I just got a new baby puppy! A few concerns come to mind. Can I treat a eight week old puppy for fleas?

Question

Is flea shampoo safe? Any comments or advice for a first time puppy owner would be greatly appreciated! I want to be the best puppy parent ever to this sweet new friend.

Answer 1

Avoid using OTC flea products, especially on a puppy so young. In fact, many OTC flea products can be fatal...especially to cats. ALWAYS avoid Hartz brand flea stuff.

Frontline and Advantage are both topicals that last for 30 days, and are okay for puppies as young as 8 weeks. You can also look into Capstar pills if the pup is really infested.  

Answer 2

NO ! NO ! NO !

NO flea shampoo - it contains old fashioned pesticides!

Frontline can be safely applied to any puppy 8 weeks or older, and will kill fleas within an hour - and that is what you should do.

Does she actually have fleas now?  If so, get some Frontline - otherwise, you can wait.

If not, just don't let her run around in tall grass, and she should be fine for a while - more likely, she would be inside or in your arms, so you don't necessarily need to over treat her if it isn't an immediate risk.

But please don't treat her with any of the el cheapo topspots that are 7 bucks a package - they are very dangerous, and some can actually kill a dog - it's far better to spend the money and get the good stuff that will keep her safe - that's the goal anyway.

  

In order to clip a puppy's nail, you can get one of the flip and press nail clippers made for infants, at the drugstore - it will work for quite a while, until she grows out of it.

Answer 3

Yes you can but don't waste your money on shop bought products - go to your vet and they will give you the right treatment for the weight of your puppy. I use frontline and they just give it me in a little plastic tube that I just twist the end off and put on my puppies neck. Years ago with my old dog I tried various shop ones to treat some fleas and eventually went to vets - got frontline and have never had any Fleas since (12 years). Once your dog is fully grown and you know the weight you can buy Frontline from places like pets at home and dog shows and it is cheaper but for now consult the vet.

Answer 4

I would suggest you research the product you intend to use as many of the commercial products on the market are quite harmful and could make your pup very ill.  Reports show that there have been quite a few products to produce devastating results such as severe allergic reactions which cause seizures, swelling, and paralysis.

Some common household tips: salt kills fleas on furniture and carpets the drawback to this is that is must be sprinkled and set out for at least 24 hours to be effective.  Some pet owners have reported that dawn dish liquid kills fleas but I tried it with my pups and it only work half as good as reported.  I usually use a small amount of oil based soap (murphy's oil soap or Johnson's baby oil soap), lather the pup real good, let it set for 2-3 minutes then rinse well, I still have a few little buggers left to pick off but hey it gives me time to pay special attention to my pup and believe me pups love to be massaged and cuddled.

Answer 5

Yes it is safe as long as its made for puppies just make sure you keep them nice and warm afterwards , please dont use bob martin spot on flea treatment because i just used it on my 13 week old puppy (pack says can be used from two weeks old) and it poisoned her she couldn't stand or walk was frothing at the mouth and having fits i had to rush her to the vets at half one in the morning luckily she pulled through but i dont want any one else to go through this it also cost me £145 to fix.

Answer 6

I Think Flea Shampoo Will Be Safe :)

I Have a 5 Year Old Jack Russell, and I am Getting a Basset Hound Puppy Soon.

Good Luck! :D

Answer 7

Here are some tips, use what helps.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place.  You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.

*Yelling.  It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident.  They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment.  While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again.  Shake it off, and resume your schedule.  You have to keep it real.  Puppies train at their own pace,  but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours.  A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.  

  

Source:  These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds.  Thanks for your help!

Answer 8

Yes, you can - but be sure to look at the back of the box of whichever brand you're considering buying to ensure that it's safe for Puppies. Both Frontline & Advantix both are safe for Puppies 7-8 weeks or older.  

Answer 9

Not all products are safe for a young puppy.  There are products from the vet that are safer.  You can however if there are just a few fleas get a flea comb with very tiny teeth and comb them out.  Drop the fleas into some dawn dish soap so they will die.  You can also use a q tip dipped into Dawn and just touch the flea and it will die.  Do not use a lot of soap as anything can be toxic to a baby pup.

Generally flea soaps across the counter types from Wal mart or other stores are not good for puppies.  Too toxic or too weak to do the job.

Because your pup is only 8 weeks old he needs a vet visit.  When your pup is there talk to the vet about specific products that will be safe.

You will need to clean the areas where the puppy has been as the fleas will drop off and lay eggs everywhere.  Vacuum and spray and don't let puppy back where you sprayed flea spray until it is very dry.

Your vet will be a great help to you and a friend to your new lovable puppy.