# Still scratching after frontline plus?



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Ok, I am currently staying with my boyfriends sisters family while we are house hunting. The day after we got here I noticed the dogs scratching a lot. A couple days after that the bfs sister asked me if I had noticed the dogs scratching and said they have been having an ongoing problem with fleas in the yard. On saturday I bathed the dogs with dawn which helped the scratching a bit, then on Monday the frontline plus I ordered arrived and they were treated. I'm also waiting for diatomaceous earth that I ordered (weeks ago...). 

They are still scratching quite a bit. I figure by now the frontline plus should have worked its way through the dog and there shouldn't be any live fleas left. It hurts me to watch them scratching, and Tessa is my service dog so I am super paranoid she may start scratching inside a store. I tried giving them benedryl but didn't notice it helping. 

Could it just be that its going to take a little while for flea bites to stop itching? I haven't dealt with fleas in a couple years since my dogs came home from a boarding kennel with them. There hasn't been any food changes and I feed raw. Its a different yard and house, I don't use chemicals to clean but they do here. 

Any suggestions to provide some relief?


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Did they say they were having a problem with the fleas in their house? 

Not sure how to help in the back yard right away, but in the house, you can vaccuum everything. Try to be methodical about it too.... start at on end of the house and work to the other end. When you vacuum, place a cut up flea collar in the bag, or the canister. So the trapped fleas are killed once caught. 

Also, as far as i know, any saop with drown fleas, not just dawn, and washing with the dawn most likely dried out their skin. Which is not helping. Maybe applying something moisturizing to their coat would help, maybe just hosing them down and applying a gentle cream rinse to reintroduce some of the oils.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Yes they are concerned about fleas in the house as well and want to chemically treat the carpets . I've been vacuuming daily, and afterwards the bf empties the vacuum canister for me outside. I plan on putting some DE in the vacuum canister when it arrives, flea collars only repel and not kill fleas. 

Emma is blowing her coat right now so I have to vacuum daily (or have the bf do it hehe) because of the chunks of long black fur on the pale carpets. Also pretty much fills up the entire canister each day!

Yes any soap will drown fleas but dawn has an advantage because of the lather staying stable while you're waiting the 10-15 minutes to drown the fleas. They got conditioner after the dawn was rinsed out, and they were scratching less after the baths than they are now so I don't think that's the problem. 

Their cocker spaniel is scratching some too despite being treated with advantix. But she is scratching less than my dogs, and she has dry skin and is fed pedigree so I've assumed thats the reason.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I haven't had much luck with Frontline Plus and fleas for the past year or so ... I finally switched to COMFORTIS and have been very happy with this product's control of fleas. Slider had a reaction to it a couple months ago so I don't give it to him, but even giving 3 our of 4 of the Hooligans the Comfortis has been working.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I have never had any luck with either frontline plus or advantage. Both have allowed my dogs to get fleas in years past. I've been using bio-spot for the last several years with excellent results. No problems with fleas or ticks.

Have you actually found fleas when running a flea comb through their coats?


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Nope, I have not found any fleas on them. 

I don't like the ingredients in bio-spot, I would prefer to not use frontline plus either but needed something to get a jump start on the problem. Doing research there is nothing to back up claims that fleas are becoming tolerant to frontline, and because its not something I've used on my dogs in years I'm not concerned about tolerance.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Well that's certainly your personal choice. I know there are a number of people here that use bio-spot with no issues, I've certainly never had any and with 4 GSD's (I also use it on my mothers two GSD's) I'd notice if there were any issues.

Research or not, frontline/advantage don't work on my dogs and I know many others who have reported the same.

That said, if you haven't found any fleas I wouldn't jump to the assumption that they have fleas. Could just be dry itchy skin for XYZ reason. Perhaps the frontline itself irritated their skin.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

They started scratching the day after we got to bloomington, which steadily increased in how much they were scratching up until I dosed them with frontline plus. Its decreased but hasn't gone away. I don't think there are live fleas still on them, I said in the first post that I believe the frontline has killed them all off by now. Thats why I'm posting, because I don't know if it could just be taking a long time for flea bites to stop itching or if something else is going on!

Yep, personal choice. Just like minimal vaccination, and how I use ivomec instead of heartgard plus to decrease chemicals. 

I don't think its dry itchy skin since it started so suddenly after we got here, it has to be something that triggered it. I feed raw and Tessa gets 4 double strength fish oil capsules a day, Emma gets 2, and they both get vitamin E. Tessa is scratching a bit more than Emma.


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