Flea Question

[klc]

My new foster dog was swarming with fleas when we got him. (And thank you, SDC chatters for suggesting I look for them!)

He'd been neutered recently and he had fleas inside his cut, so we decided to get rid of his fleas ASAP. We bathed him in anti-flea shampoo until all the fleas we found were dead, we applied some topical anti-flea treatment (Advantix II), we vacuumed like mad and washed all the things we could in my bedroom (where he'd been hanging out most), and today we flea-bombed the bedroom and the bathroom we washed him. (I sent him to work with my boyfriend to keep him away for as long as possible.)

Here's my question: we already washed the cover of his dog bed in hot water. I meant to put the cover-less bed in the room while I flea-bombed the room, but I completely forgot. Do you think the fleas could have gotten through (or laid eggs through) the cover of the dog bed? It's a pretty thick cover, about the thickness of a sturdy tee-shirt.

If so, how should I treat that inner part of the dog bed? I'd hate to refumigate the room just to get at the bed, but I want to make sure the fleas (of all life stages) are dead. The fleas were not fun at all, and I want to make sure they're gone for good.

[Magesteff]

I don't know if the flea eggs would work their way through the fabric to the padding in the bed, maybe Nora can answer that one. If you have any flea powder or flea spray you can spray the padding well and let it air dry. With the dog on flea preventative that should kill any new fleas, before they become a problem. Just keep vacuuming regularly and washing your sheets weekly that should keep them off the bed.

I would suggest flea bombing the entire apartment, but if the foster has only been in those two rooms, it might be ok. Just keep an eye out for them returning, and if they do, bomb the whole apartment, and everyone - you, BF and dog, leave the house for about 4 hours.

[Kirsten]

Raid makes a flea insecticide called "Egg Stop" that will prevent eggs on fabrics and other surfaces from ever hatching.  I'd spray it with that.  Should be available at the grocery or department store.

You can treat the dog with Capstar (by prescription from your vet), which will kill every flea on him very quickly, however it has no long term protection, so you have to reuse it (if I recall correctly) daily.  Follow up with something like Advantage which kills fast, but not as fast as Capstar, but has long lasting protection once the situation is gotten under control (both dog and environment).

[blkpanther0001]

And remember it takes about 10 days for any flea eggs to hatch, so you might have to bomb again in 10 days, to make sure you get them all.

[klc]

Okay, thanks so much everyone!

So, we haven't found any more fleas on the poor guy recently, but he has still been chewing the base of his tail. I think it's probably just old flea bites that are still itchy. We're planning on giving him another medicated flea bath this weekend. (Or maybe we'll try Capstar. We'll ask the vet today.)

I think we're going to try spraying the dog bed with white vinegar, which supposedly gets rid of fleas. If we notice fleas after the vinegar, we'll try that egg stop next time.

We'll fleabomb the bedroom and bathroom again next Wednesday or Thursday to make sure every single little bug is gone. I don't think it'd be realistic for us to fleabomb the whole house. There are four of us living here -- all on student (aka really random) schedules -- and it'd be impossible to align our schedules well enough to get us all out of the house at the same time. If we do notice a persistent problem, we'll do it, but it'll be an absolute last resort. Maybe over Thanksgiving weekend, so we're all out of the house for a while.

[Magesteff]

I think someone said you could use listerine on the dogs, just get a small bottle and some cotton balls and rub it in where he is chewing to stop that. Otherwise he might develop a hot spot that will get messy and need a vet to give antibiotics for it. Or just put the cone back on until the birtes heal

[Kirsten]

He's most likely trying to pop a hotspot.  A hotspot is an area of irritated skin that is itchy and weepy and may include open sores or scabs.  What starts them is usually something itchy and most often that is either fleas or allergies.  Once they start, the dog will most likely keep tearing at them and keeping them from healing.

There are several possible treatments, but all have to do with wound management.  Some may work better than others in specific situations, so if one doesn't seem to be working, try another.

1.  keep the area clean and dry.  You may have to gently wash it daily, but be sure to pat it dry afterward because moisture only encourage bacteria growth and perpetuates the problem.  You might need to clip the hair away from the area to facilitate wound management.  Yes, the dog will look funny for a while and it may take a long time for it to grow back since they're probably already on their winter coats by now.  But it does tend to help to clip.

2.  Use a cone to prevent the dog from messing with the wound.

3.  Various wound treatments include:
     a.  hydrocortisone to stop the itching (this is the one recommended by my own vet who says it will not harm them to lick the hydrocortisone ointment)
     b.  antibiotic ointment such as neosporin (again, my vet says it will not harm a dog to lick this ointment)
     c.  use an over the counter hotspot treatment -- I've had good results with Sulfodene by Farnam
     d.  use Listerine --  I thought this would sting, but I tried it and my dog assured me it did not (I used vanilla mint, which is the mildest Listerine because that's what I had on hand)

I have found that for non-emergency wound management scenarios like this, that I can call my vet, describe what is going on and seek advice over the phone without having to make an appointment or take the dog in.  My vet will give me a timeline for home treatment and if the dog is not better within that time limit, I take him in to see the vet.  This is actually easier for the vet because he doesn't have to try to squeeze you in and the dog can start treatment immediately instead of waiting for the next available appointment.  It is easier on your pocketbook, and if your dog stresses about going to the vet, then it is easier on the dog too.  Not all vets will agree to do this, and most won't do it with a dog they have not personally examined within the last 12 months BUT most vets (in my experience) will do this for a regular client in this type of situation.

[Kirsten]

Here's another flea management tip.  My sister is deathly allergic to all pesticides.  Before Program came out (a liquid preventive fed to the animal), we had to use totally natural means for flea control.  Any flea collar or dip would cause my sister to go into anaphylaxis and require hospitalization.  Here's what we did:

1.  Flea combed each animal at least daily.  Use a jar with a couple drops of Dawn dish detergent mixed with water in it to drown the fleas as we pulled them off with the comb.  It is not necessary to separate the hair from the fleas, just put it all in the jar.  The Dawn detergent is a wetting agent.  Without a wetting agent, the fleas can float on the surface of the water and climb back out.  With the Dawn, they sink to the bottom and stay there and drown.

2.  Made natural flea traps.  Use an aluminium pie pan and put about 1/2 an inch of Dawn/water solution in the pan.  Then put a lamp with an incandescent bulb, such as a desk lamp, pointing into the center of the pie pan.  The heat from the bulb warms the water and the warmth attracts the fleas, which jump into the pie pan and drown in the Dawn water.  You may be able to use these traps in areas of the house where you cannot bomb.  It does work though not as completely as a bomb.  Something is better than nothing.

[klc]

We went to the veterinarian today. (I was planning on going in order to talk about few things, including his fleas and the possible infection of his neuter site.)

I mentioned that he's been biting at the base of his tail, and she said it was because of flea bites. She recommended he wear a cone for 3 days or so (I'll probably extend that a little longer to be sure) because of the flea bites and because of his neuter site infection. Hopefully, the 3-5 days will help both issues resolve themselves.

She said that usually, it's not ideal to wash a dog after his neuter surgery, but she said I made a good decision in terms of prioritizing getting rid of the fleas that were further irritating his wound.

Also, he has a couple different types of worms, which she said could also be adding to his rear-end irritation. She said that he got them by ingesting some of his fleas (probably when he was biting himself), which is why the dewormer his original shelter gave him wasn't effective. Apparently you have to wipe out both problems (fleas and worms), or he will keep reinfecting himself.

So my new plan: Give him his dewormer tonight. Cone him for at least 3 days, checking him daily for fleas. I think I'll use Neosporin around his tail and also on his neuter site, since both places are irritated. Then, give him another flea wash once his neuter site looks more healed and less irritated, just to make sure we really have gotten rid of the bugs. Use Listerine where he keeps biting if being coned for a few days doesn't help him. Flea-bomb the rooms late next week. Then finally, in 21 days, give him a second dose of dewormer.

I think that's a good plan? You guys are all amazing.

[Kirsten]

I'm concerned that the rescue didn't deal with the fleas and parasites before putting him through the stress of surgery.  They deserve a good kick in the pants for that.  Not only did it make him unnecessarily uncomfortable and risk your health (by contaminating your home with fleas and parasites), but it increased his risks of complications from the surgery and may have contaminated the surgery as well.  I'm glad you're helping this dog, but very disappointed in the agency.

[klc]

It wasn't the rescue that failed to do this -- I'm under the impression that it was the shelter that did this all before the rescue got the chance to take this dog and his siblings in. Apparently the poor things had to stay in the shelter for a month or more, under police orders. (I wonder if there were some sort of criminal case they were involved in? I know they'd been abandoned in a yard -- maybe there was a police investigation of the people who did it?)

Still, I agree. The shelter could have taken much better care of this dog. But at least they didn't put him down! I'd rather have a dog this friendly and mild-tempered be ill than euthanized.

Also, you're right about the rescue risking my health. I'm not too impressed by this rescue. I foster for two different rescues -- mostly another one but occasionally this one (though not at the same time, luckily!). This is the second bad experience with them, though, so I know I won't be fostering any other animals for them.

[Magesteff]

Even if the dog had been taken to the shelter in respnse to abuse by the owner the shelter should have done basic vet care sch as deworm and flea treatment. THey can bill the owner for that as part of the abuse case.  I am also surprised that the rescue didn't flea bathe, dip or compleytely clip and brush out the mats.

Looks as if a number of people dropped the ball on this little dog. Vet is right, normally you wouldn't wash a dog so soon after surgery, but with the fleas getting in the incision the flea issue needed immediate action. Now hopefully your little foster boy will be on the mend and all the issues will cler up this week.

[BlindMag]

I also think the vet clinic should have taken measures to remove the immediate fleas from the dog prior to surgery, since it was not an emergency surgery.

[FrostedAcres]

I have found witch hazel to be very  calming and soothing  when insect bites and other skin irritations are happening--This past summer it's use help dry up some  nasty weepy  areas on my own skin (looked remarkably like hot spots!)

[Kirsten]

Spays and neuters for shelters are usually not done in a vet clinic, at least not in my experience.  They were done at the shelter.  They just had a vet in every Tuesday to spay or neuter whatever was there that day.