Guest BrindleBabes Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I noticed that Tess had a hot spot, so I cleaned it and put a baby ointment on it. The next day it was fine, but there was another one. So I took her outside, gave her an oatmeal bath (AW, MOM! I wuz jest startin' to smell GOOD!) When I wiped her down with a white towel I found one of those blasted fleas, so apparently Tess is allergic to flea bites. Found one more on her later, but so far that's it. The vet is sending me Comfortis to treat both pups and told me to wash beds in mild bleach solution and vacuum every other day. They were both treated with Frontline+ less than two weeks ago. Now, what to use in the house?? I read on-line that you can sprinkle borax (20 Mule Team) onto your carpets, spread with a broom, let sit and then vacuum. Another friend told me to use diatomaceous earth. I'd much rather start with the less toxic options, but I don't want to find out in two weeks that they were ineffective. Does anyone have experience with these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 For the house I have found borax worked very, very well. Unless you have a major infestation it seems to do the trick. However, it needs to be repeated a couple times. Am guessing that is because of flea eggs. I just used a shaker jar, in my case formerly for Parmesan cheese. I would shake a dusting of borax onto the entire floor. Then waited 15-20 min & vacuumed that up. Immediately afterwards I would take the vacuum cleaner outside & remove the bag, disposing of it in a sealed plastic bag left outside. Hope you get rid of those nasties. I remember what it was like to battle fleas before the top spot treatments. Knot fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eaglflyt Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Be careful of diatomaceous earth. It can cause severe eye damage if animal or human happens to get the dust in their eyes and it can also cause lung damage if inhaled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest d0ggiem0mma Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) The borax works best if you use a broom to really brush it down into the carpet fibers. It works by breaking down the exoskeleton of the nasty little buggers. It's not toxic to people or pets and it's cheap! As long as you don't use a steam cleaner on your carpets, it should stay active for several months before you would need to re-apply. If her flea allergy is that bad I would consider using both an oral AND a topical flea product. We use Sentinel (Interceptor + Program) and Frontline on our hound. You could do Comfortis + Frontline or Comfortis + Advantage or something like that. Comfortis only kills adult fleas so any eggs or juvenile fleas in your house could still affect your hound without the addition of a topical. Edited June 22, 2011 by d0ggiem0mma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Another vote for Borax. And here's another thought: Red Star Vegetarian Support nutritional yeast. If your dog likes it (most do), the B vit.s in it can help make her un-tasty to fleas. I feed it for skin and coat, general good health, and we just don't have a flea problem. I don't use any other flea stuff. One year, we did, for some reason, get a minor infestation, used the borax, and we were fine. If you don't have a shaker, you can make one by punching a bunch of holes in the lid of a container or jar. Good luck! Quote My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BrindleBabes Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I've been using the borax, vacuuming rugs, cleaning beds and so far have only found two fleas, so hopefully that's all we'll see. Per our vet, I've sprayed Collasate on Tess' hot spots, and she seems fine (and in fact seems to greatly enjoy being checked for fleas!) Thanks for your input, especially about your personal experience with the borax and the warning on the diatomaceous earth. <<< knock 'em dead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ellieb Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 We are dealing with those pesky parasites, too! Started with flea dirt spotted on Leon (1 of our 3 cats). Kitties are strictly indoors...not sure how the flea got to him. I put Advantage on everyone this afternoon. Hopefully this will take care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BrindleBabes Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 We are dealing with those pesky parasites, too! Started with flea dirt spotted on Leon (1 of our 3 cats). Kitties are strictly indoors...not sure how the flea got to him. I put Advantage on everyone this afternoon. Hopefully this will take care of it. Good luck! It took a couple days to take care of everything (including a dose of Comfortis for both hounds), but I'm hoping it pays off in the end. My vet recommended staying on top of the cleaning for awhile longer. The last thing I want to do is have to bomb the house with chemicals! ps: Both my pups are on Frontline+ ... but I guess a flea can hitch a ride anytime it finds the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avadogner Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I am having the exact same problem with Augie. Ava and Augie are both on Frontline Plus and get it year round since we are in Alabama. I have bleached all beds, blankies and check them daily for fleas. Ava has been all clear but I find a couple every few days on Augie's legs or tail. He lays in our yard more than Ava. We have hard wood floors which I sweep/mop often. Any tips on what to use in house and in yard? We are waiting for our vet visit Monday (Ava's thyroid med recheck) for Comfort's scripts. Ava has skin issues now and I REALLY need to keep her flea free. Thanks! -Ava& Augie's mum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BrindleBabes Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I am having the exact same problem with Augie. Ava and Augie are both on Frontline Plus and get it year round since we are in Alabama. I have bleached all beds, blankies and check them daily for fleas. Ava has been all clear but I find a couple every few days on Augie's legs or tail. He lays in our yard more than Ava. We have hard wood floors which I sweep/mop often. Any tips on what to use in house and in yard? We are waiting for our vet visit Monday (Ava's thyroid med recheck) for Comfort's scripts. Ava has skin issues now and I REALLY need to keep her flea free. Thanks! -Ava& Augie's mum Here's what my vet said: Oi vey FLEAS!! OK 1: I would use collasate spray or gel heals em up quick 2: wash beds in bleach and warm water every few days, vacuum the house, porch etc every other day 3: I used Comfortis on my dogs, kills adult fleas only for 1 month in conjunction with the FL+ and used it when they had fleas last year. I used a dose on all my dogs for 2 months and no more fleas!! So I gave both hounds a dose of Comfortis, washed all the beds and comforters, used borax on the rugs and I'm on my third sweep of the house (we have HW floors and lots of rugs). The Collasate spray worked fabulously on Tess's hot spots -- they cleared up almost immediately. It's been four days I've not found another flea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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