Fleas, im worried

[Tammera]

My neighbours dog was left outside again when they went to bed (why do people buy dogs as garden furniture) and it got out of the garden again. i cant wake them up so ive brought him into my house, ive locked him in the kitchen for the night but let him in the front room for an hour or so for attention to make him feel more comfortable in a strange house. now i have a problem, he has fleas, i dont know how bad, but my daughter will attract fleas anywhere. i can take her to a house where theres fleas and she will come back covered in bites. ive never known anyone to be such a flea magnet. so tonight shes started getting bites already showing, and im worried about fleas staying in my house. my cat seems to not attract fleas strange as it may seem, she has never had fleas even though she goes outside (much to mine and drgnrdr's dispare) again never known a cat to not have fleas without even treating them. do you think my house and cat will be fine and flea free with him just in the house/mainly kitchen overnight or will i have to get the house sprayed? i cant have fleas in the house as my daughter will just turn into a red lump.

[raysparx]

Hi Tammera,

I don't think animal fleas will live on humans,so you should be ok, but I could be wrong, but I think that is correct, I hope so, people like your neighbour annoy me,they do not deserve the loyalty of a pet, good luck, Ray

[Roughquest]

Fleas will bite humans, but they cannot live off our blood as the temperature is too high. You have said nothing of your neighbours predicament, is the dog fed? and how do you know the fleas are from the dog, predominantly fleas will come from your cat im afraid, even though you say your cat never has fleas he will still be a carrier, all animals have fleas, have you returned the dog to its rightful owners yet? I suggest you calmly talk to your neighbours and explain your concerns and offer help if needed.

[Tammera]

because my daughter is so sensitive and prone to flea bites, i not only get my cat and ferrets checked at the vet regularly for fleas but my daughter would be covered in bites if the cat had fleas. one summer i stayed at a friends house, the following day i took my daughter to play group and they sent her home with chicken pox, i inststed it wasnt as shes had them before, took her to the dr's and they flea bites, she had them all over her. thats happened a number of times at different friends houses.

also its to coincidental that the first time she gets flea bites in the house, when ive had the cat for years, is the night i have the neighbours dog.

yes the neighbour fetched the dog this morning, he was good dog.

im not worried about fleas living off us but more about if they have been laid in my carpet if the cat will get them and how much my daughter will get bitten till they die out as they can live in the house off human blood.

[Noweia]

To be on the safe side, you would probably be best treating the carpet and vacuuming it thoroughly. It doesn't take many fleas to establish a population in your house, unfortunately!

I understand how you feel - I always seem to get bitten worst whenever one of our pets gets fleas, and I'm allergic to the bites as well :(

[kita1]

Are you sure its fleas?

I sometimes get a rash after playing with my dog (I have had him 10 years). This is raised little lumps like flea bites but it is definately not flea bites, the rash last quite a few hours afterwards and is a bit itchy and red and is worse if I scratch it. I think it is when his whiskers touch my skin and parcially pierce it although there are no scratches.

I got the same effect years ago of a minature fir tree in the garden whenever I weeded round it.

Must be some sort of allergy, but it has never got any worse. If your daughter played with the dog maybe this caused the rash.

I often play with cats and other dogs but only get it off my dog, similarly when I worked in kennels I once got pains in my chest after grooming a springer spaniel, but only ever off that particular dog!

If it is off the dog itself your daughter should be OK as long as she keeps away from that dog.

[antiguru]

You�re a good person, Tammera, and your neighbours don�t deserve you. I would seriously consider a call to the RSPCA to get them to come and check over the dog and it�s living conditions. You can ask them to keep your identity private if you fear repercussions.

You might be interested to know that cat fleas and dog fleas are different species, which if why you will often find that people react to one but not the other.

To treat an animal I haven�t found an improvement on Frontline which you just squeeze on to the back of a docks neck on the skin. But it�s not cheap. You�ll need to treat anything the dog has sat on too and a good household flea spray will do this.

[veritymoon]

make sure you treat the house with a spray, indorex or aclaim are good ones that you can but from the vets (but they are about �13.) may be worth fleaing the cat just incase your vet can provide that too.