# Non-Poodle puppy covered in fleas



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

I just got a 7 week old mixbreed pup from a friend who didn’t have the means to care for the pup properly. So she is COVERED in fleas. I HATE bugs... is there anything I can use in my home to prevent infestation as I work on riding my pup of the fleas??? I used an age appropriate flea treatment but may have messed it up by combing three fur with lice comb and soapy water ( to kill fleas after combed out) I do believe I have gotten a huge chunk of the fleas off and will be arranging an appointment with vet tomorrow ASAP I just need help protecting my family and my toy poodle and my home.


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I would not let him in the home until he sees the vet, or you’ll end up with two dogs with fleas. You’ll probably have to treat both dogs as well buy it will be more preventive for your poodle.


----------



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

Dechi said:


> I would not let him in the home until he sees the vet, or you’ll end up with two dogs with fleas. You’ll probably have to treat both dogs as well buy it will be more preventive for your poodle.


My poodle has a Seresto collar that works AMAZINGLY for her. I have no choice but to bring the puppy in as we live in an upstairs apartment unit...


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Recently I dealt with a nasty flea incident with my dog. He visited a location for two hours and came home covered in fleas. I successfully rid him of the fleas using only soap and it took two baths to do it. Any soap/shampoo will work. The key is to use lots of it, to cover the dog _completely_ with suds and soap, and to let it sit for 5-10 minutes to suffocate the fleas. After the first bath I counted 40 dead fleas. I gave him another the next day and counted 5 more. I gave him another not long after that and counted none.

If the pup has already been brought into the house then the house will need to be treated to get rid of them. They jump off the dog and lay eggs so there is no way around it. I'm not sure about the best way to treat a house.


----------



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

Raindrops said:


> Recently I dealt with a nasty flea incident with my dog. He visited a location for two hours and came home covered in fleas. I successfully rid him of the fleas using only soap and it took two baths to do it. Any soap/shampoo will work. The key is to use lots of it, to cover the dog _completely_ with suds and soap, and to let it sit for 5-10 minutes to suffocate the fleas. After the first bath I counted 40 dead fleas. I gave him another the next day and counted 5 more. I gave him another not long after that and counted none.
> 
> If the pup has already been brought into the house then the house will need to be treated to get rid of them. They jump off the dog and lay eggs so there is no way around it. I'm not sure about the best way to treat a house.


We are prepared to set off bombs if needed. I used to use a spray for a kitten that was all natural.... I can’t remember the brand tho...


----------



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

Raindrops said:


> Recently I dealt with a nasty flea incident with my dog. He visited a location for two hours and came home covered in fleas. I successfully rid him of the fleas using only soap and it took two baths to do it. Any soap/shampoo will work. The key is to use lots of it, to cover the dog _completely_ with suds and soap, and to let it sit for 5-10 minutes to suffocate the fleas. After the first bath I counted 40 dead fleas. I gave him another the next day and counted 5 more. I gave him another not long after that and counted none.
> 
> If the pup has already been brought into the house then the house will need to be treated to get rid of them. They jump off the dog and lay eggs so there is no way around it. I'm not sure about the best way to treat a house.


Do you mind if I ask how you treated your home???


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

BlackBootysMomma said:


> Do you mind if I ask how you treated your home???


I did not treat my home because I knew the exact date the fleas jumped on the dog and I was able to get most of them off within 48 hours. I figured they were unlikely to have jumped off and laid eggs that quickly. But I would suspect if they've been on the puppy for a while they will be ready to jump off and lay eggs. A few weeks after my initial purge, I have found exactly one flea on my dog that I was able to catch and kill, but I'm not sure if that one was from the same incident or if he picked it up from a friend.


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Start with elbow grease to prevent an infestation from getting going in the first place. As others have said, bathe the pup to get the fleas off. Follow up by washing the pup's bedding daily in hot water. Vacuum the pup's room daily and empty the vacuum immediately after. If you are lucky most of the fleas and flea eggs will be safely down the drain or out in the trash, and an infestation won't take hold in your house.

If your efforts fail, and the fleas get going, I would reach out to a professional exterminator instead of messing around with home remedies. Using the correct treatment at the correct time is key. Fleas, like butterflies, go through a larval stage. There are treatments which break the infestation by preventing the young fleas from ever maturing into adults. 

My experience with all natural herbal treatments is that they often smell really strongly. Dogs have more sensitive noses than we do. Living in a house that smells like a candle shop must be torture for them.


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

BlackBootysMomma said:


> We are prepared to set off bombs if needed. I used to use a spray for a kitten that was all natural.... I can’t remember the brand tho...


If you use this product, it treats the house also. When the fleas go on your dog, they die, even if they don’t bite them. All you need is the product on both dogs. 






Advantage II Flea Treatment for Medium Dogs weighing 4.6 kg to 11 kg (10 lbs. to 24 lbs.): Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies


Advantage II Flea Treatment for Medium Dogs weighing 4.6 kg to 11 kg (10 lbs. to 24 lbs.): Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies



www.amazon.ca


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I sliced a lemon, boiled a big pot of water, steeped the lemon in it overnight in the fridge, and then used the water to bathe my dog outside on a sunny day. Then I let her air dry. 

That plus a deep vacuum with our Dyson, and washing all bedding on hot, did the trick. Never saw another flea.

Disclaimer: While it worked great for us, we used it at literally the first sign of fleas in our short-term rental. I know someone else who tried this technique and her dog went nuts. I think it had lots of festering sores and the lemon must have stung like crazy.


----------



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

Dechi said:


> If you use this product, it treats the house also. When the fleas go on your dog, they die, even if they don’t bite them. All you need is the product on both dogs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


this is the exact product I used!! tho inkeep thinking I’ve messed it up cuz my comb would get her hair wet while combing out the fleas.


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

BlackBootysMomma said:


> this is the exact product I used!! tho inkeep thinking I’ve messed it up cuz my comb would get her hair wet while combing out the fleas.


I don’t know if you’ve messed it up, but I can tell you it works. I’ve used it on both my dogs when my last puppy brought fleas into the house. It takes a few days, maybe a week and you won’t see them scratching anymore. It’s what my vet sells to their customers.

But as I said you need it for your poodle as well, as the fleas are going to jump on him too, even with the collar (usually collars aren’t recommended as they only work around the head, and the fleas can bite as much as they want everywhere else).


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I'm not sure how much preventative is too much, and don't know much about the Seresto collars, but I'd look into safety for your poodle of combining or using two products back to back.

Still looking but I'm seeing some info which points out that one of the active ingredients is the same in the Seresto and the Advantage II, so that would be doubling effectively the Imidacloprid - 10%. The Seresto collar seems to work a bit differently, like a very slow release topical.


----------



## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Well if your going to the vet today maybe the vet can give him a capstan Capstar Flea Tablets for Dogs & Cats at Low Prices - Free Shipping at Chewy.com

I would vacuum my house and wash all the dog bedding, every day for the next week. (thats me) and I would spray my carpets, couches each night before going to bed that way when you vacuum in the morning . I think if you did not let the puppy roam in the house and you immediately put him in the bath you may get lucky. I think I hate fleas more than anything. Now I've never used this product but I would probably buy it to spray around my house getting into every knick and corner. Lol Dogs // FLEA & TICK SPRAY
Cute puppy, glad you were able to save him.


----------



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

You can buy at some pet stores a flea powder/spray intended for the house. I wouldn't use it unless you are sure you have an infestation in the house though. 

You can also buy a dog shampoo that's intended to kill fleas and their eggs immediately - not sure if it's puppy safe though.

I've used this brand.

Zodiac : Canada : Dog : Zodiac® Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs & Cats 





Zodiac : Canada : Home


Your description




zodiacpet.com


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Mufar42 said:


> I would vacuum my house and wash all the dog bedding, every day for the next week. (thats me) and I would spray my carpets, couches each night before going to bed that way when you vacuum in the morning


That’s needed with traditional treatment, but the way Advantage works, there is no need to, as the fleas will die on contact when they jump on the dog. Fleas can’t survive if they don’t live on a host, so they will always be migrating to your dog.

I’ve been using this product for more than 10 years, probably 15, and I find it so convenient and effective because of that !


----------



## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

When properly treated with Advantage, dogs are their own mobile, self-propelled flea killers, no? They can just do their thing around the house, killing fleas that jump on them this week, and killing fleas that jump on them two weeks from now.

They are, in effect, their own spray bottle of flea killer, IMO.


----------



## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

LOL Yes I guess that would be right about the advantage. Isn't that a topical? I think I have used that in the past. Now all my dogs get nexgard


----------



## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

Getting a little damp after applying Advantage won't decrease the effectiveness that much, but a bath or swim where it might rinse away is the biggest issue (if less than 48 hours after applying).
At the vet clinic where I work, we use Siphotrol premise spray. But you would not want any pets or people to be present while you spray and a little while after.
Truly the Advantage (or Advantix) are the best, as others have said it kills all life stages (most other ones only kill adults).
A preventative only needs to kill the adults, but if you are treating a current infestation getting all life stages will control it more quickly.


----------



## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I don't treat Tonka hardly ever. We're never outside anywhere long enuf to attract fleas. If I do see him scratching, I've got enough Advantix here to handle any outbreak. A few drops down the spine, a day or two, and we're flea-free.
But my theory is that I don't have to spray/treat that dog blanket if I've got a flea killing dog laying on it all the time. Once treated, wherever he goes, he attracts and kills fleas all by himself.


----------



## BlackBootysMomma (Aug 11, 2018)

Thanks everyone. She’s doing so much better today. She’s going to the vet first thing tomorrow morning


----------



## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

I'm so glad to hear that she is doing better. Keep us updated please!


----------



## Maggied (Sep 6, 2018)

Few problems with fleas these days. If I find or suspect them, bathe her with mixture of dial soap, vinegar, and water. 1 part of each of first two to four parts water. Seems to do the trick, repeated in a few days on one occasion. One or two fleas washed away.Wash her blankets. 

In the old days, one "flea bombed" the house. Took people and pets (Dogs for baths) out and set them off in the house. Used to work, but haven't heard of that recently. Someone suggested spraying apple cider vinegar on the dog and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before bathing the dog. There seemed to be a lot more flea episodes in those days. I had two dogs, but no explanation.

My pup became very lethargic and dull on Seresto-recovered day after I removed the Seresto. Others rave about the collars. She is seldom around other dogs or their hang outs. But still fleas are in the greenery in our neighborhood, I am sure. She sleeps in our room so I bathe her about every ten days routinely.


----------

