[svw]

Our new kitten came home with fleas! The vet applied a topical to him, and we were told to vacuum and wash everything he came into contact with. He has been at our house only 36 hours and was in one room- we have done all that the vet told us to do-- will this solve the problem, do you know? Thanks in advance (our first kitten!)

[beautifuldiva]

Well I would suggest the same thing your vet did. Wherever the kitten may have been in the house should really be treated.

Keep using the topical and you may remove any other fleas you see with a fine tooth comb. DO NOT spray, bathe, or powder a kitten at six weeks old... as I'm sure the vet probably told you that...

But yes, keep treating him and try to treat all the areas the kitten was in and everything should be fine

[tre_cani]

Oh man do I know your plight! I brought home a "foundling" once and the fleas he carried along were like a plague of biblical proportion!

The topical flea treatment given by your vet should do the trick where your kitten is concerned. Washing all bedding and vacuuming a lot should also take care of the fleas that "jumped ship".

Perhaps you have other pets? If so, treat them with veterinarian supplied topicals as well. If, after all that, you still have bugs... then I would recommend a spray for your home as well (i.e. carpet, furniture the kitty crawled on, etc). Your veterinarian can recommend a spray that will be safe for a 6 week old kitten.

Good luck to you and I hope your little stinker brings as much joy to you through the years as mine still does for me!

[beautifuldiva]

Ah yes didn't even think about the other possible pet or flea carriers!!

[tre_cani]

Yeah Diva, you know over the years I have heard people say, "But my cat doesn't go outside, how can he get fleas?" Well, if you have other pets that DO go outside, then it's a given that the cat will get bugs! :rolleyes:

I know that fleas don't bother every person, but fleas LOVE me. So if I see any one of my animals even contemplate scratching, I go nuts checking them for fleas. It's just the worst feeling to know that your house has bugs and even worse to know that your pets are scratching themselves silly when you can easily prevent it with topicals.

[beautifuldiva]

Omg you! I like go crazy when my dog starts scratching... I get for her Frontline. It does wonders!

[tre_cani]

Funny thing is that I used to be hooked on Advantage, but I like the Frontline now because the "grease spot" disappears more quick than with the Advantage.

I have 3 dogs and 2 (inside only) cats and NO ONE has had a bug in years (knock wood!). Because I'm a pet groomer I used to get paranoid about bringing home fleas on my socks and shoes from work. Now if I am grooming a dog or cat with bugs, I just spray Adams flea spray like a madwoman on my socks and pant legs!

EEK, I hate fleas! (shivers)

[beautifuldiva]

OH OH OH u are? Lol well I believe I have a question to ask you! Lol

[tre_cani]

Ask away! :)

[tre_cani]

Hi Tre_cani, Diva here! lol

I have pet grooming questions! My dog is a little, but FREAKIN POOFY HAIRED DOG! We dont know what she is exactly, but mostly I have heard she looks like she has sheep dog (cuz shes very shaggy) and maybe lapso (im guessin because of her size and face) Anywho.. this poor dog has so much hair and its really hard for me to take care of it all... I try to get her groomed but the last time she went they said the mats were so bad they had to shave her almost completely bald!! She was traumatized poor thing.. Well this time the mats arent as bad as the first time and they arent even visible... but I did notice that they are forming under her coat, close to her skin... like all over her body! And im so scared because i DO NOT want her shaved again and the lady today said that they would have to shave her so i took her home... she said that when they groom the dogs they have to be able to pull a comb thru all of the hair evenly like no tangles or nots and if she were to sit and unmat all of them it would take all day and she would charge 150 dollars... she aslo said that she wouldnt put my dog thru that "torture". So i bought a slicker brush and a comb (what she recomended) and have been trying soooo hard to work all of it out under her coat... I asked if I got most of them out could she do the best she can to try to groom her saving as much hair as she possibly can. She said maybe... so now im stuck.. because theres no way I want my doggie shaved again! But i think its important she stay groomed... so i ask... is there anyway she could groom the dog with the mats even if there are very few with out having to shave her hair off?? I mean can't she like cut her hair shorter even and still work with the mats or are they just impossible to deal with? Or did she just not want to fool with it... oh and is there anything i could use along with the slicker like conditioner of some sort to help speed the process?? WOW sorry for the LONG message but I'm just so scared for my dog!! lol Any of you advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

thanks so much

I wanted to post your question because this is something that I have run into on a regular basis in my lifetime of grooming and I thought it best to share your question and my answer with others that might be interested.

It seems people were always coming to me with stories of how their other groomer "unnecessarily shaved" their dog. Well, I have been doing this for a long time, and I have never "unnecessarily shaved" anything.

I know we all want our pets to look nice, so shaving them seems such a harsh thing to do, right? Well, it is sometimes the nicest thing we can do for our pets.

Mats are often very painful for the dog and getting them wet with rain or frequent baths just make them worse as the hair expands when wet and then contracts as it dries making the mats tighter. The dog will scratch herself tangling the knots even more.


It's a good idea to brush your dog frequently, especially when you have a "shaggy" dog. The "slicker brush" your groomer recommended sounds like the right tool for the job, as is combing out what you just brushed. This ensures that the knots are gone all the way to the skin. Remember that just because you cannot see the mats, does not mean that your dog is not bothered by them.

These shaggy breeds need certain care and upkeep. I would recommend to you that you get your dog on a regular grooming schedule. It is really important that you keep her brushed in between groomings if you wish to "keep her fluffy". Taking her to the groomer every 6-8 weeks is probably best, but you could talk to your groomer and she can advise you on that particular. Lots of us do in between brush outs too. Check with her, I'm sure she would do it if you asked. It's really not that hard to keep them brushed and mat-free if you start with a clean slate by shaving (which does not mean BALD, but is a very close trim). If you keep her coat a medium to short length, she will be easier to brush in between and loads more comfortable!

Most of us pet groomers agree that some dogs don't look so swell when they're shaved, and so try to save as much hair as possible when they're matted. No groomer wants to make a dog look like a naked baboon, but there are times when you just have to do what makes the pet comfortable. The process of de-matting is long and sometimes quite painful. Lots of us refuse to do it because it is just not in the best interest of the dog. The reason she would charge so much for it is that it is very time-consuming, as I image you've discovered. She cannot physically groom more dogs that day if she is busy with yours and so charges accordingly.
All that said, my suggestion is to have your groomer give her a shave and start from scratch. But if you insist on keeping the hair... the conditioner is a great idea. I do it all the time! Mix it with water and spray it on sections of matted hair and work the brush through it. If your dog sits still for you while pulling out mats, give her a great big kiss because it's a rare dog that will put up with pulling out mats like that! She sounds like a good baby!:o

[smokey83]

our new kitten came home with fleas! the vet applied a topical to him, and we were told to vacuum and wash everything he came into contact with. he has been at our house only 36 hours and was in one room- we have done all that the vet told us to do-- will this solve the problem, do you know? thanks in advance (our first kitten!)

Your kitten should be fine and if the problem re occurs go to a pet shop and ask for some flea tablets suitable for kittens, my kitten had the same problem but was fine after 12 hours of swallowing the tablet

[tre_cani]

Smokey,

Are you referring to 'CAPSTAR'?

Here in the US I think it's only available through a veterinarian, though some online pet supply catalogues may carry it now as well.

It's a pretty amazing flea treatment. One little pill administered to the dog or cat and within 30 minutes it starts to work at killing fleas with no residual chemicals left on the pet. The bugs are almost all dead and gone within about 2 to 4 hours!

We've used it with great success at the veterinary hospital. A dog can come in covered with bugs and within an hour after dosing with the pill, you begin to see dead fleas on the floor of the cage!

However, it's worth mentioning that it is not something that you would give on a schedule for prevention of fleas like the topicals mentioned earlier in this thread. It's kind of a 'flea rescue pill', given when a pet is loaded with fleas to give immediate relief. You still have to treat the animal's surroundings to ensure that they do not become reinfested.