fleas

[tonip1985]

My puppy is 14 weeks old she had 1 flea on her on 6/11/06 i rushed her to the vet as this is the first puppy i have ever had they gave her so flea treatment the vet checked her over and she could not find any more on her or no eggs that it layed. But this passed week she has had more fleas on her i phoned the vet and i could apply the treatment earlier but i have to do the treatment every 2 months but they still have not gone why is the treatment not working? I have tryed everythink flea comb, flea spary what can i do i dont like them on her they made her itch.

I have no other pets and wash everythink in the house etc beds mats.

Kind Regards

[Hawkwalk]

try another type of flea treatment. They may be immune to the one you are using. Also if you dog comes into contact with other dogs, this is where she may be picking up the fleas from. You can also use a flea collar.

[RATTER15]

Maybe you should think about having your house treated for fleas, get it done professionally, don't waste your time on DIY home treatments, they don't work!!

[Kimmiebear]

May I ask what flea treatment you used?
Fleas (the pesky devils) have what is called a pupal window where they can remain in the pupa stage until conditions are optimal. They are stimulated to release by vibrations, heat or even carbon dioxide changes. What may have happened is that the flea control got all of the adults, but those that were in the pupal stage are much harder to kill as they live in the carpet. So now they have hatched and are bothering your pup. There are flea controls that you can use together. Program and Capstar are the ones that come to mind; Program will sterilize all the adults that bite for one month, Capstar will kill any adults that bite, but it only lasts for 24 hours.
Advantage will last for a month or so, but if you are still seeing fleas and it was the one you used then the fleas may be resistant. It is safe to dose advantage every 2 weeks once with you pet, but seeing as she is so young do what your vet says!
I am not a fan of flea collars because they have a limited range on the dog's body. Usually the product will only spread out to the head and just past the shoulders. Ovicollar is the most reputable brand.
Revolution is another product but i think she may be to young for it. It is simular to advantage, but deworms as well.
As for your house; vacuum really well. You can try a premise spray like Siphotrol (only one that I know the name of- there are hundreds of others) Make sure you spray mostly in the corners and under furnature. Take her beds, collars and other items that might be contaminated and freeze them in bags for overnight. That should kill the adults and larvae anyways, then it is just the pupae and eggs to deal with.
Sorry I was so wordy, but we just finished the unit on fleas in school! Good luck!

[lizzydrippin]

Tonip, Please be careful about putting too many different flea treatments on your puppy only its not a good idea. Theyre all pretty heavy duty chemicals. You could well have had eggs or fleas in the house so even if the puppy was protected from the fleas breeding on her/him they would still jump on the puppy and take awhile to die (its either 12 or 24 hrs). If ever in any doubt just phone a vet and ask for advice. It doesnt have to be your own vet, any vet would be only too glad to advise you. You pretty much always need to spray the house after a pet has brought in fleas (and please make sure you wear something around your nose and mouth when you use the spray, like a damp silk scarf). You can get it done professionally but it costs and Ive always found it a simple enough job providing you read the instructions properly. Lucky you having a pup!

[RATTER15]

Lizzidrippin, I agree that a home treatment is easy enough to do, but they rarely work, as a professional pest controller for 13 years I can tell you I have seen thousands of pounds spent on these products and in general they have mostly failed.
Treatment carried out by a professional, is low odour, less toxic to humans and more effective and if it fails you get a free re-treat (always ensure that the treatment is guaranteed) and less expensive than buying enough of these spray cans from a vet to carry out an effective treatment.

[Noweia]

To summarise the previous answers - in addition to treating the pet, you must also treat the house!

Only 5% of a flea population is found on the pet, the rest is in the carpets as eggs or larvae.

One proper veterinary treatment should deal with most fleas, you just need to clean the house also.

Don't forget that the flea treatments may take up to 24 hours to kill an adult flea once it lands on your pet, so don't be worried when you find fleas after you've treated your pup.

[lizzydrippin]

ACCLAIM is a good house spray for fleas but can only be bought from a vet. Ive also used one called Zodiac which I bought from 'Pets at home'. Both were effective. But use with extreme care e.g. no pets or people in the house when you spray. It only takes half an hour and then you can open all the windows and vacuum all the carpets. It protects your house for up to one year.

[antiguru]

First of all, take a deep breath. Fleas are part of owning a pet. Even if you succeed in getting rid of them when you see them, they�ll be back, so it�s important not to panic. Fleas are everywhere you take your dog. They latch on to people and animals in the hope of being carried and fed.

Your dog is young, so take the time to find a treatment that works for you and it will become part of your pet-care routine.

Let�s start at the beginning. Fleas hide, so you won�t always spot them. I find it easier to find their droppings. Lay an old towel on the floor and spray it with water (like a demister) until it�s just damp. Stand your dog on the towel and comb or brush it. Flea droppings are mainly digested blood, so as soon as they hit the damp surface they will spread out and look like blood specs. You might get lucky and disturb a flea too, in which case seize it and squash it immediately. Two things from personal experience. Firstly if you try and get a good look at it it will escape and secondly you will have to squeeze very hard to kill it as it has a hard shell!

Now you need to treat the dog. Personally I favour Frontline which I see no-one else has mentioned. It�s thorough and predictable. It can also be purchased online for less than a vet charges. Most important it is not traumatic for your dog. It is like a syrup and all you do is part the fur on the back of your dog�s neck and squeeze the dose on. As your dog grows up it might grow its own resistance to fleas, so rather than just dose it up, wait until you find fleas again before repeating the dose.

This site will help you find treatments online, but also google frontline to take you to a variety of pet care sites.

http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Frontline _For_Dogs.html

Hope you have many happy years with your

[antiguru]

Hope you have many happy years with your new friend.

[tonip1985]

I have been using frontline for my puppys fleas the vets told me to use that one, but using it on my puppy has not been working. I clear and hoover my house everyday.

Thank you for everyone anwers.