What can I do to help my puppy's (I'm desperate)?

Question

My two Chihuahuas have fleas and has had them for a few months now.

My parents and I have tried everything!(Frontline,Drowning the fleas, Flea dips,Flea collars)

Both my Chihuahuas has fleas but, Riley my one year old chihuahua has scabs from biteing herself.

We tried Frontline on both my dogs but they vomited,foamed out of the mouth,went into seizures,and couldn't sit still for more than 1 minute.

My father called the 800 number on the back of the Frontline box but the woman said just to rinse it off them, which didnt work.He called back the next day and she said the only thing we could do was rinse them and were no help.

My younger puppy Riley lost most of her hair and now has scabs and sores all over her body.

Minnie my four year old Chihuahua has fleas all over her but didn't lose her hair or have scabs and sores on her body,

Do you have any advice for me?Please help!

Riley: 3 pounds. One year old. Very small.

Minnie: 5 pounds. Four years old. Medium sized.

Answer 1

I agree take them to the vet.

While you are there:

Get them some Capstar. This a pill that is safe for dog that small and it will kill the fleas after 30 minutes.

Capstar and Sentinel are great. It has worked well for my dogs for the past year since they have been on it. Ask your vet for it.

First give the Capstar, that will kill the adult fleas, then start on Sentinel right after a meal. You can give a Capstar once a week to kill off the adult population while the Sentinel works on stopping the reproductive cycle of the fleas.

You also need to treat your house. Lots of vacuuming and maybe flea sprays or powders for the carpets. The eggs, larvae(flea maggots) & pupae live in the carpets, floorboards and bedding.  If the infestation is really bad you may need to spray your yard or bomb the house.

Adult fleas hatch from those eggs every 3 weeks, so you will need to repeat everything you did around the house at least every 3 weeks or more often if you want.

Diligence and persistence is the key to getting fleas under control. Along with the Capstar and Sentinel, you should have it under control within a few weeks.

Answer 2

I am no expert but i would wash the dogs very very thoroughly, then wash all your furniture or any thing the dogs sit on. Wait 2-4 days to see how it goes if not i would take them both to the vet immediatly.

Hope I can be a help!!!!

Good luck!!!!

P.S. keep them from being outside as much as you can. Also you can find flea medicane, sprays, and shampoo's that are all natural.

Answer 3

ever heard of the vet? its like the doctors that you see but they are just for animals. you should look into that. they could probably help you.

Answer 4

I was going to ask what the VET said about all this, but you posted that there's a pending appointment, so that's good.

Frontline, Revolution, Advantage, all have to be given in the correct dose--which is based on the weight of the dog.  Overdosing means destroying their liver which has to process toxins (these are all pesticides, so they're toxins).  Washing off the application IS the only way to stop it, so what the lady told you was correct.

What she did NOT tell you was that the medicine you put on might be counterfit.  A lot of flea and tick medications in stores are not from the manufacturer, they've been counterfited and sold to warehouses who in turn supply major stores.  The only way to know you get the right thing is to order direct from the manufacturer by mail or to get it from a vet, who orders from a manufacturer.  That way you know the flea meds you put on are correctly formulated and not over or under strength.

Also, remember that fleas on the dog will die, but fleas still in the environment will then jump on the dog, making it look like the medication isn't working at all (since you're still seeing fleas).  A good indication it's working is if the fleas are sluggish--those are in the process of dying.

Vacuuming the house, wood floors, furniture will kill a lot of fleas, they die as they're sucked up into the vacuum.  Don't keep applying more and more flea stuff to the dog, you're only poisoning the dog by overdosing them.

Chihuahuas are very short coated.  Fleas don't have many places to hide.  Once they bite the dog, they get a dose of pesticide and die.  You can help by really vacuuming every day, all surfaces that have fabric like the furniture and bed, rugs, and get the cracks in the floor and by the wall baseboards.  

Call a vet, any vet, and ask if giving brewers yeast on the dog's food will help.  Fleas are repelled by this in the dog's system but you don't want to overstress your dog by giving it something they can't have much of, if there's a problem.  Don't use onion or garlic in the dog's food to get rid of fleas, these can be toxic to the dogs as well. But brewers yeast I think is safe.  Ask a vet to be sure. And ask what dose to put on the dog's food.

If you live in Florida and have natural eucalyptus growing, putting sprigs down in the dog's sleeping area can help, but don't try this if you're not growing the stuff locally--the stuff the florists get is sprayed with something that doesn't make it safe for animals.  I'm just mentioning it in case you ARE in Florida where the stuff grows naturally.

Answer 5

Why on earth are you not taking the dogs to the vet?  That is where you should be going if you want them to get better.

Answer 6

Your vet will probably be able to give you a better idea of what is going on with them. My chi's are on Revolution and all seems to be going well with them. Good luck.

Answer 7

Yes,take them to the vet.They will be able to safely treat them for fleas.

Answer 8

The fleas have probably infested places where the dogs spend time..their bed or kennel or the area where they sleep so that as soon as they are treated they are re infected.  A friend had this problem and the treatment by a professional included: treating the yard with a spray

closing the house and using a fumigator and while this was being done the dogs were taken to the kennel and treated for fleas.  It was effective but expensive.  The house had to be left empty (of people) and tightly closed for several hours.  I wish you luck and that the poor dogs will finally have some peace.

Answer 9

I suggest talking to your vet about getting the fleas off your dogs themselves. He/She will b able to give you a flea remover that will help your dogs. Just don't forget to mention they're reaction to the Frontline For now, you could try giving them a bath in Baby Shampoo. I knew a dog breeder who used that to clean her dogs. That way, the wounds will stay clean.

However it sounds like the fleas are also in your carpets. That would explain why nothing seems to be working.

For now, you could try giving them a bath in Baby Shampoo. I knew a dog breeder who used that to clean her dogs. That way, the wounds will stay clean.

Make sure you and any animals in the house can be removed for about a day 'cause your probably gonna need to flea bomb your house The website below has instructions on flea-bombing your house.

I hope this helps.

Answer 10

You have a serious flea problem at your house. They are just not on the dogs but throughout the house and yards. Have an exterminator come in. Treat the house, front and backyards. Remove all persons and pets when this is done. Take the dogs to a groomer for flea removal at the same time and then to the vet(or call for a salve to help heal  the flea bites on your dog. They will continue to have this problem if the surrounding areas are not treated. If the exterminator needs to return they usually won't charge if it is within a 2 week period.