Help! My Dog Has Fleas!
The Story of Misty and Her Fleas
All her life my little black pug Chatita had been full of energy and fun loving. With time and age, she naturally matured and mellowed out. Upon turning 10, gradually over this year, I began to notice many more small changes of her slowing down, sleeping way more than she had, and not wanting to go on long walks as before.
My solution? Check with the vet that nothing was wrong and find her a young companion to play with and challenge her.
Enter Misty.
You can read all about her in 6 Essential Facts About Adopting a Shelter or Rescue Dog. https://thepanachepaws.com/2019/07/01/adopt-dont-shop-6-essential-facts-about-adopting-a-shelter-or-rescue-dog/
After adopting her from a pet rescue, I brought her home to meet Chatita. The hard part was out of the way (so I thought). I gave her a bath, I fed her good food, let her rest in a clean, soft bed…..but she was sooooo itchy. She would turn in circles trying to itch herself, scratch t her eyes, and the back region of her body near her tail was missing patches of hair. What was I doing wrong?
I scavenged the Internet for answers and asked other friends who had dogs if they had experienced a similar situation? The consensus? Fleas!
Where Do Fleas Come From?
At first I felt like such a bad dog mom. But, through my research, here’s what I learned.
According to fleascience.com the majority of infestations originate outside. They develop from eggs to larvae to pupae, and eventually exit their cocoons as adults and jump on pets.This commonly occurs in the shaded areas of yards, where cats or dogs frequently rest. Sunny areas can’t support developing fleas.
Many small animals living in urban neighborhoods can carry cat fleas. Common hosts are opossums, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, and feral dogs and cats. A survey in Florida found fleas infesting 92.5% of feral cats. In urban Kansas, cat fleas were present on 61.5% of opossums and 21.6% of raccoons. Squirrels and birds aren’t hosts for cat fleas.
As infested wildlife travel through neighborhoods, they continuously drop flea eggs into yards. They’re like living saltshakers, as flea eggs fall anywhere the animals access.
What does all of this mean?
Don’t let your dog go outside?…No.
It means let them be dogs and PLAY outside, but it also means monitor them after they come inside your home to see if they show any sign or symptoms of having fleas.
What are the Signs Your Dog May Have Fleas?
When I brought Misty home, I had not prepared for how itchy she was. She would scratch at the back part of her body near her tail causing hair loss and redness to the region, scratch at her eyes causing cuts to the region, and there were a few nights I did not sleep staying up with her to calm her. Wondering what could be causing this as I had never had any issues with my other pug, the light bulb finally went off!
All of the signs and symptoms where present.
It must be fleas!
What are the signs and symptoms?
PetMD states,
https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_dg_does_my_dog_have_fleas
In severe infestations, it’s easy to spot fleas jumping and moving on and off your dog’s body. In less obvious situations, you may notice that your dog is restless and is scratching, licking or chewing more than normal on certain areas of her body. Shaking the head often and scratching at the ears is another indication of a possible flea infestation in your dog.
They also recommend to check the skin and coat.In order to see actual fleas on your dog, you may have to look fast. Fleas can jump very fast and very high, and even at their adult size they are very small (1/16-1/8 in.). They are flat-bodied and dark brown, almost black, in color. The more blood they ingest the lighter in color they may appear.
To inspect your dog, turn her onto her back and check the areas that allow fleas to hide best. The armpits and groin are two areas that tend to be warm and protected, making them preferred spots for large flea populations. Check the ears carefully for signs of scratching, redness, blood, or dirt. These can all be signs of fleas. The skin on the belly, groin, or base of the tail may appear red and bumpy, especially if your dog is doing a lot of scratching. Hair loss may occur in certain areas that are being scratched excessively, and there may be black spots on the skin along with scabbing.
If it’s difficult to detect on the body, you can also purchase a flea comb to run through your dog’s coat while putting a white paper under where you’re combing to be able to view them against the white background of the paper.
Is there anything I can do to prevent my dog from getting to this stage? To not catch fleas in the first place?
Preventative measures you can take for your dog not to catch fleas!
There are actions you can take to prevent your dog from catching fleas.
PetMD says the most effective flea treatment programs consist of an integrated approach to management and prevention, including good sanitation and treatment of the pet and the environment.
What does that mean?
The first couple measures start with your dog. Purchase a good flea comb, give baths, and visit your vet to consult and determine a good flea and tick prevention medicine.
Then continue the preventative measure inside and outside of your home.
Clean your dog’s bedding regularly. I wash mine usually 2-3 times per week.
Vacuum and clean your home regularly, especially the places your dog frequents. According to PetMD, fleas also thrive in the cracks of hardwood floors, so don’t forget to vacuum those, too (and discard those vacuum bags immediately)!
Outdoors, fleas prefer moist, shady, cool places. They especially like shrubs, leaves, and trees, and don’t fare well in sunny areas or open grass. By trimming back shrubs, raking out leaves, and, in effect, limiting the amount of areas where fleas thrive, you can help prevent infestations out of doors.
It’s much easier to keep up with these preventative measures than to try to conquer an infestation when it occurs.
My Dg Has Fleas! What Can I Do?
Luckily, I caught Misty’s case early enough so her treatment wasn’t so severe. I was still worried though. I gave her multiple baths and her flea and tick medicine from the vet. I was worried about my other pug Chatita, so I gave her baths as well, and her flea and tick medicine. I vacuumed and sanitized and washed both pet beds and my sheets. Next, I took Misty to the vet to figure out what to do about her hair loss. For the next week I applied a topical cream twice a day and she had to wear a onesie in which I cut a hole for her tail to stick out so she wouldn’t disturb the cream.
Here’s what you can do:
Every dog and their case is different. The best plan of action is to consult your vet.
PetMD talks about two methods to exterminate fleas on your dog:
1. There are a wide variety of flea products on the market today, but the newer prescription flea and tick products are finally taking the frustration out of flea control with popular and highly effective brands.
Talk to your veterinarian about preventative flea and tick medicine for dogs, as many are prescription products. Prescription treatments present one of the best ways to kill fleas fast.
Bravecto (fluralaner) begins to kill fleas within two hours and lasts for three months, while products containing spinosad (Comfortis, Trifexis) begin to work within 30 minutes and last for one month.
Some of these flea products do not harm the adult flea but instead prevent her eggs from hatching, thus breaking the life cycle of the flea. With no reproduction, the flea population eventually dissipates as long as the pet isn’t coming in contact with new fleas continually.
In warm climates, prescription flea and tick treatment for dogs is typically a year-round endeavor, but in other climates, treatment should begin in early spring before the flea season starts.
For animals that are allergic to flea saliva (have flea bite hypersensitivity), choose a product that targets adult fleas as well, since they are still able to bite the animal. For dogs with flea hypersensitivity, products containing a flea repellent (Seresto collar, Vectra 3D) are the best choice so that the fleas never bite.
2. There are also many other products which will kill fleas on the pet and for which no prescription is needed. The drawback, however, is that these products may be less effective than the prescription products.
These nonprescription flea products include flea shampoos, flea powders, flea sprays, flea collars, oral flea treatment and spot-on products. Many veterinarians are reporting that their patients still have fleas after use of these over-the-counter products, but there are also good reviews from pet parents for some of these products.
Capstar, for instance, is a tablet that kills adult fleas and is taken orally. It begins to work within 30 minutes, and kills more than 90 percent of all fleas within four hours. It is used to treat flea infestations.
Dog Flea Shampoos
There are several dog flea and tick shampoo options for dogs and cats on the market that can be quite effective when used properly. Flea dog shampoos may contain a variety of ingredients that are more or less effective.
Small puppies should only be bathed in nontoxic dog shampoo. You’ll need to consider whether or not your pet can stand getting soaking wet and being lathered up for five to 10 minutes, though, since that’s how long the shampoo takes to sink in.
Following a nice warm bath, you’ll have killed the fleas and will be able to use a dog flea and tick comb to remove the dead fleas from your dog. However, flea shampoos do not protect your dog from continued infestation with fleas.
WARNING: Tea tree oil is toxic. Do NOT use tea tree oil as a flea repellent in cats or dogs.
As for your home, PetMD recommends vacuuming, steam cleaning, and if it’s a bad infestation, even the use of foggers, and other chemicals.
Again, this is case by case, so definitely evaluate your situation, to decide what plan of action is best for your case.
A happy dog is a flea free dog.
Let’s help dog’s live that best life!
