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    msjuliek's Avatar
    msjuliek Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Oct 13, 2011, 07:53 PM
    Bugs on dog - not fleas
    For 43 days we have been infested with bugs from our pets. First identified as fleas, we began our nightmare. It was so horrible, we moved into a hotel for 33 days. We've done EVERYTHING. We bombed ourselves twice. Exterminator bombed three times, fleabusters came, I've put my own boric acid everywhere. We vacuum everything in the house twice daily and put the vacuum bags in plastic and put outside in trash. Our dog has had 3 rounds of topical (pet armor, then frontline, then advantix), oral meds (2 rounds of program and comfortis), flea baths, sprays, etc. Etc. Then we find she has tapeworms, of course. So the vet treats her for that. I still see bugs, so I took her to the vet. Of course the vet didn't see the bugs, but took a stool sample. That test indicated that she also has giardia. I looked on her again today and on her belly, near her legs are several bugs, that look like ticks sort of, attached to her. Our beds have what looks like seeds constantly. Also, white sand looking particles that I assume are eggs. If the bugs were fleas or ticks, wouldn't all that medication have killed them? I can't seem to get any answers. I am so naucious now, I can't even go try to pick them off the dog. I don't want to go near the dog. She is so sweet, a whippet, and she is just infested with parasites of all kinds. Anyhow, can this be anything other than ticks or fleas? I really think if they were ticks or fleas that the bombs, the medications, the cleaning, would be helping. Thanks.
    Lucky098's Avatar
    Lucky098 Posts: 2,594, Reputation: 543
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    #2

    Oct 13, 2011, 08:54 PM
    The only thing I can think of is bed bugs.. Bed bugs can withstand a lot of pesticides which is why they are so hard to get rid of. As far as I know, they do not live on the body, but in things, such as beds, that both humans and animals sleep in.

    Giardia comes from contaminated water and is relatively easy to clear up.

    Have you "bug bombed" your backyard? A lot of times if the environment is infected, no matter how hard you treat to prevent the parasites, the animal will become infested. The topical ointments are good, but they're not a wonder drug.. and if these parasites are becoming immune to the medications, then the medications itself aren't doing you any justice.

    Tapeworms come from the fleas. Unfortunately, it's the aftermath of flea infestation.

    Not sure what else to tell you... Other than to maybe bug bomb your yard...
    paleophlatus's Avatar
    paleophlatus Posts: 459, Reputation: 112
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    #3

    Oct 14, 2011, 12:03 AM
    Why have your vets not taken a bug sample off your pet and submitted it for identification?

    Giardia are intestinal protozoa parasites that live in the intestine and produce intermittent bouts of diarrhea. They are microscopic in size.
    shay.shay's Avatar
    shay.shay Posts: 5, Reputation: -1
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    #4

    Nov 12, 2011, 03:52 PM
    They can be any thing bed bugs and they git on your dog to u can use bleach it helps wash ever thing with bleach. Then git the dog soap and put it on her leave for maybe a hour then wash her do it every day and it will go away vets don't help people they just say stuff to git paid good
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
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    #5

    Nov 12, 2011, 04:26 PM
    Do not use bleach on your dog. And do not leave soap on the dog to dry for a hour. This could harm the dog, cause skin issues. They make special flea soaps and dips for animals with fleas.
    Aurora_Bell's Avatar
    Aurora_Bell Posts: 4,193, Reputation: 822
    Dogs Expert
     
    #6

    Nov 14, 2011, 06:04 AM
    The seed like bugs you are talking about could be the larval stage of the tick. I have always found these much harder to get rid of. One thing I could suggest seeing as you have already given her the proper meds is adding a table spoon of apple cider vinegar to her food. This usually helps in warding off ticks and fleas. I use it with my dogs in the summer seasons and it seems to work for us.

    The thing with seeds ticks is where there is one, there are thousands. So if she is picking them up in your yard, she will continue to get them every time she visits the area they are located. It's really important top treat the entire house as seed ticks don't attach quite as firmly as adult ticks and will get "dropped off" in other areas and continue to re-infest.

    Here is a picture of ticks in their 4 stages, do any of these look familiar?

    http://www.vetlocator.com/dailypaws/...tickstages.jpg

    And here is a picture of bed bugs in their stages:
    http://bedbugger.files.wordpress.com..._lifecycle.jpg

    Here is what they look like on a mattress: http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/ph...s-mattress.jpg
    paleophlatus's Avatar
    paleophlatus Posts: 459, Reputation: 112
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    #7

    Nov 14, 2011, 02:25 PM
    Seed ticks are a possibility. Used to have an infestation every couple years while living in Iowa. A very common tick, and more prevalent in warmer climates. May not be the problem, but

    The Brown Dog Tick is the common name. Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the 'formal name'. Here is a link for them http://pestid.msu.edu/InsectsArthropods/BrownDogTickRhipicephalussanguineus/tabid/287/Default.aspx

    While they can develop anywhere, I have always found the female to prefer to lay her eggs behind pictures hanging on the wall. The look like a dime sized 'raft' of tiny ping pong balls. The female dies after laying the eggs and is often found beneath the picture on the floor, a quarter inch, shrunken, tan 'bug'. Lift the edge of the picture and look on the wall. When hatching, there will be a stream of tiny ticks going down the wall.

    While most ticks can NOT live through the lack of humidity in most houses in the winter, this one does and can be a bit difficult to get rid of. Hope I'm wrong, but if not, at least you'll know what they are.

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