Reeling in shock!
Bookworm on Apr 22 2008 at 12:19 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
I found a flea on my dog! A flea! The laundry machine is going like crazy to wash her blankets, I’ve got Borax (which has boric acid in it) sprinkled on her favorite bits of chair and carpet, and she has suffered the indignity of a heavy duty bath. We’re both reeling from the experience. I feel sullied; she just feels wet and overwhelmed.
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14 Responses to “Reeling in shock!”
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Frontline… once a month… It’s what I use, Fleas are everywhere here in Florida, nothing to be upset over.
Frontline is a great product. Your dog will pick up a flea from time to time but the flea will die.
Larvae and eggs are killed or neutralized as well. A little time and a little patience – wait for the death – are all you’ll need. (Of course, a bad batch of Frontline, since you’d be using it for months, could allow significant spread…)
I believe fleas usually jump from host to host. Did you take your dog to a park recently; or perhaps another dog may have wandered up to your fence recently?
Consider yourself fortunate, nay, blessed, that it was only a flea and not a SKUNK! You want to feel sullied, wet and overwhelmed?!? Glory hallelujah! It was only a flea!
(Yes, I have two dogs and yes, I speak from experience!)
My brother had cats with fleas. Collars, powders etc all failed. Bombed the house. Failed.
There is this oil that we got for the cats. You put a few drops on the back of their neck.
Killed the heck out of the fleas double quick. Is that the same as the front-line stuff?
Your dog must be assured that any house guests must first meet with your approval, Book.
Since my dog is a super cuddle bunny, I’m not thrilled about Frontline. It’s incredibly effective, but I’m not sure how good it is for me. So far, when we’ve had this problem in the past, washing her, washing her bedding, and sprinkling Boraxo on the chair she uses have been sufficient. Fleas were horrible in San Francisco with my old dogs, but seem (thank God) to be less of a problem up here in Marin.
Bookie,
Borax or sodium tetraborate is an alkaline sodium salt of boric acid. Borax may be effective, though not sure.
We use boric acid/sugar solution in our yard as an ant bait/killer — it works great. Borax/sugar solutions are commercially available as ant killers, so if it works OK go for it.
The alkalinity of borax may have an adverse effect on the dog’s coat. The acid solution is also pretty nasty, so be careful.
Please check with a vet — I may be all wet.
v/r
-SJBill
Have you heard of Capstar, Book?
“So why would pet owners choose Program or Sentinel if these products do not fight and kill the adult fleas too? Well, it might be that they find the topical spot on process messy, or they may have a pet that has reactions to those specific products, in which case a palatable flavor tab pill would be a preferential choice. Pet owners who prefer the flea pill option will often give their pet an oral flea med like Sentinel or Program to break the flea infestation at the development stage and also a Capstar flea killer treatment pill to kill the existing adult fleas. Capstar isn’t a prevention product, but rather, it is an as needed flea treatment for adult fleas currently present. ”
LINK:http://www.discountpetmedicines.com/flea-control-meds.htm
Thanks for all the info. As for your concerns, SJBill, I’m pretty careful with the Boraxo. I put it on the chair, cover the couch completely with sheets and blankets, and then vacuum it all off the next day. The only thing that’s left is a faint perfume smell, which goes a long way to counteract that dog and dirty feet smells that chair usually has!
Yo, Book. Chill. It’s a dog. This happens. It’s normal and fleas are all-natural. Your vet will know what to do.
I took Book’s original post as written in a humorous form. It was the comments that were serious to me.
We used Frontline and it worked very well for us.
From my point of view, Frontline is perfectly safe … Once a month between the shoulders and your flea and tick worries are over. My 65 lb Boxer thinks she’s a lap dog and neither of us have worries about getting fleas. We’ve been using it for years and except for the occasional urge to bark and lick my son’s face, I’ve suffered no adverse affects.
I love this post!
A couple of years ago, I was playing with my little 8 lb. princess and discovered a flea (WHAT!?!??!) who had dared to to get into her fur. The nerve! I was DETERMINED to get that little bugger so there I was, turning her this way and that, just managing to catch glimpses of that vile little creature as it molested my baby.
Off we went to the vet, who promptly prescribed her some medicine and then turned to me and told me to just relax. I laughed at myself because I knew I was being ridiculous. But still . . .