Here's the problem.........

Our Staffy gets flea'd with stronghold every month. Unfortunately, Pdsa were out of stock of the medium size, and in the literally 5 days since she was due to be flea'd again, she has picked some up. As Pdsa were out of stock we bought some Frontline from Pets at Home and applied it last weekend. She is still scratching like crazy though. Is Frontline as effective as Stronghold? Or is the one they sell in Pets at Home weaker because it was not from the vets?

I've been reading the other threads on here about getting rid of fleas, and it would seem that I need to get something to treat her bedding and carpets. I'm unsure what to use though, because we have in the house the following creatures;

8 snakes,
1 bearded dragon,
1 cobalt blue tarantula.

Of course I want to get rid of the walkers on the dog, but am worried about the other pets.

None of the humans in the house are showing signs of being bitten, but obviously I don't want it to come to that!!

Any advice please?

Hi there,

I had a similar problem once and used Tea Tree oil (available at Boots for around £4). It was so sucessful we never had the same problem again! Tea Tree oil is a 100% natural insect and flee repellent and also acts as an antiseptic. All you need to do is apply a couple of drops onto your fingertips -around 3 or 4 drops maximum (not your whole hands), warm up the oil between your fingers, and starting around the neck, slide your fingers down the dogs body. The smell is quite strong for a few minutes, but it is not offensive (just an antiseptic type smell) and subsides after a few minutes. You can carry on with this routine everyday for a few weeks so that the fleas stay away.

If you choose to go ahead with the tea tree oil, i would personally recommend Boots' own brand or Australian Body Care, as this contains 100% tea tree. Also, please do not apply the oil to the dogs face, or directly on the paws (so that the oil never gets in contact with the eyes).

Hope this helps!!

Also, forgot to add, if you want to disinfect the bedding and carpets, you can use the tea tree oil for this too, as it is a natural disinfectant. All you would need to do it get hold of a cheap spray bottle, fill it up with warm water and add a few drops of the oil. This will disinfect the basket / carpet / soft furnishings in your home.

The tea tree oil should also make a dramatic difference with the itching, and you can also purchase ‘tea tree’ shampoo if you felt this would help aswell!

Hmmm, don't know why I didn't think of that! I have tea-tree oil already along with many other essential oils, and have used them to repel mosquitoes on holiday. I'll give it a go, thanks for the tip xx

Oh that's great!! Hope it works for her and relieves the itching too - let us know how you get on with it! x

put a garlic oil capsule in the dogs food as fleas dont like garlic

Oh that's great!! Hope it works for her and relieves the itching too - let us know how you get on with it! x

I have rubbed the tea-tree oil into her coat, and also sprinkled a few drops on her collar. Tomorrow I'm gonna boil wash all her bedding, vac everywhere and spray with the diluted oil. I will let you know how it goes, and thankyou xx

put a garlic oil capsule in the dogs food as fleas dont like garlic

Haha, Maggie loves garlic bread so maybe I will increase her dosage! Thanks for the tip, I didn't know fleas didn't like it :)

it worked for my rottweiler for 8 yrs

Tea Tree oil works on lice by reducing their ability to cling, because it's slippery, so you can comb them out more easily. It does not deter them, nor does it deter fleas. Anyway, even if it did deter the fleas, they'd have to eat something, and that means YOU! Fleas should be killed!

I have rubbed the tea-tree oil into her coat, and also sprinkled a few drops on her collar. Tomorrow I'm gonna boil wash all her bedding, vac everywhere and spray with the diluted oil. I will let you know how it goes, and thankyou xx

You're very welcome! Hope she feels some relief from the itching now - great idea putting it on her collar too, didn't think of that. We did exactly the same as you, washed all of her bedding and the carpets etc and had a good spray around!! Hopefully its all sorted by tomorrow x x

frontline is one of the best , my cats and dogs are done every month with it, we have never had a problem with it , I get mine on line its so much cheaper. I also use strong hol to de flea the house, Tea tree oil is not a proven method , but it will repel fleas as it does nits but its not an effective way to treat them you really need them to die!

Having just read through this I had a thought.... it may not be that your dog still has fleas it could be that she is suffering from the bites of the fleas that she had picked up, you probably know yourself how much they can itch and some dogs can be very sensitive to them.
I believe that you can give your dog antihistamine but you would need to check with a vet as I wouldn't know the dosage or anything.

Having just read through this I had a thought.... it may not be that your dog still has fleas it could be that she is suffering from the bites of the fleas that she had picked up, you probably know yourself how much they can itch and some dogs can be very sensitive to them.
I believe that you can give your dog antihistamine but you would need to check with a vet as I wouldn't know the dosage or anything.

Hmmm, this is a possibility. Maggie is a staffy and therefore has a short coat which is rather sparse on her stomach so any fleas can be easily spotted. Despite checking her extensively I have not seen any walkers for over a week so it's a trip to the vets methinks! Have checked out the possibility of giving her antihistamine but as she suffers from liver disease, I think it's safer to let the vet decide. Let's hope it really is residual itching cos I'm getting paranoid now!

Just to let people know, tee tree oil is in Home Bargains at Hillsborough for 39p a bottle

Hi there, our two chocolate labs are both allergic to everything under the sun, including fleas AND most conventional flea treatments. Luckily this is the first time in they've had them, whilst the anti histimines are dealing with the reaction the vet recommended crushing garlic in their meals as fleas don't like the taste. How true is this? Also does anyone else no any naturall or holistic treatments for treatment then prevention of fleas? Cos i can't imagine the garlic will make them smell too good! Thanks in advance! P.S not sure if its relevant but they are on a raw diet x

please have a read http://therealowner.com/health/10-good-reasons-to-give-your-pet-apple-cider-vinegar/

Hi,

sorry did that post on my phone last night and didn't see this one already here, thankyou for merging :)