SunnyDays Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Okay, we've had a rough week here, and just to top it off... we found a flea on the dog last night. We've examined him like crazy, found just the one and a little flea "debris" on his head. We took him to the vet Friday evening and think he picked it up there. (I know it's possible he picked it up outside, but he rarely goes anywhere but our backyard, and if we had a big problem there, we'd have seen them by now.) He has very light hair and skin so it's pretty easy to see that sort of thing. I know they say, if there's one flea there's hundreds, so I'm panicking. But I think we may have caught it... I think it was on him a max of about 24 hours. As soon as we saw it, we put a new dose of Frontline on him (I *think* Frontline Plus but not positive, it was the last one of a previous box and we'd thrown the box away), I stripped the bedding, vaccuumed the entire main floor and the couch, and we washed his bed and stuffed toys. We checked him again this morning and saw nothing. We're going to check him again later today and a couple more times over the next couple days, and I'll probably vaccuum a couple more times just to be sure. *Please* tell me we probably found it before it was a problem, and that we're not going to have a whole house infestation... :confused: I'm sitting here itchy all over... not actually from fleas, but just from thinking about them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 How long had it been since you previously treated him with Frontline? It's not a repellent, so it's perfectly normal to see an occasional flea. They don't last long, though. If it hasn't been more than two or three months since the last dose of Frontline then I think you're fine. But I really think you're fine even if it's been longer than that. But with the vacuuming remember to throw the bag outside. Or if it's a bagless, empty the canister thoroughly and take the debris outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 We had a major flea problem a few years ago after my old DD took her corgi camping with a friend. I tired EVERYTHING to get rid of fleas, at first it seemed like I was winning the battle but then there would be another hatch. Fleas have a really weird life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, and imago) so it's really hard to get them at all stages. What finally worked for me was sprinkling Fleabusters all over our carpets, under couch cushions, and in dog beds. One application of the powder lasts a full year. Another plus is I haven't had any ants in the house since I put down the first application. We stopped getting flea bites about seven days or so after treatment. You could use food grade Diatomacious Earth instead of the fleabusters. We also put nematodes on the back lawn. I'm not sure how effective this is because you really can't see the nematodes or even know if they are really alive or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) It had been a while since the last Frontline... we've been pretty sporadic about it in the past because we'd never had problems, even with our previous dogs. DH just checked him all over again, brushing him out, and found nothing. Frontline's website says it starts working within 12-24 hours, so he should be covered by now. We're also getting his hair cut this week... we'll warn them we found one, and have them check as they cut him. I'll vaccuum again today and tomorrow just to be sure. And yes, we do have a bagless, we emptied the container each time and have changed the trash a couple times now!! I've heard from friends that if you had a big problem, you'd see quite a few on the dog usually, and you would often be getting bites on the humans in the house too? Edited August 26, 2012 by SunnyDays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Having been through flea infestations, I can tell you that you need to bathe the animal (though maybe if you've put the Frontline on, you need to wait a day or so, not sure; read the directions on the labels), and if you see fleas in the house, you need this: http://www.ddchem.com/ultracide.htm You need to vacuum thoroughly, and then spray with this stuff. It is nasty, but it works, and it works well. Other products didn't touch the problem. Once it's dry, you can vacuum again, and try to vacuum as much as you can for the next couple of days. The initial vaccuming and spraying will stir up the little buggers, so you may see more for a few days, and then they will start to decline. If you're still seeing them by about 14 days, spray again, and continue to vacuum. (You can't kill them when they're in the pupal stage, so the second round of spraying is to get the ones that still need to hatch.) By day 21, they should be gone. Yes, they do bite humans, concentrating on the ankles. They are miserable. Also, wash bedding frequently. If you think they may be in the house, take a shallow bowl or pan or pie plate, and fill it with water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Put it on the floor, under an electrical outlet, and put a small nightlight in the outlet, turned on. The heat from that light will simulate the heat of a cat, and the fleas will flock to it. They'll jump in the water, and because of the soap, they'll drown. This really worked for us and helped us to see which rooms still needed our attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) Okay, those are all good tips. So far, we haven't seen any fleas in the house, we didn't even really see anything on bedding, etc. We just bathed him on Friday night... as my husband was washing him, he didn't even see any fleas or flea dirt. It was Saturday afternoon that we saw those as we were brushing the dog out.. my guess is he was caught in a lump of hair. We brushed him out, and then put the Frontline on yesterday (earlier than really recommended, but Frontline's website says it's fine to put on a day after bathing as long as the animal is totally dry, and he was... but no, we can't bathe again for a couple more days). We found the flea and got him out (drowned him in water as recommended). We pulled out a couple more specks of flea dirt after that, found one more piece of flea dirt today in an area of thicker hair, and then checked that area really carefully, and checked the dog all over again. Overall, we found one flea, and *maybe* a dozen pieces of flea dirt, probably a bit less, all on the head area. Only one or two of those pieces were found after we got the flea off, and they were probably just left over from yesterday... surely if there were more fleas, we'd be seeing more dirt today?? Haven't seen anything else... so I will be vigilant for a few days and keep checking the dog, vacuuming, and watching for any signs... but oh, I really hope we caught it early enough that it really was just a fluke thing. (Please, please, please...) Edited August 26, 2012 by SunnyDays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I wouldn't spaz out over one flea. A really good shampooing of the dog, and a lot of vacuuming for a few days should do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 I wouldn't spaz out over one flea. A really good shampooing of the dog, and a lot of vacuuming for a few days should do the job. LOL... no, most people wouldn't. The crisis is nearly all in my head, I'm sure!! ;) But, that's me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I wouldn't spaz out over one flea. I exactly spaz, but if you found flea debris on the dog, then there's much more than that one flea. Bathe the dog, treat the dog (Frontline, Advantage, whichever you prefer) AND treat the area. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, any carpets, and empty the vacuum cleaner. Wash any bedding. It doesn't sound like you have an infestation, and you appear to have caught a potential one early, but it's best to do what you can. Of course, I live where fleas are a year round problem, so seeing one flea WOULD concern me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The lives fleas you saw are less concerning to me then the evidence of the flear dirt. That means that the life cycle has happened and there is evidence of fleas having been around longer than picking up one or two from the vet. Def. keep vacumming, wash pet bedding on hot water, keep your dog on Frontline for at least 3 months!(minimum). if you go on vacation or even away for the weekend and then come home you might start the life cycle again so keep up with the cleaning. Be careful what the groomers bathes the dog with as you could wash off the Frontline with certain shampoos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 If the fleas persist, I suggest trying Comfortis (flea medication avail from vet) or Trifexis (comfortis + heartworm and intestinal parasiticide). They are waaay better than FL. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 If the fleas persist, I suggest trying Comfortis (flea medication avail from vet) or Trifexis (comfortis + heartworm and intestinal parasiticide). They are waaay better than FL. Good luck! A friend mentioned that's what she gives her dog! We'll see how things go over the next couple days... if we see anything else, I will probably call and get one of those to make sure things get under control!! Thanks, everyone. Hoping this sounds like we caught it early and shouldn't turn into a fiasco, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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