Hi all,

Well Ontario is not being kind to Farley and I. We have gotten over the gastro issue, but last night I found a flea on him

I groom him regularily and always look in his coat. Last night I spied something I had never seen before and thought it might be flea dirt. I got out my head lamp and after a 45 minute search I found a flea! The chase was on, I caught the sucker after a 5 minute chase!

The flea dirt is confined to the neck and ear area. My dog's coat is easy to seperate and it's light undercoat makes the flea dirt show up really easily. This mornings 30 minute headlamped seaarch turned up no fleas, flea dirt still confined to neck area.
I read on the internet that a single flea can bite 350 times per day

Farley is obviously not allergic because he is not scratching (yet). He sleeps in my room and I did not here him scratch even once at night (I am a light sleeper). I feel lucky I found it before he is infested.

I do not treat for fleas as they are not common in my home province of BC and I did not think of treating for fleas when I came to Ont. Dumb perhaps.

Here are my flea questions for those flea experts out there:

1. Does Revolution work on fleas? He has had it once before for dog lice when he was young. My dog has collie in the breed heritage, so I worry about some drugs.

2. I am staying at a cabin in the woods. I will be closing it for the winter season in a week. If there are fleas in the cabin, can they survive the Canadian winter, cabin completely unheated until spring?

3. The dog may have picked up fleas from the woods, but I suspect my MIL's farm we visited last weekend. She has three cats that frequent both the barn/farm and inside her house. My dog did not have direct contact with the cats, but did lay on the same carpets/house they do (cats safely put in basement when y dog was around!)

If the dog was infected there, and I treat him for fleas this week, will he be okay to go back to that farm without getting fleas due to the medication?

4. Once the dog is medicated can I visit my parent's no pet household without him infecting their house with fleas?


Thanks for any advice and answers. Of course the vets are all closed on sunday's and a 2 hr drive away as well. I am hoping my husband who is in the city can get a perscription with a phone call to a vet and bring me up a treatment tomorrow.

Let the cleaning begin. My skin feels like it is crawling at the thought of the fleas. Gross.

Welcome to Ontario - I had never seen a flea until I moved out here from out West, and then moved into a house that was infested!
1. Revolution should knock out the fleas
2. Fleas can probably survive a nuclear holocaust....so some premise spray in the spring woudl be a good idea.
3. The cats probably provided the fleas - they are good at that...
4. Once he is "medicated" he should be good to go. A thorough comibing with a flea comb to check he is clear of hitchhikers is a good idea too.

If the idea of fleas is really grossing you out regular old flea shampooo or dust with pyrethrin will work but the Revolution is probably a better choice because it has residual effect and prevents re-infesation. The fleas on the dog are easy to kill - its the ones that jump off and then jump aboard again that keep causing problems.

If you are worried about chemicals in your cabin (b/c of your dog and all) the Diatomaceous Earth is really good. It is little diatom shells all crushed up and are so like microscopic glass particles. It kills fleas (and other nasties) by scratching through their protective covering which allows them to dehydrate. I use it and paired with something like Revolution, it's great. Take some to your parents too. Sprinkle it in the yard, on the cats, in the barn...

Thanks guys,

Now if I am to treat the cabin, I would likely do it BEFORE I close it up for the season, as I will be back in BC next spring when someone else in the family opens it back up.

What would one use to do that? Lynn?

How about washing bedding and the like? Hot water and hot dryer enough to kill fleas and eggs on that stuff?

Thanks for the help with the basics guys. I have to spend another few days at the MIL's farm and I am glad to know that once he is treated with the Revolution he will not get fleas for me to take home to BC!

Now I just have to find a vet that I can call in T.O. that will give my husband a perscription for the Revolution so he can bring it up here tomorrow. I hope a vet is cool with that. I am unsure why they would want a dog with fleas to come into the office anyway...

Cheers,

Luckily no fleas at this place - thank heavens, but the neighbours's have cats and they were polluted with them this summer. I found them some premise spray at Pet Supply House http://www.petsupplyhouse.com/index.htm that had a 120 day residual effect and that has seemed to knock off the ones that jump ship and take care of any that hatch out.

Washing bedding is a good idea. Soap and hot water seems to take care of everything.

The diatomaceous earth might help, but I've heard it can be hard on vacuum cleaners - I use it outside in the kennels and sprinkle in the bottom of the doghouses, etc