[bentley_beagle]

Hello,

I think my 10 month dog has fleas. He is an indoor dog. I have found several insects (about 5 so far) on his underbelly but I can't tell if they are fleas. I haven't found any bite marks and he doesn't scratch himself that much. I have have found what I think are flea "dirt" in his fur. I collected only several flakes of these and placed them on a wet paper towel and they stained the paper towel brown. This is why I think he has fleas. I tried calling the vet but they are closed and I don't want to call the emergency number since this isn't too much of an emergency. I wanted to go buy some flea control medication/powder/collar/spray for him but am not sure which is best. I heard some over the counter may be harmful. I also cannot buy flea control shampoo to bathe as I just got him neuter last week and don't want to get his surgical area wet and cause any complications.

Please help. Thanks.

[RubyPitbull]

It does sound like he has fleas. Even though he is an indoor dog, he could have picked them up anywhere outside when you were walking him, or even (ACK!) the vets office when he was neutered last week.

I understand your concern about a bath. Very smart thinking. Does your vet have Saturday morning hours. A lot of them do. If he/she doesn't, call around and see if any other vet is open. They are always willing to sell product. If it is not your regular vet, buy one application of either the Frontline Plus, Revolution, or whatever product the vet sells to his clients. I don't recommend flea collars, Hartz, or most of the other products that you can buy over the counter in any store. There have been too many reports of severe adverse reactions to those products that I am left feeling uncomfortable recommending them. When you find a vet open, aside from buying the monthly flea product, buy a can of Siphotrol Plus II premise spray. Since your dog has fleas, they have gotten into or onto your furniture and rugs. It is early enough that you can prevent an infestation if you spray everything down that he might have come into contact with. Make sure the dog is out of the room when you spray. It is very toxic stuff. Vacuum up the areas that you spray and when you are completely done, throw away the vacuum bag in the outside trash. Fleas can live in the vacuum bags so you need to remove the bag from the house. Once you have vacuumed, it is usually safe to let the dog into the room. Just check the direction on the can carefully.