Fleas

[Sean of the Thread]

Anyone have any natural or home type remedy experience to share?

My big dog hates frontline/advantage to the extreme. I need to come up with some other avenue to deal with this so he doesn't have to stress.

I've found like a million hippie sites proclaiming everything I'm just looking for first hand experiences from my brethren at teh PC.

[Gan]

Seven (7) dust.

Boric acid works great for other bugs, dont know if its effective against fleas though.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

My grandmother uses these weird plug-ins to keep fleas out of her house and off of her pets. Apparently they admit some type of vibration through the room that fleas cannot stand and they leave-- I've never once seen a flea in her home even with quite a few pets.

Beyond that I know you can also get sticky-paper plug in things inside that will attract fleas, they'll stick to the paper, and die. The problem with this is you see all the dead fleas and it's just really, really gross. We used them when we had a cat with really sensitive skin (she'd have seizures if we ever gave her "normal" flea medication) and it worked really well.

With a dog you do have the route of giving him a flea bath-- pet shampoo with teatree oil and a flea comb will usually remove/kill most fleas and their eggs.

When I worked at a Vet's office I know they also offered a flea shot that helped keep animals free of fleas. If we ever got a stray that was badly infested (the skin was entirely covered with eggs) we'd give them the shot after a bath and it worked great, so you could talk to your vet about that.

[Gelston]

What size is the dog, and is it long or short hair?

[Stunseed]

Take a small dish in a badly infected room. Fill the dish with dishwashing liquid, and set it in a dark place ( couch for a living room, etc ). The flea jumps in unknowingly and gets stuck and dies.

[Sean of the Thread]

What size is the dog, and is it long or short hair?

It's a large dog about 85lbs short hair.

[Sean of the Thread]

When I worked at a Vet's office I know they also offered a flea shot that helped keep animals free of fleas. If we ever got a stray that was badly infested (the skin was entirely covered with eggs) we'd give them the shot after a bath and it worked great, so you could talk to your vet about that.

My dog is banned from out vets office.

Ever since his heartworm treatment he wants to kill anyone at a vet's shop.

Up until his heartworm treatment he never had a problem with me putting the flea meds on him monthly. The heartworm treatment was obviously very traumatizing to him.

Now it's suicide to even try.. he busted through two muzzles already. Now he won't even let me get near him with a muzzle.

[Katt]

Wow, is your dog getting old and senile or something? Not good to have aggressive behavior with a dog like that, especially if he is strong enough to break through a muzzle. He could think some little kid is trying to muzzle him and kill the kid!

I'd worry about that more than the fleas first. Have you tried just a basic flea collar though?

[Methais]

How did your dog manage to get heartworm? That's pretty easy to prevent, unless he already had it when you got him of course.

[Sean of the Thread]

How did your dog manage to get heartworm? That's pretty easy to prevent, unless he already had it when you got him of course.

Best we can tell is my wife accidentally skipped a month of his pill. Florida swarming with mosquitoes and all who knows. We've never figured it out.

[Sean of the Thread]

Wow, is your dog getting old and senile or something? Not good to have aggressive behavior with a dog like that, especially if he is strong enough to break through a muzzle. He could think some little kid is trying to muzzle him and kill the kid!

I'd worry about that more than the fleas first. Have you tried just a basic flea collar though?

The spots where you apply the flea med in the rear is the same spot they gave him 450191 gauge needles full of arsenic for three days to treat it. I dunno what happened but he's never been the same about his rear/back area ever since.

My kids can ride him like a horse and that's all that matters to me. He can kill or maim anyone else that comes into my house unwontedly for all I care. He's my guard puppy.

[Parkbandit]

Why would you own a dog like that? Once a month, I give my dog a heartworm pill and put Frontline Plus on the back of his neck. It takes a grand total of 1 minute. How can your dog put up a fuss? Does he not like you to pet him at all?

If he is that tempermental.. I would say give him the Michael Vick treatment and get yourself a new pet.

[Katt]

That is how I see it too. If he isn't minding his owner then it won't be long before he doesn't mind your kids and tears them a new one. I've had sweet dogs go insane just because they are old and can't see as well etc. and had to put them down.

[Gelston]

Big dog. Short hair is easier then the long hair to take care of but.. They sell this stuff that you pour into bath water, and then put your dog into. It works pretty good. You will also need to make sure to spray most of your furniture and such, as they don't just stay on the dog.

[Clove]

That dog sounds like too much of a liability. A pet has to be controlable- or it isn't a pet, it's a threat.

Boric acid works on fleas, dust his bedding with it, dust rugs and vacuum as much as possible. Place a pie pan with an inch of soapy water (to break the surface tension) in it underneath a desk lamp makes the little fuckers commit suicide. They detect the warm pan, jump in thinking it's a host and drown. Near the bedding is good.

The problem is unless you dust your entire house with boric acid for the next month, your dog will just keep breeding fleas.

Front-line or Advantage really is the most effective treatment. Frontline especially. Kills the adult fleas so fast they don't have time to reproduce. My ferrets are incredibly flea-prone due to their high body temp. A flea will actually jump off a cat to ferret. Frontline is the only thing that breaks the cycle in my house.

[Warriorbird]

It's a choice to own a dog like that. A fair portion of rural Hungary owns kuvasz...the entire breed's that way. You just have to be very careful...especially with children.

Still though...Frontline's pretty non invasive. There should be enough respect there for you to be able to put him through it. You're the boss. Even the most aggressive dogs in my family seem to put up with it fine.

[Drew2]

Yeah, stop being a pussy and put the shit on your dog.

edit: Can't you put it between their shoulders too? Not just on their ass?

[Clove]

It's a choice to own a dog like that. A fair portion of rural Hungary owns kuvasz...the entire breed's that way. You just have to be very careful...especially with children.

Everything's a choice, but some choices aren't all that sharp. Hungary doesn't have our courts and Florida isn't a "one-bite" state.

But seriously? Who's boss in your house Sean2 you, or the dog? Here's a suggestion:

Get Fido drunk on some tequila and when he's well buzzed and pleasant drop the meds on him. That's how I ended up with my tattoo and noone was bit.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Yeah, stop being a pussy and put the shit on your dog.

edit: Can't you put it between their shoulders too? Not just on their ass?

That's what I thought, we always put front line between our cat's shoulders where they can't lick it and make themselves sick. Our cats flip out at the sensation because it's bare skin contact after pulling the fur aside, but 7 pounds of meowing fury isn't exactly a concern.. not like a big dog would be, heh.

[Gan]

My dog is banned from out vets office.

Ever since his heartworm treatment he wants to kill anyone at a vet's shop.

Up until his heartworm treatment he never had a problem with me putting the flea meds on him monthly. The heartworm treatment was obviously very traumatizing to him.

Now it's suicide to even try.. he busted through two muzzles already. Now he won't even let me get near him with a muzzle.

You need to follow the 2 step method to correct the dog's behavior.

Step 1:
http://www.hooverfence.com/sports/baseball-softball/images/bats-ls-tpx-lg.jpg

If that doesnt work, proceed to Step 2:
http://www.airpistol.co.uk/masters2/Sprite%20146.jpg

[The Ponzzz]

Fill a bath tub with dish soap. I know your dog is big, but dish soap destroys fleas. His skin will get dry from the bath, but man, dish soap rocks so hard!

Then keep your floors vacuum'd and repeat this shit till you don't see any more itching, fleas or flea eggs. You can buy a flea comb to check him out.

[Gan]

Just man up, buy the damn flea meds, kick your dog in the nuts and squeeze the applicator on the back of his neck while he's curled up in fetal position, ya cheap bastard.

[Methais]

Just man up, buy the damn flea meds, kick your dog in the nuts and squeeze the applicator on the back of his neck while he's curled up in fetal position, ya cheap bastard.

Or just distract him with a juicy steak and put the stuff on him while he's eating it.

[Gan]

Waste of a good steak.

[Doughboy]

Seven (7) dust.

Boric acid works great for other bugs, dont know if its effective against fleas though.

The dust always worked great for me. It does have this unique odor though. Not bad, not good, unique...

[Gan]

The dust always worked great for me. It does have this unique odor though. Not bad, not good, unique...

Dust is great for outside dogs. Not a good choice for indoor dogs, as it has a tendancy to remain on the coat and rub off on people, furniture, kids, etc. Its a power base, much like bathing your dog in baby powder and letting it run through the house.

[Doughboy]

Dust is great for outside dogs. Not a good choice for indoor dogs, as it has a tendancy to remain on the coat and rub off on people, furniture, kids, etc. Its a power base, much like bathing your dog in baby powder and letting it run through the house.

Guess that means I should read the rest of the thread before posting...

Damn this laziness...

[Gan]

LOL

[Anebriated]

You need to follow the 2 step method to correct the dog's behavior.

Step 1:
http://www.hooverfence.com/sports/baseball-softball/images/bats-ls-tpx-lg.jpg

If that doesnt work, proceed to Step 2:
http://www.airpistol.co.uk/masters2/Sprite%20146.jpg

Alternative solution:
http://constitutionclub.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/michael_vick_dog.jpg

[Gan]

ROFL

[Parkbandit]

Fill a bath tub with dish soap. I know your dog is big, but dish soap destroys fleas. His skin will get dry from the bath, but man, dish soap rocks so hard!

Then keep your floors vacuum'd and repeat this shit till you don't see any more itching, fleas or flea eggs. You can buy a flea comb to check him out.


Worst advice given to date.

[Katt]

If your dog goes outside at all, you need to keep up on the treatments. If your washing your dog with dish soap like that, all his hair is going to fall out. When I was little, I washed my dog with people shampoo and my grandma had the vet give me a very long lecture. LOL.

[The Ponzzz]

Worst advice given to date.

Vet told me to do it. Haven't had a flea on them since the one bath. The Advanced care 4 in 1 from the Vet did not work, nor did any spray, bomb or ointment for them.

The only other thing you can do is keep your dogs in the cold for awhile.

[Gan]

http://www.sleddogcentral.com/fun_photos/olding_britt.jpg
^^^

[Kyra231]

See if you can get the product 'Program' for your dog. When I was grooming it was one of the few that ever totally eradicated even the worst case of fleas off from dogs.

I believe it is still available in pill form, it's worth checking into if the dog has issues in the vets office.

~K.

[Katt]

Yeah that is a good idea, you can get pills in powder format and just put them in his food.

[Stanley Burrell]

The only other thing you can do is keep your dogs in the cold for awhile.

I cannot imagine the manual labor of having to dispatch of insect populations year round.

I diss CT too much, so I'm gonna say right now, praised be the New England weather for making the bugs go away.

My iguana has never had a flea problem. He is crawling at me and dewlapping to establish his dominance and make me his bitch right now, though.

[Clove]

My iguana has never had a flea problem. He is crawling at me and dewlapping to establish his dominance and make me his bitch right now, though.

Oddly, I have no difficulty imagining Stanley as an iguana's bitch.

http://www.smithway.org/igsite/imgs/xxx_001.jpg

[War Angel]

On a side note of the whole flea issue ... First, I don't know where you live, however Frontline/Advantage also takes care of ticks. Ticks carry lyme disease, which can be deadly in dogs. (RIP Blaze)
Perhaps contacting someone who trains dogs can give you some insight as to how to calm your dog down and relax during the treatment? I'd try that first.

[Stanley Burrell]

Oddly, I have no difficulty imagining Stanley as an iguana's bitch.

http://www.smithway.org/igsite/imgs/xxx_001.jpg

+1! (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ii7w0nTTHCY)

[Sean of the Thread]

Handled with the ole poop ambush.

We took him on a walk and when he pinched a loaf she was on standby and stabbed him in the back with it.

Advantage sortie successful.

[Gan]

ROFL

[CrystalTears]

I love the dramatic "stabbed him in the back" approach. It's just a squirt. You know all about squirting on someone's back, I'm sure, Sean2. :D

[Sean of the Thread]

I love the dramatic "stabbed him in the back" approach. It's just a squirt. You know all about squirting on someone's back, I'm sure, Sean2. :D

Lol.

Literally it was a stab in the back. I was counting down with my fingers from 3 and she lunged at his shoulder blades and squeezed to make sure it got on his skin under the hair.

We've used this technique before but he got too wise for it and it became almost impossible to pull off. He's all but forgotten it evidently. He didn't even realize it happened this time... just jumped around yelped and then went about his business.

[Gan]

I love the dramatic "stabbed him in the back" approach. It's just a squirt. You know all about squirting on someone's back, I'm sure, Sean2. :D

hahahahaha

Winner.

[Anebriated]

+1! (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ii7w0nTTHCY)

lol, wonder if he bought it breakfast the next morning

[Clove]

I love the dramatic "stabbed him in the back" approach. It's just a squirt. You know all about squirting on someone's back, I'm sure, Sean2. :D

I always knew he could do it. Sean2 just needed enough motivation.

[Katt]

My Mom called me and said that my miniature doxen is having back/leg problems (pretty common among those types of dogs.) and this Christmas will probably be the last time I get to see him. =(

He isn't in any pain but can't really use his two front legs, he is totally a lap dog though so long as he still is happy and not hurting he can be around.

I just hope it doesn't snow because his favorite thing to do is jump in it like a bunny. :(

[Anebriated]

Im sorry Katt. I just had to put down my chocolate lab that ive had for the last 13 years. His legs were giving out as well, could barely make it up and down stairs, and he seemed to be in pain despite not making much noise. Decided it was best for him to just end the pain. Spend time with him while he is around.