What else can I do for fleas? HELP

My dog Has fleas He gets Frontline everymonth on time! I just applied on wed morning, but wed night started seeing fleas. I've been vacuuming like crazy and keep washing his bedding. I even tried an all natural spray from the pet store which did nothing.

I have a 5 month old DD and dont want to spray chemicals all over. Thankfully I haven't found any anywhere but on the dog, but he's been scratching and rubbing against the carpet, so I'm afraid he's going to spread them! I haven't allowed him in any of the bedrooms since seeing the flea.

I'm at a loss for what to do...the Frontline must not be working bc he seems so itchy! He hardly spends time outside, and usually goes to the bathroom in the street on walks or in my backyard.

I'm going to try to get him to the groomer asap for a flea bath to give him some relief but I'm afraid that will be a shirt term fix...what should u do? HELP!

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

I work for a veterinarian and for fleas she recommends Advantage over Frontline. All you can really do at this point is keep cleaning and washing everything in hot soapy water. It is a horrible flea season this year...hope you (and your dog) get some relief soon.

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Flea baths can be dangerous and dont solve the problem, so I would not bother with this.

He can be scratching from the bites he got, for up to 2 weeks, esp if he has a flea bite allergy. Any times I found a flea my dogs scratched for about a week, then stopped. I assume it was the bites they got, that just bothered them for a period of time (Such as when I get a mosquito bite, I can be itchy for up to a week). KWIM?

Where do you get your Frontline? Make sure it does NOT have an expiration date on it, as I have read the one swith expiration dates are knock offs. Real Frontline has NO expiration date. I only buy mine at teh vet for this reason, just to be safe and sure.

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Thanks for the responses! I checked my Fl and it doesn't have an expiration date...I got it from Costco, but usually get it at the vet, and will go back to the vet next time.

I'm pretty sure he is scratching from the fleas in addition to the bites...last time I flipped him over and looked I saw a live flea. He is a cockapoo with very thick wavy hair and moat of him is black/brown so they are hard to see. It's also hard to get the FL on his skin when his hair is long so now I'm wondering if too much of it got into his hair instead of on his skin.

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Thank you! We had fleas in the apt a year ago, and just moved into our house in July. I don't think we took them with us bc we were flea free for a year, and that time he got them when i was late with Frontline, since then and especially while i was pregnant and after DD was born i have been very on top of the FL. I think they might be from a cat that I always see around, but doesn't seem to belong to anyone! At what point will it be too cold for the fleas to survive outside? Hopefully soon!

I've been diligent with vacuuming and emptying it immediately. And with washing his bedding, so hopefully it will keep them at bay!

Do you know if they can live, eggs hatch etc on hard wood floors?? Most of the house is hardwood...

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Posted by MrsECullen7319

Thank you! We had fleas in the apt a year ago, and just moved into our house in July. I don't think we took them with us bc we were flea free for a year, and that time he got them when i was late with Frontline, since then and especially while i was pregnant and after DD was born i have been very on top of the FL. I think they might be from a cat that I always see around, but doesn't seem to belong to anyone! At what point will it be too cold for the fleas to survive outside? Hopefully soon!

I've been diligent with vacuuming and emptying it immediately. And with washing his bedding, so hopefully it will keep them at bay!

Do you know if they can live, eggs hatch etc on hard wood floors?? Most of the house is hardwood...

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

I don't use any kind of topical pesticides on my dog like Frontline. I haven't seen many fleas on him this season at all. When I do, I give him an all natural flea bath. Regular dish soap will kill a flea. The key for me is to catch them early with a flea comb. I hadn't checked him in two weeks because I broke my ankle. He has been itching like crazy. I found two on him Thursday and two this morning. I gave him an all natural flea bath this morning and found no more. I will vacuum my house today just as a precaution. I also usually check him daily this time of year, just slacked a little because of the broken ankle. This is how I have been doing things with my current dog for over two years now and what I did with my previous dog of almost 14 years. I never had a flea problem. (Knock on wood!)

Re: What else can I do for fleas? HELP

Thank you everyone I feel better now! I took my dog to the groomer bc he was due for a trim and a nail cut anyway, and they said it is the worst flea season they have seen in 10 years. While he is there, I vacuumed all the floors, the carpet, the couch, under the couch, rewashed his bedding in hot soapy water, wiped his crate down with vinegar/water as well as the hardwood floor around his crate. I emptied the vacuum. Im going to vacuum twice a day for awhile for good measure, and hopefully now that his hair will be shorter it will be hareder for them to hitch a ride on him if they are still around outside!! Crossing my fingers and saying a prayer this will do the trick & that the poor guy gets some relief from the scratching!

I can't wait for the cold to kill the bugs too!!

Thanks again for the responses and suggestions!