Hello,

We've never had a problem with fleas....until now!
I saw a flea on Oscar (never spotted one on him before) so I treated him with Frontline as he was due to be treated anyway. It hasn't worked and he's itching and scratching like mad. I have bought some Advantix from the vet but the veterinary nurse has warned me not to use it for another 4 weeks (just under) as we've just used Frontline. What do I do in the meantime? He's so uncomfortable and I don't want to be infested. I have bought some spray for the house but it seems pointless using it if Oscar still has fleas. Any ideas please?

I would give him a good wash with something like Hibiscrub (use it very diluted) then spray him with garlic juice and comb through.

In the meantime get all the bedding washed and aired then treat the house as per manufacturers instructions.  I've seen some people recommend particular treatments for the home so it might be worth asking...

Add garlic (in your preferred form) to his daily feed AND go and check through your garden to see if you can find the culprit.  Do you have a hedgehog?  If so try and prevent Oscar from getting too close they are renowned as flea carriers :)

Thank you so much!
I've not heard that about garlic before but I'm willing to try anything. Where do I get Hibiscrub from?
I don't think we have any hedgehogs but I will have a scout around the garden on poo patrol to make sure.

Thanks again :)

You could try a Capstar tablet-I think you can give them even if you've Frontlined him but check with the vet first.That will kill any fleas on him but just not give any lasting protection,hopefully if you've sprayed the house he should be ok.

It can take 24 hours to kill the fleas on the dog, and of course unless you treat the environment new ones will jump on, so you may continue to see live fleas until the frontline works to kill them.

I would not use antoehr treatment on your dog, until this one has worn off.  Hibiscrub is an antibacterial/antifungal wash,a dn it shoudl help prevent skin infections caused by his scratching.

The majority of the fleas live in the environment, so that is where you need to concentrate your efforts,

spray the house with a household spray that has an insect growth regulator, RIP, Acclaim etc.

As for hedgehog fleas, they may jump on but can't live on dogs, they are Host specific.

The most common flea on cats and dogs are cat fleas, as they will happily chomp on anyone, including us.

Frontline has been pretty useless for years now -the fleas have become immune.

Try Stronghold spot on providing the Frontline was the spray no problem. I use both because it takes a while for the dog to stop itching and you need to give it at least 4 or 5 days.

Hi Snoop

Garlic Juice from Dorwest

Hibiscrub can be bought in small quantities from most chemists (inc Boots and Lloyds) - although online places are generally cheaper in the long run :)

Equestrian suppliers or farm shops usually stock both of these too...

Do you think he still has fleas because he's still scratching or because you've seen one again ?, it's just that the initial flea bite will still itch for a good few days, so the fleas may well be dead, your just still seeing the after effects.

my dogs havent had fleas for years , i use frontline lucky i guess,i have used in the past a battery operated flea comb which zaps them dead,although it was for humans it worked, but i see now they d one for dogs and cats for about £20. :)

I haven't used Frontline or such for over 6 yrs, mine get a Garlic Oil 2mgs capsule daily after reading a fellow dachsie breeders site that this was what she used and travelled around the country to shows and never had a problem with fleas since starting this routine and nor have I.

The capsules used to be hard to find in large quantities but now the supermarkets do 240 per tub and offers regularly.

I also take them to boost my immunity against infection from my patients.

Be careful with giving dogs garlic make sure it is produced for dogs and not people because there are chemicals in garlic, and onion, that is poisonous to dogs. One assumes that the oil and pills sold for dogs have had the dangerous chemical removed where as those sold for people will not.

I wouldn't give raw garlic and always put the dose on when recommending the capsules because there are tablets 1200mgs available which would be very dangerous to a dog.

My vet gave the all clear before I changed to the garlic oil even though it meant I wouldn't be getting products from them any more.

Your decision, I would be concerned about an accumulative effect.

spray the house and his bedding etc.  fleas spend 90% of time off the animal so you can treat without spraying dog.  I have a cat that has problems with flea treatments (has asthma type turns) so is never treated but when we had flea outbreak I found we got shot of the lot quickly by spraying house not him.

I give garlic and fenugreek from dorwest  to my dogs everyday and for years now havent had to entertain any fleas... I do still spray the home once a year as a precaution.

Thank you for all the excellent advice.....very much appreciated!
I think we may be winning the battle. He's had a good wash at the groomers with a medicated shampoo and I've been treating the house and washing everything in sight. I was giving him raw garlic but have now got some capsules from my groomer.
I knew he still had fleas because I had seen one or two (they move so fast it could have been one). Horrible things!

Thanks again! :)

I also used Capstar tablets when frontline did not work.   They are from the Vet and cleared fleas up straight away.   If I can remember correctly I used them for 3 days.   then 3 days off.  then 3 more days on tablets.