I have 2 pit bulls and i think they have fleas but only found one but they continue to itch badly.?

Question

I spent the night out and came home to find my boy to have hives all over his body. Took him to the vet and it was an allergic reaction but we didn't know what caused it. A few days later i found a flea on my female dogs ear. I bathed them with Dawn dishsoap and only saw one dead flea in the tub. I look on them for fleas constently but haven't found another one yet. They have bites on them and itch to the point of just tearing up their skin(bleeding) and hair loss. I put revolution (had one left from before) on my boy and sprayed the carpet and furniture tonight w/ a flea killer. And they continue to scratch continuesly. You should know when i first rescued them (8wks old) they had a bad case of mange (never proven in skin scrapings) that i battled forever, finally curing w/ nu-stock. They are now 3. I guess my ? is can one flea cause all this and if not why can't i find anymore. Please help cause my poor little babies just look miserable and i don't know what else to do.

Answer 1

Dogs can get a bacterial infection after being bitten by fleas, flies, mosquitoes.......all the same things that bug us. We humans tend not to get skin infections, but some dogs seem very susceptible to them. Dogs need a reducing dose of prednisone, antibiotics and bathing with Head & Shoulders shampoo twice a week until the infection is under control.

Answer 2

2 pit bulls fleas continue itch badly

Answer 3

If you've seen one flea, you have more. This is a tough cookie to stop, but you need to go through the whole flea riddance thing. Get your dogs some high quality flea riddance stuff, your vet can suggest a few. Then treat the whole house. If your dogs still itch, have them checked for skin allergies. Pets can be more expensive than children, but I prefer having the pets. I hope things get better soon.

Answer 4

Did the Vet rule out a recurrence of mange? Hope it is not. Overbathing can cause skin irritation and some flea products just aren't as effective as they used to be. I have used Bio- Spot on my dogs with greater success, and recently a friend gave me some Advantage Multi to try which works great. It works not only on fleas but is a heartworm prevention as well in that topical treatment.
My dogs get a diet for skin and coat health as well as good for dogs sensitive to foods with wheat and corn or chicken and/or lamb. They eat Nature's Recipe Venison and Rice and have supplements for skin and coat as well.
For awhile they ate a raw diet and that was GREAT for their coats but couldn't keep up with it since I have limited freezer space, and three sizable dogs. This is the site I used for raw diet:
http://rawdogranch.com
Are your dogs indoors? Could be that if they are outdoors they are more exposed to fleas and ants and other things that bite. My dogs are indoors with walks and a bit of daily outdoor play.
IF you decide to change their food, do it gradually. Nature's Recipe was not in the recent recalls and neither are the following foods: Orijen, Canidae All Life Stages, Wellness,
Newman's Own Organics.
The supplements I use are: 3V Caps Skin Formulation with Omega 3, Vit A, D and E and NutriVed. (get these from the Vet) The Nature's Recipe is what I settled with because none of my dogs react to Venison (one is sensitive to commercially prepared food with chicken and the other: lamb) and it has no wheat or corn. If food is a source of allergy, then raw diet, OR Nature's Recipe OR Wellness Duck and Sweet Potato are some brands that I would recommend.

Answer 5

Sorry, the Dawn dishsoap could even make things worse. The best thing to do (beyond getting some Frontline), is if you think they have fleas---then dampen a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol and press it to the genital area or base of the tail area. When you then look at the cotton ball you will see some black specks (flea dirt AKA flea poop) and red (blood color). That would be a positive result for fleas. I do think however you need to check around outside (are they outside a lot?), and find out what insects are common to your area and during which seasons. Might be mites, too. Also, for a bit, take away any rawhide chews. Rawhide from a 'questionable' country of origin can cause many undesired problems. (Parasites, allergic reactions, stomach problems, etc. etc.) None of my dogs have them anymore, the dogs that get 'rehabbed' with me dont get them, and anyone who's dogs I help also are reminded to make them outlawed in their house. Up to you...Bless you for rescuing them and remember there are lots of vet clinics that are less expensive than a regular vet's office.......Woof.

Answer 6

if you found one flea there are thousands you haven't seen yet. washing the dog is not enough. Your entire house has to be fumigated as they hide in the baseboards and carpets and a flea egg can live two years before hatching.Get your dogs " Program" or one of the other injectible flea medications and then the fleas cannot live on them. it lasts 6 months to a year and will wipe out any flea that lands on them.

Answer 7

If you SEE one flea, chances are there are hundreds, thousands more that you may not see. Also, are you sure your dog doesn't have skin allergies?

Either way, you should talk to your vet and consider a monthly flea treatment.

G'luck.

Answer 8

You need to use a flea/tick product such as Frontline montly. Not only does it kill fleas, but it prevents them. Your dogs could be having an allergic reaction to something else and they need to see a vet. Also, did you not get them treated by a vet for their mange?

Answer 9

This happened to my bf's pit bulls. They were allergic to something and the vet gave them special shampoo and it did the trick. Pit bulls in general have sensitive skin and my pit bull gets rashes all the time from everything she gets into. Take them into the vet QUICKLY so they don't keep tearing up there skin.

I hope they are alright, poor babies.

Answer 10

They may have an allergy to the Dawn (I know it is a great flea killer, like original Palmolive, too!), or something else in their environment. You may want to try an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner on their coats, to see if that helps.