Damn fleas!

@inu1711 (5285)
Romania
July 23, 2010 1:31am CST
I think I'm gonna go crazy. Four weeks ago I treated Binne with Advantix spot on. It had been ok for two weeks, but after that, she started to scratch herself. I thought she got an allergy, as terriers are known for the skin problems they have. I took everything out of her diet, except for her kibbles (special designed for dogs with sensible skin). But for almost a week, she continued scratching herself, more and more aggressively. I checked out her skin for sores - nothing! But she scratched herself more and more furiously, day after day. I never thought she could have fleas, as she has been adequately treated against fleas. Four days ago, when I checked again her skin, I saw two fleas on her tummy. What? After three weeks from the treatment with Advantix? I couldn't beleive my eyes. I treated all the house with an antiparasitic solution, close all the windows and doors and we left home. In the mean time, I took Binne to the vet, and he applied her another spot-on product, this time a Fiprex pipette. I was hoping that would eliminate the damn fleas from our life, but no! She continued scratching herself. I called the vet and he said it take almost 24 hours for the fleas to die after the pipette was applied, but there have been four days since the new treatment, and Binne still scratching herself. I admit I don't know what to do next. Binne seems so unhappy with those pests in her coat! Yet I have checked her coat every day after the new treatment, and I haven't see a flea any more. Then why is she still scratching? Have you any ideea what to do next?
2 people like this
4 responses
@jillbeth (2705)
• United States
26 Jul 10
Fleas are becoming immune to the chemicals we use to poison them, and if a dog is allergic to flea dirt (they're not actually allergic to the fleas themselves) then only one flea can cause a serious reaction! You don't need flea dips or shampoos to kill fleas, keeping your dog wet and soapy for at least ten minutes will drown the fleas. Use a mild, non-toxic shampoo and the rinse the dog very well afterward, and make sure to rinse any fleas down the drain very well, too. There are a variety of natural methods of flea control to keep the nasty buggers off your dog, out of your home, and out of your yard. Vacuum your home often, keep the grass cut short, and take time each day to groom your dog and pick any fleas off that you see. Use a fine-tooth comb to get them out of the fur and dunk them in a bowl of soapy water to kill them. Here is a link to an article about natural methods of flea control. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/758039/tips_for_natural_flea_control.html?cat=53
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
26 Jul 10
I've read the article from the link. Binne doesn't have any problems with the fleas any more, but the informations you provided here are very usefull, and I'll keep them in mind. Thank you.
@ljy559 (181)
• Malaysia
24 Jul 10
I bought my dog, a miniature Schnauzer, from the pet shop when she was only 2 months old. She had this dandruff problem about a week after we brought her home, and we thought it was some allergy. So my parents called up the pet shop to ask them about it, and they told us that the 'dandruff' was because my dog is no longer drinking her mother's milk, so it's kind of like a normal reaction in dogs. We believed them, but the problem continued for a few more weeks, and my dog would keep scratching herself. It's like, she would walk a few steps, stop, scratch, continue walking, stop, scratch...etc etc. After that we decided to bring her to the vet, and when he looked at her skin, he had a rough idea on what was going on. He took some utensil, and scraped a few dandruff off her fur and put it on a slide. Next, he put it under the microscope, looked, and told us to go and see. Guess what it was! Some microscopic mite was the cause of it! We could see the thing moving under the microscope! IT WAS REALLY DISTURBING TO IMAGINE THAT A PARASITE COULD LIVE ON THE SKIN OF A DOG! The only treatment was to inject my dog with the medication, that kills the parasite from inside out, because according to the vet, the parasite lives inside the pores (or something like that), and that if you use Advantix or any similar product, it only kills the parasite that is on the surface of the dog's skin. The injection that he gives kills the parasite from inside the pores, and getting rid of them 100%. My dog had to take 3 injections, one injection a week. 3 weeks later she was free of them already! I'm really glad to see her NOT scratching anymore! :)
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
26 Jul 10
Oh, Ljy559, I know how disturbing such a problem could be! I'm glad you found out the cause of the scratching and you solved it. Binne feels better now, she doesn't scratch herself so often. I saw her scratching maybe 2 or 3 times a day in this weekend. I think Carmelanirel was right about the itchy bites left by the fleas.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
23 Jul 10
The first poster is right, you should take her to the vet and see if she may have a skin irritation or an infection. (Ciara scratched her ears and I found she had a minor infection) Or this could be a guess, but fleas bite, leaving itchy bumps..Though she doesn't have fleas, the bites may still itch.
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
23 Jul 10
Another visit to the vet is all I have left to do. Her skin looks so clean, no skin irritation is visible, nor an infection. You know? I was thinking about the itchy bumps, too. I know that when it happens to me to get fleas bites, they itch for two or three days, or maybe more. I wonder if it may happen the same to dogs? How are Ciara's ears now? Did she finish her treatment? I hope she got rid of the ear infection.
@sjlskl (3382)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
Beside fleas, some other reasons that causes your Binne to scratch herself. They includes mites, allergies, rashes, skin disease, or maybe the place she always sleep is dirty. Before bring her to the vet for another round of checkup, give her a good bath and scrub. Clean her sleeping area. See if it helps. If not, bring her to see a vet to have a thorough check.
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
23 Jul 10
Binne had a bath two days before the new treatment with Fiprex. That's almost 6 days ago. I checked again her coat this evening, I couldn't see any flea. And her skin is so clean! I couldn't find anything wrong. Not red spots, nothing! I'll try to change her bedding again, even if I change it every time she has a bath. Thank you, sjlskl.