[Anneke]

Hallo, I have a problem, my dog had 5 puppies they are 1week old now. I have discovered fleas on them I bought ultrum flea shampoo and puppy powder, they say it is safe but not from what age, I know they are very young and don't want to use anything that will hurt them is it safe? If not what can I do?

[JudyKayTee]

Hallo, i have a problem, my dog had 5 puppies they are 1week old now. i have discovered fleas on them i bought ultrum flea shampoo and puppy powder, they say it is safe but not from what age, i know they are very young and dont want to use anything that will hurt them is it safe? if not what can i do?

No chemical is safe on puppies that age -

There was just another question on this same subject.

What does your Vet recommend?

Here's what the website says:

"It is not safe to put chemicals on puppies of less than six weeks of age. Fleas themselves can also be very dangerous to young puppies and can even result in a puppy dying from anaemia so you do need to kill these fleas. If the puppy is with it's mother and nursing it is more than likely that the mother dog has a flea infestation so first you need to treat the mother dog. If there are other cats or dogs in the household you need to treat all pets and also your house.

How to treat fleas on a very young puppy

The safest way to treat a puppy under 6 weeks of age for fleas is to bathe him using warm water and Dawn dishwashing detergent and then to manually pick off remaining fleas. Dawn dishwashing soap is very effective and it kills fleas quickly. Many breeders bathe their dogs in Dawn.

Fill your sink or tub with warm water. (Test the temperature as if you were giving a baby a bath). Using the kitchen sink is often easiest as you don't have to bend down and you are more in control. Immerse the puppy up to his neck and insure that he is saturated. Wet his face and head with a face washer. Then lift him out and place him on a towel. Gently massage in the detergent. Massage the soap all over his body and around his neck, ears, face, head and under his chin, being very careful not to get soap in his eyes. The fleas are not silly and will head for the high dry ground of the head area.

Then put him back in the water for a rinse. If he is not fighting and struggling too much try to keep him submerged for a few minutes. If he is distressed get the job over and done as quickly as possible. Having two people perform the operation is often easier. One to hold the puppy and one to massage and wash the the puppy. When finished wrap him up in a dry towel and dry him off. Do NOT let the puppy get chilled - bathe and dry him in a warm room and then return him to his mother."

[0rphan]

Anneke,

If I were you I would phone the vet explain the situation and ask their advice... there sure to help having the puppies interests at heart.

Goodluck