Flea problems with my dogs

[lamposproject]

Hello!

I really notice that sometimes, either of my dogs have been facing problems on their skin which they are being invaded by fleas or ticks that makes their skin "red" and "painful". When we put on an ointment to one of our dogs, he feels a lot of pain for being touched in the infected part of his skin, and the same thing with other dogs.

Is it because of the dog soap? Shampoo? Food? Or what? Do we need to change anything? We tried every medicine that my dad bought on the animal clinic but it seems that it could work but for every 2-3 weeks, they got infected again.

 

[-bogart-]

fleas are going to keep coming back unless you treat the entire house and yard.
do a google search on household flea control and decide from there what would work for you!

 

[FourPaws]

Bogart is right. you must treat EVERYTHING, if the problem is serious.

The red, itchy skin is probably irritated due to scratching and biting due to fleas. Make sure the ointment you're putting on them is both soothing and antiseptic, to relieve the itching.

Personally, I have never had to go to extremes, and treat my whole yard for fleas, this is generally reserved for the most serious, out of control cases.

If you regularly bathe and treat your dogs, clean their bedding, and remove any areas in your house and yard that fleas might be breeding, the problem should fix itself rather quickly. Regularity in this matter is important, fleas are insidious.

Just keep at it, and increase the bathing regularity. (I find that tea tree oil based shampoos work wonders for me, I highly recommend them, tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, and fleas just hate it. it kills many of them instantly)

Your dogs will thank you for your diligence

 

[Saeleofu]

You may have to treat your home and yard for fleas, as other have said, to really get rid of them. Once you have them under control, then keep a preventative on them so tht they don't get bad again.

Flea control such as Advantage, Advantix, or Frontline are your best options for treating the dogs. They're more expensive, but that's because they actually work. I think all three can be purchased over the counter, but they'll probably be locked up since they are somewhat expensive. DO NOT use Hartz products; they can cause fatal reactions, and actually so do somewhat commonly.

Sometimes if fleas are really bad, you can try giving Capstar for a couple days along with the topical preventative, as Capstar kills any fleas on the dog fast, but doesn't last long. When you apply the topical prevention, wait at least 2 days before or after a bath, make sure it gets on the skin and not the hair, and make sure no clothing, collars, etc rubs the product off.

The red skin can be from scratching or from an actual allergy to fleas, called flea allergy dermatitis. You can try oatmeal baths, hot spot medications, or if nothing helps take the dog to a vet. You may need special shampoo to help clear up the skin, oral antibiotics, topical sprays, or allergy medications or steroids to help with the itching. Remember if you bathe, do it at least 48 hours before or after applying a topical flea preventative.

 

[gingsengmom]

i've used tea tree oil based shampoos as well with wonderful results.

 

[Dr.Marie]

I would agree that you need to use the prescription products such as Advantage, Revolution or Frontline to get rid of fleas. You need to treat every animal in the house every month for at least 3 months.

If you do this you don't need to treat the environment (unless you are in an apartment building with other untreated animals).

For the sore spots if they don't go away within a few days of treating the fleas then you will need to see the vet for steroids and possibly antibiotics.

 

[Amanda885]

aw no..that is no good. im sorry to hear.
just flea bomb your yard and give your dog some specialized shampoo baths.. good luck!