fleas fleas and...more fleas!

[SummerLynn]

I have four dogs. A few weeks ago an aquaintence of mine stopped by with her new puppy and apparently the pup had fleas because all my dogs have them. I have done the topical flea treatment on them, and flea shampoos as well as washed all of our beddings and such. They still have fleas and i'm still combatting them...I assume that the fleas must be laying eggs because the dogs are treated so my carpet and furniture and matresses are all in "ICK" mode to me. But i'm six months pregnant, so what in the heck can I use to kill any eggs larvae and fleas in furniture and carpeting that is safe for me, fetus, my 3 year old daughter and the dogs? I heard salt is deadly to the eggs so I scrubbed the carpet w/ my steam cleaner and salt water, and spritzed the couch w/ salt water from a spray bottle...will this work? What else? I'm nervious to have to bomb the house since we are stuck inside because of the weather and being pregnant....anything would be helpful!!

[greenmagick]

What topical treatment did you use?

[SummerLynn]

sergeants....thats the maker of it, its called ....pregnancy brain.... sorry the type starts with a B i'm sure of it but def. made by sergeants.

[tm2840]

Frontline has worked for us for MANY flea infestations... they were minor, in retrospect.

However wad a MAJOR infestation last winter. Even Frontline couldn't keep up. I'm thinking it was because we had piles of leaves on our front patio that had gotten damp and were harboring tons of fleas and we just couldn't keep up. We finally had an "aha!" moment and swept the leaves away; the Frontline began working again... end of fleas!

Never would have thought of that....

[Penny4Them]

That's amazing about the leaves! We have a flea problem too and keep bathing our lab but STILL fleas. We used Dr. Bronner's eucalytus castile on him and actually found dead ones on his fur after his fur had dried, so I know the soap is killing them. I guess now we've got to rake to stop the problem. I wouldn't have thought of this so thanks for sharing.

[mama2toomany]

When I did foster care we got in a lot of dogs with fleas, I gave them all a bath with dog soap with a bunch of eucalyptus oil in it, then vacuumed everything with borox (used it like carpet fresh). Never had another flea.

I always put the oil in the shampoo, I hear tea tree oil works the same. I also put it in the kids shampoo, just incase they come into contact with lice.

Good luck!

[wahoowhippets]

I use and like Comfortis for our dogs...haven't seen a single flea since we stared using this about two years ago

[Pepper44]

We're having a flea problem also. I have two big dogs and four cats. One of my long hair cats is very large and I cannot get rid of the fleas on him! We have used Frontline (which does not get rid of fleas on any of our pets anymore), Revolution, Capstar, a natural flea powder, diatomaceous earth, chemical flea shampoo and flea comb afterward, and natural flea shampoo.

The fleas will never go away!!! We don't have carpet, and we just have one couch with a cover. I've washed the cover many times.

I'm going to try eucalpyus oil. Do you think it's ok to spritz my fat long haired cat with the oil diluted in...something? Bathing him is like a death wish.

[Mommy2Austin]

We had a horrible infestation back in Sept/Oct. We actually bombed the house and stayed away for 2 days (1 day for the bombing, one day for the house to air out.) While we were gone (we took the dogs to a friends house) we gave each dog a good washing down and then a capstar pill. Then we started the Comfortis Pill and haven't had any issues since. Ours came in when we got some kittens off freecycle who were indoor/outdoor kittens. We had to get rid of the kittens because I couldn't handle the litter smell and that actually helped.

[Hopefulmama]

My heart goes out to you. Fleas will drive you crazy. We got free kittens from craigslist that infested our home. We tried bombing it but that didn't get rid of them too much. Then I was afraid of the poison hurting my 3 y/o and new baby so my mom and MIL washed everything down and I took all bedding and clothes to the laudromat and washed everything. The only thing that worked was to give capstar and then get Advantage from the vet and put it onto the the cats when they were old enough. I vacummed twice/day religiously. Eventually the fleas would jump onto the cats and die because of the Advantage. We did not find the eucal. oil to be effective because I think we had too big of an infestation. On the bright side, my floors were never that clean again!

[Penny4Them]

We're still dealing with fleas with our lab. He had 1st dose comfortis a month ago. Do we need to give it to him month-to-month to get it to completely work? When we first gave it to him, there was definitely a die off. We vacuum every day now too, but went away for a week and when we picked up dog from kennel it seemed like they were back in full force. We don't know if it was from the kennel or from our house. Poor dog ... he's scratching so much. For those using comfortis, do you give it every month?

[Mommy2Austin]

Originally Posted by Penny4Them

We're still dealing with fleas with our lab. He had 1st dose comfortis a month ago. Do we need to give it to him month-to-month to get it to completely work? When we first gave it to him, there was definitely a die off. We vacuum every day now too, but went away for a week and when we picked up dog from kennel it seemed like they were back in full force. We don't know if it was from the kennel or from our house. Poor dog ... he's scratching so much. For those using comfortis, do you give it every month?

Comfortis is a month to month pill.

Capstar pills are the quick fix one dose pills you give to emergently get rid of fleas.

[beanma]

I've not heard of Comfortis, but our vet recommends Advantage over Frontline for fleas. Frequent bathing will kill the ones on the dog, too. If you're using an OTC grocery store type flea product I would really recommend trying Advantage instead. The grocery store ones are often a lot harsher than the vet ones (although you can get Frontline and Advantage at pet stores now w/o a prescription). We've used Program, too. It's a monthly pill so maybe like Comfortis? It won't kill the fleas, but makes them sterile. You might want to check into something like that. I've also heard good things about boric acid and/or Borax applied to carpets. Frequent vacuuming and throwing the bag away helps, too.

[earthnut]

I would be concerned about using any of the topical flea treatments (frontline, seargants, advantage, etc) while pregnant or with a baby in the house. They are pesticides; the same stuff that's in the bombs. There are lots of ways to treat for fleas without using pesticides:

Salt works great. I give my dog a saltwater bath when he gets itching. I pour salt along his back, rub it in a bit, then rinse off. If your dog likes to swim and you live near the ocean, take him for a walk on the beach and let him swim. Worked wonders for my last dog. Exercise and flea treatment in one!

Borax, baking soda, diatomaceous earth all kill fleas. Sprinkle it in your carpets and then vacuum. Just vacuuming frequently will also help a lot. Don't let the dog ingest the diatomaceous earth unless it's food grade. (or the borax either) You can also use these on the dog instead of salt, and salt on the carpets.

Get machine-washable bedding for the dog, and wash it regularly. We don't have dog beds; those are too hard to clean. We just have a piece of fleece, folded over a few times and sewn down, for our large dog and a regular pillow for our small dog. I throw the whole things in the washer and dryer.

Lastly, you can buy the non-pesticide ingredient in the topical treatment, which is a flea growth regulator, by itself. It doesn't kill fleas outright like the pesticide; it prevents the young fleas from ever reaching adulthood. It has no effect on mammals. You can spray it all over the house - especially useful for things that can't be cleaned easily, like upholstery. One spray will last for 3-6 months. I've never seen it in a local store; you'll probably have to order it online. The stuff I have is called Nylar.

[Pepper44]

I used to be concerned about the topical treatments also, until I reached desperation level! My DH applies it and then DD and I don't touch the pet for a few days. I'm sure it rubs off and everything, but... Desperate to get rid of the fleas!

The DE we have is food grade but it can't get well enough into the fur of our long haired cats to kill the fleas. I've tried and tried! We were going to get the cats shaved but it cost $102 per cat! holy crap!

I'm very, very interested in this Nylar stuff! Maybe this will solve our flea problem combined with using DE on the short haired pets and maybe Captsar pills for the long haired cats.

I feel like I can't give birth in a house full of fleas. But I also can't give birth in a house full of chemicals either! It's causing me great distress now that I'm nesting.

[earthnut]

If the fleas got to desperation level, I'd probably get the ingestible pills to kill the adults, then renew the non-pesticide treatments with more vigor. At least then the pesticide isn't getting rubbed off on carpets, furniture, etc. It's probably in the poop, but at least that's in little packages outside!

My parents' dog gets the topical treatments, yet has more fleas than our dog. Our dog gets a bath after visits from my parents' dog; otherwise he'll obviously show signs of flea infestation. Frequent baths may well be not feasible for cats, lol!

This is the Nylar product I have. I dilute it for spraying around the house. It has a slight insecticidal soap-like odor.

[luv-my-boys]

I've read that dawn dish soap latered thickly on and left to "soak" for a few minutes kills fleas. A neighbor did this when she had a bad flea problem. She literally washed her dog daily and used the Diam. E in the yard.

[beanma]

You know, I think any soap will kill fleas if it gets to them. They'll drown. If there are a few left on the dog you can pick them off after toweling down while they're still stunned. Frequent bathing really does help.

[Happygal]

Lots of differing recommendations here, which makes sense since fleas seem to respond differently to treatments, for some reason. I was surprised that Frontline stopped working for my dog, and my vet explained that they think fleas might build up a resistance to a medicine that has been used for awhile.

I switched her to Advantix one time (not a possibility for cat owners as cats will die from it) and she had an awful reaction. Comfortis has been recommended. It is said to kill any flea or larvae right away, but I'm uncomfortable giving my dog a systemic drug that is so strong. She also has a sensitive stomach, and Comfortis can be tough on dogs' tummies. I'm still searching for a solution, although fleas with the cold aren't a problem right now. Researching any flea medicine doesn't make me very happy with what I find, and I always feel strange applying the medicine to her skin each month. But I do it because fleas are AWFUL!

Baths using stuff like Dawn will kill living fleas on your dog, but it won't solve the problem. My dog is good for her baths, but I don't want to deal with all the hair and labor and splattered water regularly. Flea shampoos are strong, and can dry out dog's skin, so they should not be used frequently (according to my vet). In fact, my vet recommends not using them at all.

Yes to the washing of bedding. Frequent vacumming of everything.

The fleas here are bad. My neighbors don't own any pets, yet they've had to treat their house for fleas! Treating the yard area is an important step. I didn't have an infestation, so it was easy to get a handle of. But I might consider bombing my house if it was really bad.

Let us know how you get a handle on it! Good luck.

[Pepper44]

I'm definitely buying the Nylar! What do you use to spray it? I saw a pump sprayer on there, but it was $59. Can't afford that along with the $43 Nylar.

I have four cats and two 60 pound dogs, so I have to buy a lot of flea treatment. That stuff is expensive, but of course my rescue pets are worth it...I have to keep telling myself that.

If I just spray the Nylar everywhere in the house and then rub DE on all the pets (assuming it won't kill 100% of fleas on the 2 long haired cats) do you think the flea problem will go away eventually? Even if the 2 long haired cats still have some live fleas, they won't be able to lay eggs and reproduce so they will eventually just die off, right?

Our 25 pound long haired cat has been the cause of the flea problem because he was too large for the weight limit of all the flea treatments we used, and fleas hid from baths in his very thick plush fur...

Last night in bed fleas were biting my arm and I just wanted to rip my hair out and cry!

I can't bathe my two big dogs everyday because not only am I pregnant and feeling like crap, but they are TERRIBLE for baths. If I do it inside then they destroy our tiny bathroom with fur and water. It's way below freezing outside. I can't afford to groom them daily, or even weekly, at a doggy bath place. And bathing my cats just dangerous. I might be able to accomplish it with a lot of kitty valium. It took us more than two hours to do the one big long haired cat.