When all else fails......?

Question

I´ve been breeding dogs for years and know quite a bit about them but on this i am stumped.....
I have a 2 1/2 year old siberian husky (thats her in the picture).... now anyone who know this breed will be aware that they have a double coat, so theres plenty of fur there..... well shes been infested with flees for about 5 months and i´ve tried everything i can think of to get rid of them... but to no avail.
Shes been shampooed... sprayed... soaked in a bath full of very strong flee killer... had front line on the scruff of her neck...shes on programme tablets once a month to stop the eggs from hatching... ive sprayed my house..... hovered it 4 times a day.... flee bombed it... put flee killer in the garden....... and when i mention all these things i havn´t done them only once, i´ve done them all at least twice and some of them four or five times (i even put garlic in her food every couple of days)... can anyone help???

oh and i know everyone will say go to the vet... well ive been there and done everything he said but it didn´t work... also i don´t want to shave her if i can avoid it as huskies coats take a long time to grow back and you shouldn´t really shave them as they may not grow back properly

Answer 1

I understand not wanting to shave her, but how about taking her to a groomer and having the under coat stripped. Then bathe her with Pine Sol it will stun the fleas and you can try to comb them out with a flea comb. I've bathed a rescue kitten with bad fleas with Pine Sol, the poor thing was starving and bloody from the fleas, and the Pine Sol didn't hurt it and it was quite effective.
Having done that I would dose her with Tea Tree Oil. And talk to the Vet about a course of Antibiotics, If the fleas are bad she could end up with a skin infection. Then her coat will start falling out on its own.

You could investigate Lice shampoos and treatments, the active ingredients may be different than traditional flea treatments. Could be woth a try.

I will keep my thoughts open for other answers and e-mail you if I find anything.

Seriously I used the Pine-sol at the local shelter under the supervision of the staff there. I guess you could do nothing but before they were able to remove the kitten I bathed from it abusive owners, it's sibling had died. The vet said the fleas were partly to blame for the death.

Answer 2

I know you probably wouldn't, but for anyone else reading the advice about using Pine-sol, this is only one of the many sites I found that warns of the dangers of using it.

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/02/08/the_top_household_dangers_to_your_pets.htm

I'm stumped, too, as to why your treatments for your house and dog are not working. The only thing you didn't mention was Capstar, an oral medication that will kill the fleas that are on her. I don't think it would help in the long run, because she's obviously just picking them up again and again from somewhere. Does she go to anyone else's house who may have a flea problem? Have you vacuumed and sprayed your car if she rides in there? Any stray cats living under a deck or a shed in your yard that could be carrying them? It's hard with squirrels and rabbits if they're around. Have you thrown out your vacuum bags after you vacuum?

I'm sorry I'm not much help. Like i said, you've got me stumped, too. Good luck!

Answer 3

Where are you walkin' her, maybe the fleas are not coming from anywhere you've treated. As for not shaving her, we've two akitas who were suffering from the heat this year, they have very similar coats to huskies and we shaved them right down as far as we could (took us 4 hrs). They're growing back nicely but slowly. I think this is your only option. Do it now before the weather gets too cold. Hope you find a solution, and if I was there I'd give her a hug fleas an' all. P.s maybe you should ask the vet if you could dip her in the same stuff farmers dip their sheep in. ... Not that crazy if you think about it.

Answer 4

I have an Alaskan Malamute with the same type of coat as your husky and getting rid of fleas is hard work! Make sure that when you use any spot on treatment that you dog doesn't get wet as this can stop it working. the only thing you haven't mentioned is a flea collar?
The flea drops took about 2-3 attempts to stop the fleas.

Answer 5

I wouldnt do anything to my dog without the advice of the Vet. Frontline is always the best. I have a dog with a double coat too although not a husky. Is the dog picking them up at a groomer's?

Answer 6

may seem silly but do you have a cat? because that could be your harvester for the fleas .Thought program made the fleas sterile?Was it in date?what about frontline in the spray bottle i use that one my mum uses the drops and i found fleas on her dog,just a thought.make sure all the things are in date.I went into a well known UK pet store and there flea product's were well out of date. the only other thing is constant brushing but i would think you do that anyway.good luck lovely intelligent doggy by the way.

Answer 7

If you've done everything else, shaving is the way to go. I have a Sibe myself, and we do it for him during the summer. It's much easier to get to the fleas. But after all this, and they aren't dead... maybe they've just grown resistant to the medications... Try using a brand of shampoo for people or horses, something with strong medication. I don't know what else to say.

Answer 8

Pine -sol. Oh god that person scares me!! Some times those fleas can be vicious. Brushing out most of the under coat can help and it may take you for ever and ever as I think it grows faster than it can be taken out. But just keep up with what you are doing and the fleas will buckle under sooner or later. You sound like your doing it right. But if the infestation is so bad try keeping her confined to one room for a week while you treat the rest of the house/yard to start a good control there while working on her. Good luck and just keep trying. they will succumb.

Answer 9

If you know a local farmer, you could try sheep dip. My ex used to take his dog to the farm when he had trouble with fleas. Try spraying your house with Nuvan spray which you can only get from the vet. Good luck. Sounds like your dog has super fleas.

Answer 10

I cant add anything to other answers but I feel so sorry for you.

i had a flea infestation with my 2 cats this summer and we were all bitten stupid. And one day my mother in law came to visit and I saw fleas crawling on the sofa....

I hoovered constantly and used frontline and got on top of the problem. But its horrible while you've got it.