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ruckusluvr · Sep 26, 2009, 05:43 AM

Ruckus is ate up in fleas. He has chewed fur off his legs and seems miserable. His skin is red and blotchy! I am at a loss of what to do. Even the vets will tell you that frontline and advantix/advantage does not work in the area. They are pushing a product called comfortis. Lynn is on it, and almost all of my clients are on it. I have never heard of anyone having an issue with it...

But of course Ruckus. We *think* that it gave Ruckus full blown colitis but we are not really sure of it. Vomiting and diarrhea are the most common side effects with comfortis. It seems like after 3 days of giving the pill Ruckus would have vomiting and diarrhea. But the reason we are not sure about this is that the effects usually occur within one hour of treatment, and back then it was very common for Ruckus to get belly issues. He would pretty regularly vomit and have bouts of diarrhea. (switched his food, he is doing better now)

I am thinking about getting him Comforits again now that his belly is fine, and hasn't had any issues in a couple of months.

Its either try comfortis again, or let the fleas eat him. I have tried all of the natural stuff I have seen posted, even chemical things to treat the house and yard.

What do you think? Try comfortis again? I don't know what my other options are

I have 3 and 1/2 hours to decide before the vet closes

Cat1864 · Sep 26, 2009, 06:32 AM

It sounds like if you are going to try it again this would probably be the best time.

At least this time if his stomach gets upset you will know for certain it is the Comforits and not something else.

I hope he gets to feeling less itchy soon. :)

jmjoseph · Sep 26, 2009, 06:45 AM

Is Ruckus a dog? Have you tried dip? It has always worked for me(my dogs). You can get some at a store like Walmart. "Adams" brand works good.

The thing that I concentrate on is getting them all off first, then use Frontline, or something comparable.

Good luck to you and your pet.

Cat1864 · Sep 26, 2009, 07:04 AM

One thing to add is that in the Pest Control section there is a stickie of things to do to help control the fleas in the environment. You might want to check it out.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/pest-c...pt-386490.html

shazamataz · Sep 26, 2009, 09:38 AM

Catsmine is the master of the flea :D

We had a horrendous infestation of fleas here... the first flea treatment did not get rid of them all.
We had to do 2 months worth of spot on treatments (the ones you put on the back of their neck) plus treat the entire houe twice before we stopped seeing the little critters...

Are you positive that you still have fleas or is your dog scratching/biting for other reasons such as allergies or a skin problem?

Catsmine · Sep 26, 2009, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by shazamataz

Are you positive that you still have fleas or is your dog scratching/biting for other reasons such as allergies or a skin problem?

Thanks for the glowing endorsement, Shaz. Ruckusluvr, make sure he still has fleas and not a nervous habit. They're visible, just check the belly and armpits where the hair is thin.

Definitely make certain that his environment has been treated for flea control, as once a flea gets her blood meal, she can lay up to 200 eggs, that just fall off wherever they happen to be.

ruckusluvr · Sep 27, 2009, 07:36 AM

Nope, fleas were all over his belly and legs. As a dog groomer I know fleas when I see em'

The dip we have only has a residual effect of two weeks. And since he current does have frontline on him its not a good idea to dip him.

I just went and gave him the comfortis one last time. Comfortis is safe to use with spot on treatments as long as its been at least two weeks after treating the dog with the spot on. So far no issues with the comfortis.

Thanks for the help!

Catsmine · Sep 27, 2009, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by ruckusluvr

nope, fleas were all over his belly and legs. as a dog groomer i know fleas when i see em'

Didn't mean to impugn your professional knowledge. Time to wash the bedding and see if the carpets need treatment. If you want confirmation before treatment, a white bowl of water with a lamp to keep it warm overnight makes a good detector.

Glauren · Sep 28, 2009, 05:36 PM

Take your pet to be bathed and dipped. While he's away at the spa, bomb your house with
Vetkem flea bombs. Before you set off those bombs, use the Vetkem area spray and spray under bed, and in all those little places you don't want the bomb to miss. Then set those babies off! I swear Vetkem is the best stuff ever made for killing fleas. I didn't have any so I tried 2 other brands on different days and both were duds. Then I ordered the Vetkem and that was that. I used to work at a veterinary hospital and they sold that brand. It's been years since I've worked there but I still use that stuff whenever I start seeing some evidence of fleas. Fortunately not often. But when I do... VETKEM!

Glauren · Sep 28, 2009, 05:40 PM

Oh yeah, you have to wash bedding and anything fabric that your pet has been on or near after you've bombed. You really have to go on the attack and get everything and every crack and crevice when it comes to those little itchy creatures!

KISS · Sep 28, 2009, 07:06 PM

Bathe pet with Octagon or Fels Naptha soap.

Catsmine · Sep 29, 2009, 02:22 AM

As you can see, ruckusluvr, there are lots of products that will help control fleas. The main thing to remember is that the adult fleas on Ruckus aren't the only problem. Cat 1864 posted a link to my stickie explaining how to de-flea Ruckus' environment.

Catsmine · Sep 29, 2009, 04:18 PM

Just Dahlia agrees: what's the bowl of water and lamp for?

It's a monitor that's easy to whip up on short notice. You can buy one for $15 US if you want to. The lamp keeps the water warm, the new fleas sense the weight of the bowl and jump in. It tells you if you have fleas and also how heavily infested the room is. A 6-8 hour period (overnight) will tell you what you need to know.