Ask Me Help Desk - Puppies and fleas

My puppies are 2weeks old and they are covered in fleas what can I do or what can I use on them

I use plain rubbing alcohol,and flea comb.the fleas will eat the kittens blood and make them anemic,and without a blood transfusion,the result will be death.Alcohol is in flea sprays,and it will kill the fleas without pesticide.Keep it away from mother cat's belly ,where the kittens will be nursing.you can spray the alcohol on the comb than comb through the kittens hair .Do this near the toilet,so you can drop the fleas in it as you comb them out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pompano

I use plain rubbing alcohol,and flea comb.the fleas will eat the kittens blood and make them anemic,and without a blood transfusion,the result will be death.Alcohol is in flea sprays,and it will kill the fleas without pesticide.Keep it away from mother cat's belly ,where the kittens will be nursing.you can spray the alcohol on the comb than comb thru the kittens hair .Do this near the toilet,so you can drop the fleas in it as you comb them out.

The same works for dogs/puppies.

I would check with a vet. I don't trust the alcohol. I also think you should have done much more research if you are going to be breeding dogs.

You really need to speak to your veterinarian about this. Fleas lead to worms and other issues. In the meantime, you could lightly bathe the pups in a mild dish soap such as Dawn or Palmolive. This will either kill the fleas or make the go up near the face where you will have a smaller area to pick them off. It's a lot safer than sprays, powders, etc at the age these pups are. Make sure the puppies are kept warm and dried as much as possible. Their bedding should also be replaced.

It is unclear if you have the mother, but if so, she should be treated as well. A good residual flea spray should be used in the house/kennel/bed and allowed to dry thoroughly prior to the pups/mother returning to the area. This should be repeated in 10 days to 2 weeks. I would still speak with the vet though, just in case (s)he has some different suggestions as well as to ensure the pups are adequately treated for fleas and worms as soon as they are able.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Didi

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

I would check with a vet. I don't trust the alcohol. I also think you should have done much more research if you are going to be breeding dogs.

I want to tell everyone to check out the Invisable Gardner on the internet.He supports using alcohol on pets ,and has other ideas for organic and pesticide free treatment for pests.:D

The net is a huge reservoir of disinformation on dogs. I prefer to stick to sites backed by somebody I know and trust. When ever I can, I post links to the AVMA or AKC sites. I recently have returned to using the Woodhaven Labs site. I have decided a site evaluated by a highly trained and experienced person is far more trustworthy than sites Googled up by average dog owners.

I prefer tested and proven remedies to untested organic junk science.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bushg

Roxie, how did you become the owner of 2 week old puppys? Was this from finding a stray that was already pregnant? Breeding? I hope no one was giving away 2 week old pups, sadly I have heard of that. Regardless of how you came to have them here is my suggestions on the flea problem. Bombing the house could be an option (animals must be removed first) Bombs can be bought at most stores *Warning* read directions. If you feel weary about using commerical products on your puppys try soaking a Q tip in water and dabbing them on the flea This may make it easier to pick off, (wet fleas travel slower). Have a pan filled with soapy water, once flea is removed dunk it in the water. If the puppys have a fair amount of hair you may be able to use a fine toothed flea comb or lice comb,I would wet it down every few strokes. Flea and lice combs should be found at Walmarts, k-marts . A pharmacy should have lice combs. Pet stores will definitely carry flea combs, if you have one that is nearby. To me they look the same.This may help untill the puppies are old enough to try other means. Good luck

I have 2 pekinese and my one went into heat I tried to keep them apart but I work a lot and they mated I just want them to be OK fleas are so bad right now I dipped the mother before she had the puppies but I think bombing the house is going to be my next step well has to be, thank you for answering back the really was so helpful

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

The net is a huge reservoir of disinformation on dogs. I prefer to stick to sites backed by somebody I know and trust. When ever I can, I post links to the AVMA or AKC sites. I recently have returned to using the Woodhaven Labs site. I have decided a site evaluated by a highly trained and experienced person is far more trustworthy than sites Googled up by average dog owners.

I prefer tested and proven remedies to untested organic junk science.

So,what does Labman do for puppies and kittens with fleas?This remedy for alcohol came from two vets that have cared for animals for 30 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxie11

my puppies are 2weeks old and they are covered in fleas what can i do or what can i use on them

Well I just called a vet and ask if alcohol would be safe to use on a kitten,and she said yes.otherwise you can bathe them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pompano

So,what does Labman do for puppies and kittens with fleas?This remedy for alcohol came from two vets that have cared for animals for 30 years.

The puppies I get come from flea free environments. After a week or 2 in my flea free house I start them on the well tested and proven Revolution suitable for puppies 6 weeks and older.

For younger puppies, I would call a vet. Most likely one in the mainstream that would suggest an modern product, proven to be safe and effective. I highly doubt the 2 vets you called were chosen at random. I really question your trying to paint the use of alcohol for fleas as a widely acceptable method. When I have visited my friends with 2 week old puppies, they never had fleas. By using modern, effective products on all the dogs and cats in their house, there are no fleas to infest the puppies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxie11

i have 2 pekinese and my one went into heat i tried to keep them apart but i work alot and they mated i just want them to be ok fleas are so bad right now i dipped the mother before she had the puppies but i think bombing the house is going to be my next step well has to be, thank you for answering back the really was so helpful

There is no way around it, you have failed your responciblies as a pet owner. I can not see how anybody would leave a female in heat alone with a male. Do you know and care about the millions of dogs slaughtered for lack of homes? Many of them lead short, miserable lives before being destroyed in less than humane ways. Get him neutered this week. Get her spayed as soon as the vet will do it. If you can't afford it, find them homes that can.

To rid the puppies of fleas, you must clear out the entire house. Clearing a home of a flea infestation is tough. The first step is to put every animal in the house on an effective flea treatment. Then bomb the house. If the product you use doesn't kill the eggs, you will need to repeat or spray areas the dogs are in with a spray such as Ovitrol that kills eggs. You also need to treat outside areas the dog uses too. If the dogs travel much, the car too. If you don't kill off the eggs, new fleas will keep hatching out for at least 2 weeks.

Treat a dog with alcohol, and even if it kills all the ones on it, more can jump on before it is dry. The only safe, effective ones come from vets practicing mainstream medicine.

I just wanted to add something. In my original post I had suggested treating the mother and the home. I checked out the Revolution and Sentinel product information and both say they are safe to use on a nursing mother. I would put the mother on one of those products, clean the bedding, vacuum the house and treat the home, bathe the puppies as I stated in my original post (making sure they are kept warm). You can use a flea comb on the pups after you bathe them. In my opinion you should NOT use any store bought flea products, only veterinarian supplied, and you should not treat the pups at all until they are older and bigger. Revolution can be used as early as six weeks, but I would be cautious with smaller dogs. Hopefully by treating the mother, bedding & house followed by bathing the pups with Dawn or Palmolive dish soap (both are mild) and a thorough rinse/dry session you will have enough control that you won't have to worry about treating those pups until they are 2 months old.

I agree with other posts that have suggested spaying and neutering your dogs. There are enough unwanted dogs out there in addition to so many breeds being ruined by indiscriminate or unplanned breeding. When we take on the responsibility of a pet, that includes adequate medical attention, grooming, feeding, socialization, spaying/neutering, training, etc. Please don't let this happen again. If your dogs were on a preventative program you wouldn't have this problem (and the high expense of eliminating it!) now.

Hope this helps.

Hugs, Didi