Fleas

I'm with yo Bluegal. I accept many people don't want to over use chemicals on their dogs. I had one flea infestation almost forty years ago - Talk abou scarred for life.

Probably been covered by others but in my experience the only really effective treatment IS from the vet and it is costly but well worth it! Have tried shop bought in past but never eradicated it. I give my dog three-monthly tablets (each one costs over £30) I also use a spray (again from my vet at about £30 also) and spray my whole house every six months, especially where dog/cat sleeps. There ARE different types and if your dog is sick after one, they can try another.

Like headlice, fleas do become resistant to treatment in time and with houses being carpeted and warm all year long now, the lavae thrive.

Fleas do infest soft furnishings and even if you do all this, your dog (or cat) can still pick up 'riders' from other peoples houses or where birds/hedgehogs have been outside etc. Fleas seem to be able to lie in abeyance a long time until a juicy looking host comes along......

So long as you keep the process up the situation should ease. I don't treat my dog seasonally, but all the time. Any fleas he picks up do have to feed off him before they die but generally they do not lay eggs.

I was told by my vet that this year has been a very bad year for abundance of fleas - said she has had owners crying at her surgery. Touch wood we have been ok.

Good luck

Is it the moment? (Please pretty please ?)

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on;
While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on

They seem to be really bad this year. Hopefully next year will be better!

We have a regular extra dog, yes, she belongs to one of our adult children. Just as we were leaving on holiday last week, we had a phone call to say the dog has fleas. Yes, she'd been with us for a week but then gone to stay with her owners, friends and cats. It's always cats.
no doubt the fleas will be cosy in our dog beds, furniture etc, ready for fumigating when we get home. Sorry - we just forgot to use the stuff from the vet they said ?

"now fumigating the house!"
You have to, because the fleas lay their eggs in soft furnishings, including carpets and mats. Ready to hatch out and jump on the poor animal carriers like your DG dog.
We had to burn all our mats ( no fitted carpets TG.)

What an unsympathetic Vet he should have warned of the side effects first time they spoke,he would probably charge another £20+ consultancy fee I imagine.At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.

Update. Poor dog seems to be scratching less - but only managed to keep the pill down for less than two hours. Luckily the vet did say it would start to work in about an hour. Vet also said being sick was a side effect which affected a lot of dogs but didn't think to warn them beforehand, and then said further treatment would be charged for. They've decided to wait and see if the pill had time to work. They're now fumigating the house!

Nfk I do hope he has some relief quickly as it is so distressing to see them scratching,I know they have shampooed him in Head & Shoulders and off topic a wee bit but my DD cannot use it as she will claw at her head for days after.

They've bought some pills and a spray from the vet for £28! (Fibrotec?). Hopefully it'll work, the poor dog has scratched himself raw.

We use Advocate, but not as often as the instructions direct because we're concerned that there might be a cumulative toxic effect on our dog. Anyway, it works pretty well.

Thanks all. They came round this afternoon having given the poor dog a thorough bath with anti-flea shampoo after bathing him yesterday - Head and Shoulders! that being all that was to hand - and sprayed the whole house with anti-flea spray. The dog looks like a puff ball, but isn't scratching so much! Maybe Head and Shoulders is the answer!

Is Nexgard only available from the vet?

The vet is the only way to go with flea treatments. I had a cat forty years ago who shared fleas - treatments weren't as effective then, never again, my dogs are treated to flea worm and tick treatments from the vet. Expensive and no doubt full of chemicals but tea tree oil isn't as effective

If only all the manufacturers of dog pills or tablets could use whatever flavouring they put in Nexgard! Gracie used to regard them as a TREAT but anything else had to be ground up and disguised in best chicken liver pâté (and still spat out)

I've used advantage on my cats, and it hasn't been so effective as before.

Our local cat protection branch use stronghold. Only available from vet. So I may try that next time.

I use Advantage (a good one from Bayer) every month on cat and dog yet my dog has had masses of fleas this summer. I got a household spray from the vet but it warns that you may see fleas for 3 more months because nothing kills the pupae.
I've spent a small fortune and have hoovered the entire house over and over again and dog STILL has live fleas. I just hope they will gradually disappear after all my treatments.

That sounds like the one we get, Nexgard, a meaty flavoured chewy thing. It needs a prescription.
We had fleas once but it was from a cat, it was a nightmare!

We have given up on Frontline and get any treatment now from the Vet 3 months supply for £21.00 no sign of any visitors for over 12mths now so well worth the money,I also spray her bedding with Bob Martins Clear Spray just in case she brings anything indoors.Cat gets the same treatment now he is allowed out in the garden and playing with other cats who come to visit.

My daughter treated her dog and cat with frontline, which she has always used. The cats hair fell out where it was applied, and the dog is still scratching.

Haha you're very sharp this early in the morning annesixty !
Yes it is the dog much to her horror ?

That made me smile Izzy
I assume it is your mother's dog who has the fleas and not your Mother? ?

annesixty your daughter needs to get flea treatment from her vet. As its only a puppy most of the vet treatments will work well but as the years go by sometimes the treatment stops working and you have to change brands.
Because my mother is elderly and forgetful, the 12 week treatment works very well for her.
No shame annesixty , fleas are part of life but prevention is the way forward.

I was quite relieved to read this thread as my D took her cavachon puppy for his first grooming on Thursday and she told me the groomer had had to give him a flea bath first as he had the little blighters. I was thinking, Oh the shame!!
I assume from the posts that a bath is not really effective.
It cost an extra £5.

We have used the collars this year and found them effective. There are a lot of ticks here and the collars seem to stop them too. Only use them until the end of Oct though, think you can probably leave them on all the time. Our cat has a tablet from the vet.