Help with dog scratching

[engteach64]

We have never had a flea issue in our house before, but this year seems to be crazy with fleas. My daughter's dog is having a flea allergy reaction. She's scratching herself bloody. We are keeping it clean, and tried to cover it with gauze, but she goes insane. It hurts her so much. We muzzled her and tried again, but she hurts herself by pulling and twisting away. Every time it starts to heal she scratches again, and we can't cover it. My daughter gives her dog benadril, and that seems to help, but we can only give her one a day as she's a small dog. Any advice would be greatly apprecaited.

[mac]

we came out of the dog walk park the other day with a flea infestation. bought some of that liquid flea spray, gave her two applications of it and was flea free in about half an hour.......course, we don't know he what all she dropped in the truck or back yard or on the carpet......but so far it's lookin' good. put a flea collar on her and it's been 4 or 5 days now and haven't seen any recurrence.........mac

[CenTexDave]

I'm watching a dog for a few days. He started scratching like mad too. I have a cat, but use one of those topical applications like Frontline on him. He hasnt scratched at all. My daughter checked the dog and lots of fleas. Have flea and tick shampoo and she gave him a bath and he's still scratching like mad. Vacuumed and washed where he was laying.
Went and bought Frontline Plus for the dog and put it on yesterday, as of now he's still scratching away. The directions for Frontline say do not reapply for 30 days.
Anybody tried two applications of this within 2 or 3 days with good results??? Or if I reapply will the dog get messed up?

[engteach64]

We bought some frontline also, and it didn't do anything other than leave a streak down the dogs' backs and make them greasy. Fleas just moved from the top down away from the stuff. I found fleas in my dogs "armpits." Two flea baths later we are beginning to get this under control, but I am still going to fog the house just to be sure we get them all.

[CenTexDave]

Thanks. I've used Frontline many times in the past when I have owned dogs and it always worked good, but this hasn't. Maybe they changed the formula due to some government directive. Used to be you could only buy this from vets, now it's available at Walmart so possibly it is a weaker formula. If you ask me it's a waste of money and I've bought my last batch of Frontline. I have house fogger. Will let loose in all rooms once after we bathe the pooch again.
Fleas seem particularly bad for this early in the year.

[Imagine]

Engteach: Take your dog to a vet. We had a boxer some years back that had bad itching with fleas and none of the topical remedies helped. Dr. Vet at Vet clinic gave her an allergy shot that helped tremendously. Poor dog also developed a grass allergy, so some of her itching was from flea bites and some from rolling in the grass; she chewed the pads on her feet raw. Vicious cycle.

[CenTexDave]

Update: Second bath with good flea and tick shampoo seems to have helped greatly. Didn't reapply any Frontline, as online research states allow at least two weeks between applications. But did fog the entire house. Was hotter than hades outside waiting for 2 hours to reenter, but appears to have done the trick.

[mac]

that harz dog flea and tick spray worked perfect for us.......couldn't have worked any better!.....mac (btw, we were also on the front line program. wow, what a fraud that turned out to be. for my money, i'll just stick with harz collars......gonna take him down to the park again some night this week and see if it happens all over. sure hope not, he really enjoys that park over there.....mac


Update: Second bath with good flea and tick shampoo seems to have helped greatly. Didn't reapply any Frontline, as online research states allow at least two weeks between applications. But did fog the entire house. Was hotter than hades outside waiting for 2 hours to reenter, but appears to have done the trick.

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

Flea bite hypersensitivity is an allergic reaction that often requires the administration of antihistamines or corticosteroids. Flea control is important but often the irritation and itching lasts even after the fleas are controlled. I recommend that your dog be seen by a veterinarian to get the situation under control. This has been as bad of a year as I have seen for fleas and flea bite hypersensitivity.