My dog has fleas that won't go away?

Question

We have tried just about everything. We found the fleas on her about 3 weeks ago, and we have had them ever since. The night we found them, we bought flea and tick bath soap, and bathed her 3 times that night. We also coated her with Frontline and put on a flea collar. Then, we removed all of our bedding, and put them in individual garbage bags to be washed. We also vaccumed everywhere we could think of.

After all this, they came back a few days later.

The second time, we did all I listed above, but we also bombed the house with insectiside cans. Once for the entire house, and twice for my brother's room, where my dog primarily sleeps. And we thought we got rid of it.

But no luck. She got them again a couple days ago, and this time, we cleaned the whole house, top to bottom. Tonight, I found two on her, and we gave her another bath. We can't keep giving her baths. She's becoming blotchy and irritable.

What do we do now?

Answer 1

I recommend that you try head lice shampoo, thats what I use when I wash rescued puppies instead of flea shampoo. It works much better.
Head lice shampoo actually has the same exact stuff in it, except head lice shampoo has more, and flea shampoo has more water. When I used to use flea shampoo, I usually had to use it more than once on the same dog/puppy. When I use head lice shampoo, I only need to use it once and the fleas are gone.

Answer 2

You really ought to stop bathing her - it's drying out her skin, and it's not helping get rid of the fleas. It's also stopping the Frontline from working!! Is it the spray or spot-on version of Frontline you're using? If it's the spot-on version, you can guarantee all this bathing has stopped it working.

Frontline spreads through the skin via the oils from the dog's sebaceous glands. When you wash the dog, these oils are washed off, effectively inactivating the Frontline.

Any flea treatment you buy in a pet store will not work. Stores are not licensed to sell the drugs that work against fleas, their stuff is just random, useless pesticides. Therefore don't use any house treatments available in stores!!

I suggest you wait 48 hours to allow you dog's skin to restore itself. Then apply some Frontline spot-on, or switch to Advantage or Revolution if you like, and do make sure the stuff gets right on the skin. It will kill all fleas within 24 hours. If you still have problems after this time, get a proper house treatment from a vets.

You can get a flea comb and run it through your dog's hair to check for fleas. 24 hours after proper application of Frontline, you should be combing out dead fleas.

Chalice

Answer 3

What Bob said. Be careful what you put on the dog.

The fleas are coming back because eggs are hatching. We have had success with vacuuming and spray repeated every few days. We also have put powder under furniture that doesn't get moved.

They can also be coming in on cats. If you have cats they must get the feline Frontline. Otherwise you are wasting your time.

Don't coat your dog with the Frontline. Rub into the skin of the neck behind the head. Do not bathe the dog for 24 hours. The general consensus of most dog owners I know is that Frontline is more effective than Advantage. However, some dogs have reactions to one or the other.

Getting rid of an infestation takes time. Go easy on bathing the dog. When our shepherd gets dry skin the wife actually uses moisturizing lotion on her.

Good luck.

Rick

Answer 4

Go to Petco ask for Advantage for dogs, tell them your dogs weight. You get six months in a box. Open a plastic vial and squirt it at the neck/upper back along the skin until the vial is empty. Mark your calender and do this the same date every month. I promise your dog will never have fleas again! Remember it will take about a week before the fleas have disappeared, a little longer if he's got a lot.

Answer 5

CapStar!! Ask your vet. They awesome little pills that kill all of the fleas on your dog in a matter of minutes. You will still need to wash everything you can, but your dog will be taken care of - no need for more baths! You can give your dog one a day even! This combined with powdering the rugs and vacuuming everyday and washing my bedding (where my dog sleeps) got rid of the fleas in about two weeks. It's a LOT of trouble, but totally worth it. And we never had to bug bomb our house, which I really didnt want to do.

Good luck on your war on fleas!

Answer 6

Call your vet for treatment and switch from front line if it's not working. Go to the grocery store and get Mule Team 20/20 Borax. It's in the laundry aisle. Sprinkle everwhere and under everything. Even pet bedding. Vacuum after a week throw contents of vacuum bag into trash bag and seal. Take bag away from house. Repeat procedure. And call an Exterminator. They will get rid of them for sure. The borax smothers the fleas.

Answer 7

first- DO NOT use a flea collar in conjunction with a topical flea medication unless you want to kill your dog.

second- if you have an infestation of fleas, it can sometimes take up to 6 weeks to clear it.

third- do get capstar from your vet.

fourth- vacuum your house every day and throw out the bag. this will help more than anything.

Answer 8

Fleas are HORRIBLE!!! I hate them. I have had to deal with this problem so many times. I found some links on an all natural website. I will send you the links I have used these remedies myself and they totally work. The best part is they are safe for our furry friends. Good luck with the pests.
PEACE
GG

Answer 9

definately talk with your vet. it may be that the combination of all the treatments contributed to the problem. if your dogs skin is now raw, it will only help the fleas. if you can't afford vet treatments (first consider whether pet ownership is really right for you), call a vet and ask for advice. Explain everything like you did here, and be honest about your finances. Any decent vet will do their best to help over the phone, but will still suggest you find a way to come in.

Answer 10

one of my dogs had fleas so we bathed her every day for a week then we left it for 24 hours then we used frontline and she hasnt got them back. you need to wash every day to kill the eggs that would still be on her. also do you have any other pets somes they might just ahve one flea.
i hope this might help and keep cleaning everything.