Help! My kitten has fleas and gave them to my chihuahua. I gave them both flea baths?

Question

and it didn't work. I ordered frontline on the net but in the meantime what should I do? Can I give them another flea bath? I just gave them one yesterday.

Will it be bad for their skin?

Answer 1

Flea baths will do nothing but give you clean fleas, LOL. Even if the fleas DO die from the shampoo, however....new ones will get right back on your dog just as soon as it's dry.

Baths are a complete waste of time for controlling fleas. They should be used ONLY to get your pet clean and for removing flea excrement...that's the black stuff that looks like pepper and will turn reddish when wet (because it's your pet's blood that has been digested by the flea and pooped back out.) Frequent baths will dry normal pets' skin out and make them very itchy. You need to do other things to control fleas.

Pooky was exactly right about the house 'bombing'....also a waste of time. You need to use a premise SPRAY that you apply directly to the carpet, the furniture, under the furniture, etc. (flea bombs/foggers don't get into those places)....and also do what she said about vacuuming. The flea life cycle takes 3 weeks to complete, so you need to do this every 3 weeks for at LEAST 2-3 treatments.

Ask your veterinarian for a product called Capstar. It will flat-out kill every flea on your pet within 2 hrs. We give it to all of our surgery patients the minute they walk in the door, so we don't have to deal with fleas jumping into the incision in the middle of surgery. It is incredibly safe and has no side effects...even in tiny dogs. The only drawback is that it only lasts a day or 2. It's safe enough to give that frequently, but that gets expensive (a single dose is not much $, however.)

At the same time you give Capstar, you need to apply Frontline, Advantage, Advantix, or Revolution. Your DVM will advise you which one you need, based on your individual circumstances. (This will not generally require an examination...usually you'll just speak with an appropriately trained technician.) They are all applied the same way (once a month on the back of the neck), but they work differently and do different things. They are very effective and economical. (Please note that when bought on the Internet, many times you'll receive counterfeit product that has almost identical packaging. It might not work...or it might be toxic. Is that worth saving a couple of dollars? We actually sell ours...which is verified as authentic....for LESS than what you can get it on the net for.)

Do NOT use the once a month, back of the neck drops you can get at pet stores, feed stores, WalMart, etc. They are toxic, but since they are not regulated by the FDA, they are still sold. (They are regulated by the EPA, which has to do with environmental safety....they have nothing to do with animal safety.) There is one in particular many people use/ask about. It starts with an H and ends with a Z. Usually in an orange box. When people call and ask us if it works, we give them the proper professional answer....but what we really WANT to say is, "Yes, it works to control fleas on your pets very well.....because fleas don't live on dead animals."

They are notorious for causing protracted seizures...esp. in cats. Untreated, they often do die. We can pull many of them through it if the owners get them to us fast enough, but it's not cheap to do.

Best bet....your DVM. He/she will know which products work in your area and which ones don't (fleas develop regional resistance to some products), as well as which ones are safe. Please call them. They'll be happy to help. We don't like seeing puppies (and small dogs) and kittens dying from flea anemia....those are especially sad and frustrating cases, since they can be so easily prevented.

Answer 2

Flea baths only work for the time that you are bathing them. I work at a Vet Clinic and we always advise that if you are having a problem with fleas then you need to treat your house and yard. You can get this stuff called Environmental Spray "GREAT STUFF". This is for the house. Fleas can live in your carpet and any type of material for a long time. They lay dormant and when it gets a little warm they hatch. If you treat your house wait for the stuff to either dry or settle and then vacuum like crazy. Base boards, carpet, and furniture. THROW the vacuum bag away. Then treat the pets. You can get this stuff at wal-mart for the yard. But you need to do it right after you take the dog out for the last time and then in the morning after the dew as dried you can let the dog walk on it. You don't really want to use any bombs because they go straight into the air and then fall they don't really do any good. You did the right thing ordering frontline. But definitely treat your house. hope this helps. On the computer type in FLEAS in the search and read up on them it is amazing to learn the life cycle.

Answer 3

After thoroughly wetting your pet -Use a TBSP of lemon dawn dishwashing liquid, rubbing it all over starting aroung the ears and neck area(the fleas will run to the ears and face) down to the skin adding a little more water as needed and leave it set for 3 minutes before rinsing. Make sure to rinse well. Vacuum your entire house and empty your bag or cup to an outside trash can. Wash everything you can and use high heat while drying. The drops you ordered are good, when you get them put them on the back of their neck between the collarbone and within 24 hours the fleas will be dead and if fleas jump on them they will die within a few hours. It only works for a month so make sure to keep at it same time each month!

Answer 4

No, do not give another flea bath, you can overdose on the chemicals. To many toxics. It should repel the fleas off them anyway for a certain period of time.

Get all the bedding, wash in hot water. Spray the areas where they sleep with normal fly spray, without you or the animals in the area.

If you want more info on fleas and their eradication go to the link below. It may help. Infact there are many articles on fleas there.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Help! My kitten has fleas and gave them to my chihuahua. I gave them both flea baths?
and it didn't work. I ordered frontline on the net but in the meantime what should I do? Can I give them another flea bath? I just gave them one yesterday.

Answer 6

Treat the house as well as the pet. The fleas live and breed in carpets, furniture etc. They only go to the animal or human when feeding. Buy a good quality flea spray from the pet store. Spray it around all base boards and across every doorway (Fleas move around and must pass through doorways sooner or later). This will work.

Answer 7

cat fleas and dog fleas are actually different...

anyhow - you can give them baths again but obviously it isnt helping get rid of all the fleas - so also get a flea comb and comb through both your pets - do this with sticky tape near by so if you catch a flea you can stick it to the tape and get rid of it

vacuum your house - wash all pet beds and all toys.

NEVER use flea collars

Answer 8

Fleas are not that easy.. You cannot JUST bath a dog/cat in flea shampoo and call it quits.. You have to shampoo in good flea control shampoo the pets on day one... then one week later, do it again.. this is because the flea larvae/eggs are there and are not killed by the first shampooing but will be killed by the second one.... IN ADDITION to the shampooing.. you have to spray the bedding areas where the cat and dog sleep. this also to be done twice.. one week apart.

Answer 9

Yes give them another flea bath! But the most important thing is to wash everything these animals touch, as fleas also go onto blankets and so on. Wash everything and also check yourself and especially your bedding!!

Answer 10

vinegar rinse..........1 part vinegar to 3 parts warm water ....give as a final rinse it also deters fleas mites etc....you can also use same quantity for ear cleaning and to get rid of odours.....i don't use anything but vinegar and i have 8 long coated dogs who show so come in contact with loads of other animals and i have never used anything else and never been plagued with fleas ...