schedule up for the duration that's required. It's a seasonal struggle for me due to our cats being "free ranging" so to speak. The dogs get a good dose of SEVEN that they spread around everywhere. They're also bathed and shampooed regularly.

One oddity I've never sought explanation for. In my youth, the fleas that my dogs got were easily seen. That is, when bit by one, you saw it. Now it appears that the current variety are extremely small when they reach biting potential. I haven't seen one except when bathing the dogs.
 
I have a very small experience with fleas, but it worked.

When I lived in Brazil, I quickly found that I was getting bit by fleas. Someone told me that B-Complex vitamins would stop them. I started taking the vitamins and the biting stopped.
 
I would hate to get rid of the dog (cat is no problem, I can live without him!!), she is fantastic except for the fleas.

Thanks guys, off to Wal-Mart again for another round. The last fogger a few days ago was so powerful that it says you can't do another treatment for 14 days and no more than 6 times per year or else it becomes toxic to kids & people.

I can do another round of yard granules, it says its only needed once per season but I'll keep doing it to keep the fleas off the dog! I'll try some of the garlic/yeast suggestions as well.
 
Yes, I have to agree with EKpolk too. Hit the dog, the cat, the house, the yard, the car if the dog ever rides in it, and anything else the dog ever contacts. Try to use products that kill flea eggs and larva too. Be prepared to repeat is 2 weeks. They lay their eggs down in stuff where they are hard to kill.

You may want a fairly aggressive treatment for the dog. When we had an older dog with a flea allergy, we used Revolution. In the 5 years we had her, she never had a flea bite. I can't say she would have without the Revolution, but with it, she sure didn't. If doesn't do much good to treat your yard if the dog roams elsewhere. Revolution should keep it from bringing them home.
 
My cat had fleas and finally got rid of the fleas. I had a professional spray the yard. Then I de-fleaed the cat and had the house de-fleaed. The rugs and furniture including under mattresses, couches-every where. Now the cat stays in the house and no problems. If you insist on letting the dog run, you have three choises-sell the dog, keep the dog in or put it down.
 
we had fleas last year; we have a cat, but she's indoor. I believe my kids picked them up from the yard (there is a big ugly lazy dog in the dirty house behind us).
my wife vacuumed all the time. also, we found out that if you put a bowl of soapy water out overnight w/ a light over it, the fleas will jump in and drown. didn't work the 1st night, but the next night, I had a bunch of fleas in that water bowl!
my poor cat, she suffered the most. we put garlic salt in her food, and got a natural oil repellent for her fur; seemed to work well.
we slowly decimated their numbers until winter came and they were all gone.
 
Just hosed off the dog, let her dry off. Brought her into the house (after I had vacuumed twice), cornered her off in one room, and took a flea comb and went through all over her for about an hour...filled a punch bowl 1/2 with water and kept putting all of the fleas from the dog into the bowl...the bowl was FULL of fleas when I was done, dog seemed happier. There are probably a few left on her, so I sprayed another round of on-dog anti-flea spray on her underside and behind her ears.

I'll vacuum again later tonight and see what is still jumping around the house.
 
James:

A somewhat expensive and slow solution is beneficial nematodes. Google, and tell me what you think. I haven't used them for that for a while, so I don't recall all the specifics, but I have some long time dog-owner friends that could bring me up to date. If you find the idea worthwhile I can tell you where to get them.
 
Baby fleas hatch in your carpet as larvae, and slowly grow up on all the dead skin and junk that collects between the fibers. Then they turn into adults and lie dormant in pupal sacs stuck to the carpet for up to a year, waiting for the warmth and CO2 of a live body nearby.

Tear out all your carpet and your flea problem will go with it, if you keep up the treatments on your dog.
 
Quote:
When she's kept indoors, she tears apart vertical blinds and has even broken a window trying to escape (she gets very scared at thunder/lightning and burglars, of which we have many!)


From someone who has successfully raised a lot of dogs, consider crate training, then obedience training. You'll be happier and your dog will be happier.
 
Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

I hate to see a dog left with or with out a crate over 4-5 hours. If you can't make it back for a mid day break, see if a neighbor or professional dog walker can. One of the best solutions for those that must work for a living is doggy day care.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Quote:
When she's kept indoors, she tears apart vertical blinds and has even broken a window trying to escape (she gets very scared at thunder/lightning and burglars, of which we have many!)


From someone who has successfully raised a lot of dogs, consider crate training, then obedience training. You'll be happier and your dog will be happier.


Yes, Molly had been crate trained when we got her, but when we moved from San Diego to Houston about 11 months ago, we had to leave her large crate behind because it would not fit in the moving truck and we could not afford to ship it or get another one....we just bought one two weeks ago, a little bit smaller than her other one, but works well.

Now, she hates it. She used to sleep in it (in fact, would only sleep in the crate), and happily go inside; now she won't go near it and barks the whole time she is in, day or night. I remember her doing that when we first got her, but within a week she was normal (my buddy owned the dog before we did, he was going through a divorce). Suggestions for that?
 
Hmm, you've got a cross between two working breeds of dogs that like/need to have something to do. Got room for a goat or sheep in the back yard?
wink.gif

Sheep dogs like to bark when they sense a threat, is there something new in the neighbourhood that she hears? Ours used to bark at the neighbours horses until I introduced them to her.
I'd also make sure you are the alpha to your dog, if your not it can be stressful for them too as they are unsure of the structure in your house.
 
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