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-   -   Fleas or Spiders (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=231938)

  • Jun 29, 2008, 06:26 AM
    rex123
    Fleas or Spiders
    Before I ask my question I do treat my dog every month for fleas.
    When I went for a walk this morning I didn't notice anything different about Rex(my dog) but when I got home I noticed there were a whole bunch of little black things on his neck and around his ears. As soon as I got home I asked my mom to come out and see if they were fleas. She said they might be black flies but wasn't sure. They didn't jump when touched so I can't see how they are fleas but they don't have wings either so there not flies, then mom thought maybe they were little spiders.

    I can't see how they are fleas because last night when I brushed rex I didn't even see them how could there be so many in such a little time. They weren't even near his skin they were on the tips of his fur, if they were fleas they would have to be closer to the skin because husky's have a double coat which is super thick. Like I said I treat him every month. As soon as I got home I treated him again I usually treat him on the first of every month but mom said to treat him today.

    So my question is are these fleas or baby spiders that he got into on our walk?
  • Jun 29, 2008, 06:58 AM
    N0help4u
    The best thing I have seen that works for fleas is the Advantage shot the doctor gives.
    Other than that Hertz, Rid and all the other flea stuff has little effect on keeping away fleas.

    I would guess that if they were on top of his fur and none on his skin they may have been spiders or something else.
  • Jun 29, 2008, 08:15 AM
    froggy7
    If they showed up on the outside of his fur, after a walk through brushy area, I'd say it's likely that they are ticks. Here's a picture: Female American dog tick

    They can carry diseases, so you want to make sure that you get rid of them before they bite your dog. Some flea treatments will deter ticks, some won't, so check what you use for that. Also, ticks like small moist places, so make sure that you check your dogs ears, between his toes, and his privates for them. According to my mom, they are really bad out where she lives, probably because of all the rain, and the treatments that used to keep them off aren't being as effective this year as usual.
  • Jun 29, 2008, 08:57 AM
    rex123
    No it isn't a tick. The fleat treatment does kill ticks to. He only had one tick in his life, we took it off and burnt it. I took all of the little black things off before I treated him when we got home.
  • Jun 29, 2008, 12:46 PM
    froggy7
    Hmm. If they aren't ticks, then the only other things I can think of are chiggers (generally too small to be seen) or that he may, in fact have walked through a spider nursery.
  • Jun 29, 2008, 02:18 PM
    carolbcac
    I was also thinking about ticks--deer ticks are tiny, don't really look like ticks, don't fly and don't jump. It takes a little while for the flea & tick medicine to work, since it doesn't repel the parasites and does not kill them instantly.
    If you walked through particularly brushy areas, or the dog wandered over into the weeds, it would be easy for him to pick up some.
    The medication has probably already taken care of them, but make sure there are none on you--these are the ticks that transmit Lyme Disease.

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