[adnste]

We found fleas on Jess yesterday. We are very inexperienced Basset owners and we were only just talking about getting her back to a decent Basset friendly vet for advice on flea/tick/heartworm treatments. We went straight out and bought Hartz spray for Jess and carpet powder for the house, plus a flea collar. The instructions said the fleas would be dead within 5-10 minutes. However, after one treatment and a couple of hours I still found live fleas on her, so gave her another spraying. Can we poison her by putting too much spray on her?

We threw away her old bedding, bought her a new pad for her crate and sprayed and cleaned the crate itself. I've sprinkled the powder over much of the house carpeting, but not all yet. My questions are - how long can fleas live off the dog? Can they bite humans if the dog is now an "unfriendly" host? How do I get the flea dirt off Jess? I searched her this morning, couldn't find any live fleas, but still quite a bit of dirt especially on her belly and between her hind legs. Can it just be brushed out or should I bath her?

Also, do ticks fall off once they are full? My husband found a little "wart" on Jess the other day. I looked at it and it was the size of a match head and white/grayish. Now I'm wondering if it was a tick that hadn't yet sucked enough blood to make it dark. Thing is, I can't find it any more. Can they/do they move much on a dog?

What is the best treatment to remove/keep away fleas and ticks? I saw several different types of over the counter treatment, but have no idea which sort would work best.

Does the monthly heartworm preventative also treat for fleas or are they completely different treatments? What age should that be started?

I was going to bathe Jess to try and remove the flea dirt, but I'm loathe to remove the flea treatment from her coat. Would it be ok to give her a bath now? I'll then put the flea collar on her. Will that be ok?

Sorry to be so stupid...!

 

[Marcia]

You're not stupid! You just want what's best for your baby. I use Revolution which is a prescription item. It is applied topically, on the dog's skin between the shoulder blades. I use this because it is a heartworm preventative and flea/tick/worm control as well, all in one product. I have also in the past used Frontline, another topical product that is available over the counter, along with Heartguard heartworm preventative. All of these are monthly treatments. By all means bathe your baby - she will feel a lot better. I would be careful about layering flea products such as spray and collars. They can build up to toxic levels. I have never met a flea collar yet that worked, but I have seen plenty cause neck irritation. I'd stay away from them if I were you. Also - for your flea control to work the best, you need to treat your environment (carpet, yard, etc.). Products that have insect growth regulators are good. Hope this helps!

 

[Barbara Winters]

According to the Pfizer Revolution only kills American Dog Tick:

With monthly dosing, Revolution® (selamectin) controls American dog tick (D. variabilis) infestations in dogs and puppies as young as 6 weeks. Ask your veterinarian about Revolution.

I live in an area with deer ticks so wouldn't use Revolution but rather would use Heartguard or Interceptor, for heartworm prevention and Frontline or K9Advantix for fleas and ticks. Forget flea sprays and collars. And I agree give her a bath.

Also Revolution requires a veterinarians prescription.

[ June 21, 2005, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Barbara Winters ]

 

[pinehawk]

Sevin Powder 5%.i put it in the dogs houses,when they go in and they "put it on themselves".works the best and people i know have been using it for years.it's the same stuff they use in flea and tick powder.i get mine at Wal-Mart.

 

[adnste]

Thanks for all your wonderful advice! Other people I've talked to recommend the K9 Advantix route as well, but I'll talk to our new vet when we find him and see what they recommend for our area. In the meantime, I'll look out for the Sevin Powder. For now, she is a clean, flea free basset again and we are all much happier today!

 

[Choni]

Just wanted to mention that K9 Advantix is toxic to cats. If your dog is around any, it's best to use something else.

I've had good luck with a monthly application of Frontline Plus.

 

[Menzie]

We also have good luck with Frontline here. Even here in the South (where fleas can be horrible), the Frontline works really well. We put Frontline on every 2 months (they will tell you to do it every month, but try not to unless you really have a bad flea problem...I worry about my dogs getting toxic doses of any chemical..). Anyway, It is *very* rare that I see a flea on one of my dogs.

 

[exsqwid]

I was told that the black specks ("flea dirt") are eggs. Is that true?
I've been very satisfied with Sentinel (flea and heart guard (and other worms) all in one - was told by vet it helps against ticks, too). It's chewable. Expensive but I think worth it. http://www.vetstop.com.au/infoh/Sentinel.htm

 

[Perci]

a friend of mine lost their dog to hartz shampoo. I was surprised to find out these products have killed many family pets and are still sold in the market. In El Salvador coconut oil is used for fleas and ticks it kills and repels. It’s the only thing I use on my basset. Here’s a link to the benefits of coconut oil for your dogs.

How Coconut Oil Can Protect Your Pet Against Fleas and Ticks

Higher temperatures and increased humidity, increase the likelihood of your pet being exposed to fleas and ticks increases. This is how coconut oil can help.

www.cocotherapy.com