Guest Jacquie Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 We adopted our wonderful greyhound, Duke, in November of 2007. This summer Duke has developed a severe allergy to flea bites and has a couple of nasty hot-spots on his back legs. We have had him to the vet 2 times and were given medications to help with the reaction and possible infection of the spots. As soon as we finished the medication, the hot-spots came back. Our vet doesn't want to keep Duke on any type of maintenance medication. He just tells us that we need to eliminate any exposure to fleas. We are using Frontline Plus every three weeks (vets suggestion) and I brush Duke a couple of times a day and I rarely see a flea. We have our house and back yard treated professionally on a regular basis - unfortunately, we live in a very wooded area in the country. So I don't see any hope of us eliminating fleas completely. We do have an indoor cat that is treated for fleas on a monthly basis. Does anyone have a suggestion on how we can keep Duke's reaction to a minimum? I've used a lot of the itch stop type of products that have the bitter taste, but it doesn't stop Duke from licking. Help - we are desperate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Advantage works better for fleas than frontline does. My friend is dealing with this with her pit mix Lucy. Are the hot spots easily wrapped? I wonder if you could break the cycle for a few days if he'd be less likely to lick when you unwrapped the spots? Also, you can use a muzzle with tape or a poop guard to keep him from licking while you're home (wouldn't do it while he's unsupervised). What meds was he on? Maybe getting a second opinion would be a good idea. If the hot spots keep coming back there is obviously a problem. Finding a vet who is concerned and proactive would help a lot I think. I have no problem going to a different vet who will listen to me for the good of my pups. Good luck! I hope Duke feels better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jacquie Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Duke was on Triamcinolone for the reaction and Simplicef for the infection. The spots are on the inside of his thighs and I've tried having him wear pants, but he wouldn't keep them on. He is a very tall greyhound, so boxer shorts don't work either. I've thought about using a long sleeve t-shirt, but I'm not sure how to keep him from taking it off. I've tried the taped muzzle, but he does most of the licking at night or when we are not home. He knows that we don't want him to lick, so he doesn't do it much when we are around. I have to get up during the night to tell him to lay down and to not lick. Needless to say, I feel sleep deprived! The second opinion might be a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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