My dog has fleas and I'm going to lose my shit

Has your pet ever had fleas? If so, how did you get rid of them? My fiance and I are losing our fucking minds and have tried everything in the world to rid our dog/house of fleas that appeared in September. It is the most frustrating thing for us and our dog because she can't stop scratching. We also can't bring our dog near other animals for fear of spreading them. My dog is going stir crazy since she needs to hang out and be a dog with other dogs.

Meanwhile, constant vacuuming and flea combing sessions are driving me mad.

Here's what we've done so far to remove the fleas:
-Flea bath when problem first arose (followed by flea treatment)
-Monthly flea preventative through Frontline as directed
-Daily vacuuming of carpets, blankets, toys, furniture
-Sprayed the house with commercial grade flea spray from the vet (3 times)
-Bought a new vacuum (this one without a bag) gets more fleas I think? And doesn't let them escape
-Put apple cider vinegar in her water (she wont drink it though)
-Doses of Capstar pills which are $5-$10 each... we've probably spent $100 or so on this in addition to Frontline but when they run out the fleas come back

We even do this thing where we put an inch of water in the tub and brush her with a flea comb so the fleas fall into soapy water and die - apparently, Dawn dish soap is one of the few things that kills a flea and eggs. However, using it on the dog also washes off the flea preventative. And, nobody wants to bath a dog each day.

Frontline hasn't really been much of a help. They are supposed to be refunding our money and sending Terminix out to spray our house, but it is a challenging process to get someone to help us. We've been trying for a month and the holidays didn't help.

I'm afraid I might lose my mind if I don't get this problem resolved. Please help.

 

1. Frontline sucks.
2. Call a vet and ask for comfortis. Might cost you about $15-$20 or so for one pill, which will last a month.
3. A couple of days after giving your dog comfortis, give it a bath in Dawn dish soap. Assuming you don't have fleas infesting your house, you should be in the clear.

 

Fleas suck. I remember coming home from vacation once, and the little fuckers were everywhere. I didn't realize how much those little bastards bite. Our poor miniature schnauzer ... she had so many on her belly. We got one of those "bombs" and it worked perfectly. They're sold everywhere. You have to cover or move all your dishes and food, and nobody (including pets) can be in the treated areas for about two hours once you open the can. But we haven't had a flea since.

As for our pooch, we just took her to a local groomer, had her bathed, treated and her belly was sheared. She looked a little funny, but I'm sure she was happy.

 

Frontline usually works. But it sounds like you have an infestation.

We had a tick problem a few years ago that was driving us nuts.

Have Orkin come in and blast the place. You'll need to be gone for 3-4 hours. And make sure dog is free of fleas when you return. At that point Frontline (or whatever vet suggests) should take care of the occasional fleas the dogs pick up.

Worked wonders for us.

 

Forgot to add, if your dog keeps getting fleas after being rid of them, they are getting them from somewhere. As others have implied, you need to try to figure out where and fix that problem or you'll be at constant battle.

 

We have our dog on Frontline and have had no trouble.
Of course, she doesn't spend much time with other dogs, so she doesn't have a lot of chances to get fleas.

 

Thanks. Some good advice. There has to be an infestation in the home, although until the recent snowfall we couldn't be sure that they weren't from outside. I have heard flea problems have been bad in the Midwest this year. Looks like we will be going with the comfortis pill plus the dish soap baths as well as Terminix coming out to get rid of any that may be in the home.

 

You definitely have an infestation from what you've described.

Fleas can come from raccoons, squirrels, etc., not just other dogs. My neighbor ground feeds, which is against city ordinance, and we get ducks, coyotes, deer, muskrats, raccoons, squirrels, mice, voles whatever you can name. There are turkeys all over the area but they haven't found this feeding area yet, and I am grateful for that. Turkeys are mean. When I'd drive my kids to school and go through their turf they'd run along side the vehicle pecking at it.

Anyway, we have to make sure we keep on track with Frontline, Heart Guard and vaccinations against a disease deer carry that can be transmitted to dogs.

The neighbor hates dogs, which is a little odd. We had so many mice in the yard this year it was unreal. They tried to breach the walls of MHWHQ but I fought them off.

Get your home treated and stay on it with your dog. Good luck.

Note: Hat Tip to Fenian for WHQ reference.

 

Recently had a similar issue with our dogs. Had to call in the pros and spend $450 on pest control, but it worked. As BTExpress noted, you have to leave the house for about 4 hours and make sure the dog is flea free before returning.

Also note, if you have small children, you have to keep them off the carpet for two weeks. This was a challenge for us with our 20-month old, but he got through it.

Make sure whomever you call offers a guarantee. Ours offered a six-month guarantee that if the fleas returned in that time, they'd come back and do another treatment free of charge.

 

This is why we are waiting for Frontline to pay for Terminix. Don't want to pay for it, and they offer a guarantee. I just can't wait for them forever.

 

Diatomaceous earth. It's a powder that goes on the carpet. It's normally found at Home Depot or Lowe's. Sprinkle it on the carpet and let it sit for a couple of hours and then vacuum it up. It's safe around pets. There's also Seven Dust that can be used as well, although that isn't pet friendly.

 

K, just went through this.
Forget Frontline, use Advantix.
Bug-bomb the house, make sure the bomb specifies it works on fleas. We actually bombed the house twice.
Twice a week, I spray my dog lightly with Avon Skin-So-Soft and brush it through her coat.