I give my golden retriever flea medicine, and she still scratches like crazy!?

Question

Shes 5 months old, and I give her the appropriate topical medicine once a month, actually twice this month because she keeps scratching. I used a cheaper brand than the stuff you get at the vet, but it shoudl still work right. She keeps scratching, and a friend of mine said that puppies just scratch, but I mean, she is ALWAYS scratching. What should I do?

Answer 1

***First***: you should never give a dog, human or any animal more than the reccomended dose of any ingested or topical medication including fle and tick meds... there is a reason they only put so much in those applications.
***Second***: It sounds to me like the puppy has some kind of allergy maybe to food, treats, environment, or even medication... this can be as serious as life threatening (scratching so much as to have bald raw spots and open sores) or as simple as excessive scratching and flaky skin.

Take the dog to a vet...

Answer 2

PLEASE read the diretions before you apply any topical meds to your pet. I just bagged a dog that died from the owner dosing it with 2 hartz topical flea treatments "because it had soooo many fleas". This dog was 2 yrs old, healthy, current on shots and eating a quality diet. He had fleas. The owner thought he was applying a harmless product (unless you were a flea, of course). The nerve inhibitors that kill the fleas are toxic in large amounts. This dog had central nervous system failure. It was a terrifying death. Just because the stuff is sold "over the counter" doesn't mean it's safe. NOTHING you can buy at Petsmart or Wally World works worth a damn. Go ahead and splurge on the Frontline, use it as directed with bedding and yard treatment to eliminate the fleas then every 30 days to prevent reinfestation. Some goldens are very prone to allergies. Your vet can look at the skin and coat and even do some tests to determine the cause of the scratching if eliminating the parasites doesn't stop it. Good luck in your flea control efforts!

Answer 3

The 'cheaper brand' that you put on her could actually be causing her skin irritation to be even worse. And you should NEVER apply a monthly product more than once a month. You are lucky you didn't overdose your dog.

Frontline is the only veteranarian-approved flea treatment out there, period. Other products (like Hartz and the things you get at the grocery store) have been known to cause severe allergic reactions and even death in some animals.

The way frontline works is that it covers the skin in an invisible substance that kills fleas and ticks within a few hours of landing on your pet. It does not ward fleas away. It does not kill them instantly.

If you indeed have fleas in your house, you are going to have to clean your house really well too, maybe even professionally. Otherwise they will just keep getting on your dog.

If you don't have fleas, your dog could just have seasonal skin allergies, or he might be having a skin reaction to something he is around or something you put on him (shampoo, a wool blanket, the flea medicine, anything). Call your vet and get him checked out. Good luck!

Answer 4

Have you seen fleas? If not - it might be an allergic reaction, mange, or dry skin.

Most flea preventatives are over the counter - Hartz tends to cause bad reactions amoung many types of dogs. Also you MUST not give it more than everey 20 days - it can cause your dog to get sick.

What are you bathing the dog with? A soap based shampoo will wash away the flea protective.

If I were you - I would get a flea shampoo (just in case this is fleas) and wash the dog (leave it on the dog for 5-6 minutes and RINSE really well). This will kill fleas and will wash off any preventative.

Go to an online pet medication place and get some Frontline and put that on the dog 48 hours AFTER the bath. Then no bath for at least 48 hours.

If the dog is still itching - take it to the vet!

Answer 5

It may not be fleas. Goldens are notorious for having skin problems. It could be allergies or hotspots or mites or something else. I would recommend that you consult with your vet. Some other things you may consider;
1) In terms of flea preventative I would stick with a vet-recommended brand. You can get Frontline, Advantage, etc. online from 1-800-Pet-Meds or Pets Rx for about 1/2 the price your vet will charge you. Brands like Hartz and Zodiac are known to be less effective and have also been known to cause skin problems in dogs.... so that may be your problem right there.
2) It could be a food allergy. Don't know what you are feeding, but some ingredients that commonly cause allergies are corn, wheat and soy.
3) You might try adding 1/2 tsp. of flax seed oil to meals.

Answer 6

She could possibly be allergic to the food you are feeding her. Try and get her a good quality food that doesn't contain any additives or preservatives.

I wouldn't recommend buying otc preparations. They don't really do the job and can make puppies very sick. Far better to buy a reputable make which is prescribed by your Vet. e.g. Frontline or Advantage. I know Frontline can be purchased on line but I think you need a prescription for the Advantage.

It isn't normal for a dog to continually scratch - there is definitely an underlying problem here and you need to identify it by seeking advice from your Vet if the problem persists.

Hope things improve.

Answer 7

Yeah the cheaper stuff should work - but it doesn't. That's why it's cheap, because they can't justify a higher price on stuff that doesn't work. Sorry, but you've just wasted your money.

I'm afraid you'll have to get some stuff from the vet, like Frontline. Yeah, it's more expensive, but there's no point 'saving' money on stuff that doesn't work, is there? There are a lot of dangerous products in stores also, and believe me Frontline is cheaper than a toxicity treatment bill.

Chalice

Answer 8

You should bring your Goldie into the vets to see whats wrong wih her!
I dont know what you used but over doing it will do more harm than good. More is not better when it comes to spot on treatments.
It could also be allergies to her food too. If their is corn, wheat, soy or by products in her food than that could be the cause too. Golden's are famious for allergies to these things.
You need to find out why she is itching in the first place and do not assume it is fleas!

She needs to see your vet before she itches her self into hot spots and a skin infection.

Answer 9

Take her back to the vet and get her skin checked. She might have dry skin. Make sure what you are using is not to strong for her skin. She's 5 months right. Try Frontline if it's fleas.

Answer 10

It might be that she has dry skin that's causing the itch and not a flea problem. Try bathing her with an Oatmeal dog shampoo (very moisturizing) and making sure she's COMPLETELY rinsed before towel-drying her. Also be very careful with topical flea medicines, they have been known to be harmful to dogs - don't treat the dog for a problem she might not have!