# fleas on double coated dogs



## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Tonight I got a flea on my face after hugging Faxon so I investigated and discovered flea dirt and several fleas. I immediately went out and bought flea prevention--a Frontline generic that has always worked for Roxie. I use this monthly. Do double coated dogs get fleas more easily? Should I do anything else or will it run its course with the prevention?

EDIT: I just realized this particular product states that it needs to be applied in a stripe from shoulders to tail... which would explain why there's flea dirt on the base of her tail and fleas on her belly but none on her front end... :doh: I did put about a third of it on the base of her tail since that was where I saw the fleas so I hope it helps.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Kayota said:


> Tonight I got a flea on my face after hugging Faxon so I investigated and discovered flea dirt and several fleas. I immediately went out and bought flea prevention--a Frontline generic that has always worked for Roxie. I use this monthly. Do double coated dogs get fleas more easily? Should I do anything else or will it run its course with the prevention?
> 
> EDIT: I just realized this particular product states that it needs to be applied in a stripe from shoulders to tail... which would explain why there's flea dirt on the base of her tail and fleas on her belly but none on her front end... :doh: I did put about a third of it on the base of her tail since that was where I saw the fleas so I hope it helps.


NO - double coated dogs do NOT get flea infections any more than other dogs do. ALL dogs can become infected by fleas if you don't prevent it properly.

ALWAYS read ALL the directions before using any product - don't assume that you know how to use it. 

Even if you've been using a product for a while, it's a good idea to reread the product insert just to make sure nothing has changed or that you are misremembering.

Don't over-apply the spot-on treatments. If the directions say apply once a month, don't do it more often. If they say to apply in two or three or four locations (or however many), don't apply in one location


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Er, wow... Maybe settle down on the caps a little? You act like I've never used a flea preventative before...


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## WonderBreadDots (Jun 26, 2012)

I don't think double coated dogs are more susceptible, but it seems like it may be more of a pain to get rid of. Do you know where the fleas were picked up? 

My childhood dog ( a peke/chi mix) had fleas and I remember it was a pain to get rid of them, this was over 20 years ago also. 

Good luck, I hope the flea prevention medication is all you need.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Probably just in the yard... We don't go anywhere very often.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Fleas are no fun to try to get rid of. 

In your situation, I'd give Faxon and Roxie some Capstar (an oral treatment, rather than preventative). You can - and I would - give that in conjunction with a preventative, like Frontline. I'd also be washing all bedding and treating rugs and carpeted areas in my home. I'd probably use diatomaceous earth as opposed to chemicals at first.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

I THINK the infestation has been short lived as I hadn't seen any on her/myself last month so I'll see how it pans out. I'll see if I can get a vet to give me capstar. I wonder if the prevention just doesn't last as long on Faxon. I've been able to skip doses accidentally with Roxie with no real consequences. I've been putting my money toward trying to fix my damp carpet so I don't have any to spare for flea carpet powder or what have you unfortunately.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

A mix of baking soda and salt works fairly well as a substitute for diatomaceous earth or chemical treatments. Super cheap and of course quite safe. You don't want them sniffing it up or getting it in their eyes, but it is harmless to lick or touch. Just sprinkle on carpets, around basemolding, in the cracks of couch cushions etc and leave for a day. Vacuum up. Repeat a few times per week.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

How long does it take for the fleas to go away after applying a flea prevention? I checked her tonight and she still has a few. Do I still need the Capstar too?


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## Nuclear_Glitter (Jun 20, 2012)

Look up the flea life cycle. It will help you understand how they live and work. 

The fleas on the dog are actually only a small percentage of your infestation. You should work on vacuuming daily and using the salt and baking soda mix that Shell talked about on your carpets and furniture every 3 days. Also wash everything you can that the dogs come in contact with once a week in hot water. 

I would also look into vitamins and things such as brewers yeast with garlic for making your dog smell bad to fleas, so they don't pick as many up.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

I know about it as I was in vet tech school for a year  I just don't know how it works with the prevention, i.e. how long before I stop seeing them on the dog herself.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayota said:


> I know about it as I was in vet tech school for a year  I just don't know how it works with the prevention, i.e. how long before I stop seeing them on the dog herself.


It depends on the product. Some topicals can take 12hours or more. Oral flea products will work much faster. The Capstar will kill all live fleas on her within 30 minutes and stay in her system for 24 hours. If she were my dog, I'd dose her with a Capstar, and then give her a good bath to get rid of any eggs in her fur, then I'd switch to an oral product, like Comfortis or Trifexis (depending on what heartworm prevention you use). You can treat with something oral after giving most topicals (unless it's something like Revolution that gets absorbed systemically through their sebaceous glands). 

The veterinarians I have worked for have always said the most heavily populated area for fleas on a dog is the base of the tail. That's always the first place we were taught to run the flea comb to check for fleas. I don't think that applying the medicine just between her shoulder blades was why you were finding them there, just that she had a bad infestation. I would think that applying the medicine down her spine would be just so that it spreads faster, not that it won't reach those areas, although that could be a wrong assumption based off of how other topicals work. Personally, I wouldnt use anything that needed to be applied near the tail, as that's where the fleas are and where she's bound to be biting and licking a lot.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Apparently she has to be seen to get the oral stuff so I'm trying to schedule an appointment now. Ugh  I can't really afford this right now...


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

Every Flea prevention brand works differently. I know Vectra D should kill all the Fleas in 8 hours. Frontline I think its like 10 or 14 something like that. Generic Flea stuff I wouldn't put on my dog if someone paid me to use it. Seen so many bad reactions to cheap generic brands and they never work very good. >.<


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Kayota said:


> Apparently she has to be seen to get the oral stuff so I'm trying to schedule an appointment now. Ugh  I can't really afford this right now...


You can buy Capstar on Amazon, even with 1 day shipping it would probably be cheaper than a vet visit because you can dose both dogs. Capstar is a treatment to kill existing fleas, it is not a monthly preventative. 

Comfortis is flea only preventative (spinosad) and prescription required, Trifexis is spinosad + milbemycin oxime so it is the same flea preventative as Comfortis but also a heartworm preventative (and thus prescription only). Sentinel is the same heartworm med as Trifexis (milbemycin oxime) but with a different flea preventative (lufenuron).


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayota said:


> Apparently she has to be seen to get the oral stuff so I'm trying to schedule an appointment now. Ugh  I can't really afford this right now...


The Capstars are sold OTC and you can usually find them at big brand name pet stores. If your vet won't sell you at least one of those without an exam, call and ask other clinics in the area. Capstars were one of the few OTC products we had that we could sell to non-clients. The Comfortis pills (and other orals) are expensive, but well worth it. I know some clients could get away using the Comfortis (the flea only pill- the ones with heartworm prevention still need to be given monthly) less often than the topicals.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

I went to my usual clinic and they gave me the comfortis without an exam. It was a different clinic I was calling. I just got one dose for now, I'm going to see if the topicals will work after I get rid of the current problem.

Fade--It's not a cheap generic, it has the same exact active ingredient as Frontline.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

Today a client brought in a dog who within an hour died. The dog's gums were white and you could see her spine because she was so skinny. Owner said she was just fine till yesterday when she noticed the dog acting weak.. The dog was crawling with fleas. When the dog was wet down to give a bath to the water turned red due to all the flea feces on the dog. How any owner could not notice that amount of fleas is beyond me. It was almost a blessing the dog passed on. The flea infestation literally sucked the life out of that poor dog.

Faxon-I don't see double coated dogs having more fleas than short coated dog. I see more cats have fleas than dogs. You may have not a problem with fleas in the past so you never noticed them and thought your product was working. Now you might have a problem and think that the product is in question. I know that Frontline is not taking care of the fleas like it used to. I would see about using a different product with a different active ingredient. I will say timing of the year is another factor. The fall is the time that pets seem to be crawling with fleas. Getting colder those fleas are looking for warm bodies to hang out on.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Yeah I'm going to keep Faxon on Comfortis most likely, honestly. Roxie has never had an issue and I'd see them right off because her coat is sparse in the first place and she's nearly bare from her neck to her groin. Plus I kiss her belly all the time lol. I'm not used to such a thick coated dog so I just didn't think to dig around as much. I think the product just doesn't get to the skin how it should. 


ETA: I put the other two doses for sale on Craigslist so I can get some money back for the unused product. Thanks for your help and advice, guys! This is an issue I've never dealt with on my own


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I will add that because you saw her with fleas also to be on the lookout for tapeworms. A little by-product of fleas. Not bad enough you have one problem but could end up with two.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Yeah that's true. I do have her on Ivermectin which should take care of it, right?

EDIT: Nevermind, I googled it and found the answer... Urgh... Crossing my fingers. I do check out my dogs' poo when they go in front of me and haven't seen anything like that. I remember when I saw a tape segment on Roxie's rear... I screamed and shoved her off the couch. LOL


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

Mine are crossed too for you. You do not need that also on your plate right now. At least you will be on the lookout and know what to look for now.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Totally forgot that was something that could happen... Argh!

ETA: She's been out for a while and I just checked her belly when she came in--no fleas! Success


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## fetchboyau (Sep 17, 2013)

Finding a flea on your face is really a horrible situation. If your dog is scratching; it is worth to check for fleas in his coat. This task is really tough when dog has double coat as fleas are laterally compressed, and they can shoot through the forest of hair. The only solution to this is use flea control products regular to prevent fleas from growing.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

She wasn't scratching any more than normal dogs would and I do use flea prevention. Thanks though


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I always give a Capstar and apply a spot-on if I SEE fleas. If I don't see any, I just apply the spot-on . Capstar is awesome. But Comfortis is awesomer and should take care of the problem.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Yep, I checked her again today and we're still flea free. What a relief, I was about to go into panic mode there.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

It is that time of year fleas are looking for warm bodies to live on. The problem with spot on sometimes a reaction will occur at the place of treatment. I don't like the telltale oil spot a topical will often leave on dogs. A pill is so much easier to give. Also with the topical products the wait period for giving the animal a bath.


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