# Really bad case of fleas



## mjs (Dec 22, 2021)

Hi everyone, i'm actually new here and my dog recently gained a really really bad case of fleas. I left him with my mom for a week while I took a moment to myself but came back early when mom had sent me pictures of him after she noticed he was acting stranger than usual and he had fleas EVERYWHERE! I went home immediately after that and saw how he was getting fleas. I was using this product but it is not working. It's been two weeks now and it's gotten really bad to the point that he's starting to have little bald spots. I have no idea what to do because he's never had fleas this bad before. Do any of you know any really good products I could use on him??? or have recommendations on what I shoulds do??


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

Charlie had a bad case of them when he was younger because the stuff I gave him stopped working and we lived in a heavily forested area. When I took him to the vet he reccomended Nexgard, it is prescription so you have to see your vet to get it, and its pricey, but they often sell individually, which runs about 25 dollars for a treat, it starts working in about 20 minutes and kills them for a whole month, it works wonderfully for Charlie and is the only product to get rid of EVERY flea on him and KEEP them off for a whole month.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

I use nexgard. I’d recommend a fast acting treatment you can buy from the store if you can’t get to the vet quickly. Advantus works really well, but that only lasts 24hours. You also need to treat his bedding and the rest of your house.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Capstar! They die immediately and drop off.









Capstar™ Over 25 Lb Dog Flea Treatment - 6 Count | dog Flea & Tick Pills | PetSmart


Capstar™ Over 25 Lb Dog Flea Treatment - 6 Count at PetSmart. Shop all dog flea & tick pills online




www.petsmart.com




And you need to treat your house, the bedding, everything, or you’re going to keep having them.
I knew of a really great spray for this (for the house, not the dog) but can’t recall the name. Got it from the vet. Maybe calling your vet is in order, they may have something similar.


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

Sunflowers said:


> Capstar! They die immediately and drop off.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Virbac maybe? thats what our vet gave us, it works like a charm


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I use K-9 Advantix II. 

What ever you use to get rid of them in the house be sure to treat your CAR. People don't realize they get on their pant legs etc. and travel to the carpeting in their cars.


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## Barrie (Jul 5, 2021)

PLEASE take him to the vet. If he has that many bites it will cause major problems especially as it has been going on for this long. Believe me, fleas can kill our pets. They continue gorging on blood indefinitely. I had a cat that suffered similar and we nearly lost him. He eventually collapsed and had a severe blood infection. We thought it could have damaged his vital organs but we got medical help just in time.

The vet will give your dog an injection to ease the itching, probably some pills to take for a week, and some lotion for his skin. Once under control bathing will help calm everything down. It is too late to treat this yourself. He needs medication. The vet will also give advice as to how to clean bedding etc.

I wish you well.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

We sprayed our indoor carpets with a product made by Raid. Worked great so next time I have a flea infestation, I'll be sure to use this again. We tried the DE route and all we got was white carpet and it's not safe to inhale by humans and other animals.


https://www.kroger.com/p/raid-carpet-and-room-flea-killer/0004650001651?storecode=01100696&cid=shp_adw_shopl_.kroger_g_lia_shop_acq_evgn_ship_garden%2C+patio+%26+grills&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIutGb4_f39AIVC8GGCh0emApAEAQYAyABEgLKzvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

Fleas go everywhere! It's a major deal to rid your dog, house and car of them and has to be done all at once. Definitely give the dog Nexguard or whatever your vet recommends. Spray the car with raid and let it sit for an hour closed up tight, then air it out. You may also want to vacuum it when you are done. If at all possible bomb the house, you all can leave for a few hours; otherwise do the old spray with Raid, shut the door room by room and come back and air it out in half an hour. It may take a few tries but eventually you'll get them.  They are outside and you, the dogs and almost anything else can bring them in unwittingly. If it's really bad, you might consider something for the lawn but be careful of the dogs playing on the lawn in it. Fleas are miserable and the dog can be allergic to their bites which is what causes the scratching and bare spots. If you have mice, you need to get rid of them, too as they carry the fleas and don't forget the cat. I'm sorry you have them. Some areas (and years) are a lot worse than others, it's just one of those things, no reflection on you. Whatever you use, read the directions, you are working with insecticide (aka poison) and have to be careful. 
Welcome to the list.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I agree with taking him to the vet.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

It helps to understand the flea's life cycle. Only the adult stage is on the dog. As well as using sprays, you need to interrupt the flea life cycle. The flea larvae feed on the dandruff that falls off the dog along with the hair. So, vacuum THOROUGHLY, especially the areas your dog likes to lounge in. Vacuum behind cushions, and wash the dog's bedding, and put the vacuum bag in the garbage right away. If you are living in a warm climate, treat outdoor areas the dog likes to lie in as well.

Oh, and dogs can pick up fleas from squirrels, too. I'm having a flea problem right now myself, and my dog hasn't been near any other dogs in MONTHS!!  But as soon as she goes outside, she checks out the bottom of the tree where the squirrels have their nest...


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Ugggh I hate fleas even more than ticks and I hate ticks!
I hate fleas more than skunk spray and I hate skunk spray.
I hate fleas more than doggy diarrhea and I hate dog squirts

I hate fleas more than a dog with the squirts finding ticks while getting sprayed by a skunk.
Did I mention I hate fleas.


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## Barrie (Jul 5, 2021)

Can Fleas Make Dogs Sick?


Fleas bite and can transmit some serious diseases. Learn about common flea diseases in dogs and how to prevent them from affecting your pet.




www.petbasics.com





I'm going to add to my earlier post and just hope the OP reads this link and takes her dog to the vets. It mentions under 'Bartonellosis' that "dogs may not show any symptoms". My concern is that these things have, according to the OP, been on her dog for two weeks and there's no sign of improvement. That means these things have been feeding and breeding on the dog all that time.

Some of the treatments above are good for prevention, and for management when spotted early, but I strongly suggest veterinary treatment for a dog that has suffered this long.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I agree it may be a secondary infection now. He should get a medicated flea bath and be tested for parasites and disease. He probably needs antibitiotics. I use Vectra which works very well on one dog who is allergic to oral flea med additives and Advantage II on the other. Both get the job done. If he also has a bacterial skin infection, chlorhexidine soap and sprays work very well. I like BioHex mousse and also have Duoxo skin wipes,


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## mjs (Dec 22, 2021)

Barrie said:


> Can Fleas Make Dogs Sick?
> 
> 
> Fleas bite and can transmit some serious diseases. Learn about common flea diseases in dogs and how to prevent them from affecting your pet.
> ...





Barrie said:


> PLEASE take him to the vet. If he has that many bites it will cause major problems especially as it has been going on for this long. Believe me, fleas can kill our pets. They continue gorging on blood indefinitely. I had a cat that suffered similar and we nearly lost him. He eventually collapsed and had a severe blood infection. We thought it could have damaged his vital organs but we got medical help just in time.
> 
> The vet will give your dog an injection to ease the itching, probably some pills to take for a week, and some lotion for his skin. Once under control bathing will help calm everything down. It is too late to treat this yourself. He needs medication. The vet will also give advice as to how to clean bedding etc.
> 
> I wish you well.


yes I am taking him to the vet today! we didn't at first since we didn't think it was that bad so I used this product i got from the store but wasnt working and it got worse.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

mjs said:


> yes I am taking him to the vet today! we didn't at first since we didn't think it was that bad so I used this product i got from the store but wasnt working and it got worse.


Good.
Please update. We are concerned. We also require a pic of said flea-infested pup 😍


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## Barrie (Jul 5, 2021)

mjs said:


> yes I am taking him to the vet today! we didn't at first since we didn't think it was that bad so I used this product i got from the store but wasnt working and it got worse.


Good luck and please let us know how it goes. Hopefully he'll recover well after treatment.


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## Barrie (Jul 5, 2021)

Hi, How is he?


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## CEMC (May 2, 2020)

I was told by my vet that Heartguard kills fleas soon after they bite. We have had flea (and tick) problems in the past and know what a terrible time the OP and the dog are going through but we haven't had a flea issue for many years and we attribute it to our regular use of Heartguard. I believe that most participants in this forum use Heartguard or something similar to prevent heartworm and I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that it is also good for flea control.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

CEMC said:


> I was told by my vet that Heartguard kills fleas soon after they bite. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that it is also good for flea control.


The reason is because Heartgard (and plus) doesn't touch fleas.

We had one awful flea infestation 8 years ago, and Hans never missed a dose.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

CEMC said:


> I was told by my vet that Heartguard kills fleas soon after they bite. We have had flea (and tick) problems in the past and know what a terrible time the OP and the dog are going through but we haven't had a flea issue for many years and we attribute it to our regular use of Heartguard. I believe that most participants in this forum use Heartguard or something similar to prevent heartworm and I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that it is also good for flea control.


Perhaps you're thinking of a different product? Even the Heartguard website doesn't mention fleas


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Advantage Multi, Simparica Plus, Trifexis, Sentinel, and Revolution are all heartworm-plus-flea prevention products (sometimes known as "all in one" products). My hunch is that there was a misunderstanding with the vet over Heartgard (which as others pointed out, doesn't cover fleas). 

The manufacturer of Heartgard recommends pairing it with Nexgard, which they also make, for flea prevention. See Protect your dog with Heartgard®, the #1 Choice of Vets -- note the big red banner at the bottom of the page recommending the pairing of their products (and the coupon for buying them together).


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