The fleas are gone, but...?

Question

The house has been treated. The cats and dog have been shampooed and Frontlined. It's been a week since I saw a live flea anywhere. The dog is scratching herself raw on the belly and butt. I think she's allergic to the flea bites. I've done a little online research and I have read that Benedryl is safe for dogs with flea allergies- I will double check with the vet. My question to you is- has anyone tried an organic or all natural soothing cream or spray on a dog with similar problems? When I've had poison Ivy or bug bites I used Aveeno oatmeal lotions and I was wondering if anyone knows if this is safe for the dog or if there is something similar out there. Now that the fleas are gone I think the scratching will stop if I can just soothe the red areas...What do you think?

As always, thanks!

Answer 1

I would use the cortisone spray from any petstore. It promotes healing and stops the itchies.

Answer 2

The product I have used for years is called Epi-Soothe. I did get it from my vets but it lasts a very long time. It comes in a shampoo and cream rince.

It calms the skin down so much that the dog actually has some releif. With Golden's here their skin will from time to time have a flair up and the last thing I want is to have them itching themselves into a hot spot.

I have never done the Benadryl thing. I find using the Genta-Spray or Gentocin spray from the vets much more effecive and wooks longer and doesn't dope up the dog.

I have used the Aveeno Oatmeal soap and the shampoo on my dogs too with great sucess.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Yes.. oatmeal shampoos do work... although.. you can make an oatmeal rinse very easily by cooking oatmeal in a lot of water and then straining it.... add more water to the liquid for a rinse... yeah.. I'm danged frugal and pretty picky about what goes on/in my dogs (and I feed the strained oatmeal to the dogs with some canned mackeral mixed in).

I wouldn't use a lotion as the dog could lick it off... and yes, I've used benedryl for dogs.. works as a mild sedative as well as alleviating itching.. talk to the vet regarding dosage.

Edit: yes, lavendar oil helps also... but its difficult to use if there is a very large area to cover and I don't like aerosolizing it as that requires alcohol which stings ...

Answer 4

I would use a cortisone type product as well on the red spots. A flea bite can be intensely itchy for up to 5 days on a truly allergic dog! Keep going with your flea control methods...it can take several weeks to completely eliminate all the fleas.

Answer 5

Benadryl is safe to give to dogs. Give 25mg at first-it can make them extremely hyper. For a larger dog, 50 mg is okay to give, too. I've done the old chicken pox trick with our dogs....oatmeal baths, and that really seemed to help. The other thing I've used is called Tri-Care 3-way wound treatment for horses and dogs (oinment by Farnam). It coats the areas well, has a topical anesthetic, and provides protection flies, etc. It does have a menthol smell (not really strong), but works great (use it for bee stings, too-as well as cuts and abrasions).

Answer 6

if she is raw vitamin e oil will work well i had a shep mix who had a horrid problem this time of year...he would be raw top to bottom before i started to use this. it keep the wetness down so it can heal.

I think u could use A&D for diaper rashes i'm not sure so i would ask the vet...if u can it might work better then the vitamin e.

Also baby shampoo with oatmeal works well.

Answer 7

Yes avenno is fine, use the lotions the wash, or you could use the package of oatmeal you put in baths. Make a little mixture of it and some water, just enough to bind it, Slab it on and it will eventually dry. Keep it on for a little bit and you can peel it off. I did it to my dog, on a spot he was scratching.

The lotion should only be used in a unlickable spot.

Answer 8

You can get oatmeal baths from the pharmacy that should help. Benadryl will make them more sleepy than actually do all that much for the itching. Other antihistamines can be prescribed by your veterinarian after a physical examination is performed on your dog.

Answer 9

I have used a mixture of tea tree oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil and coconut oil (used for cooking) and applied it to the raw areas. My dog was getting hot spots, from the fleas, during a really hot spell last month. it took the discomfort away from him within a day.

Answer 10

Oh, our Doxie has terrible allergies to flea bites. We couldn't even see a flea and he'd be digging himself raw from a bite.

I'll be watching to see what is suggested here... cuz in case the issue ever crops up for our Doxie again, it will be good to know.

Answer 11

we have used all of the following:
Oatmeal/Aveeno type wash
Aloe (straight from the plant, just in case its in a lickable area, not that funky green stuff for sunburns)
Vitamin E oil
Cortisone lotion or spray(only in areas not lickable)
Benadryl

The vitamin E and aloe seemed to work the best as far as healing the skin