Check the dosing on your dogs medication, i.e. if you are using a 25-50lb dose and your dog is right at the top of the weight, I might consider a higher dose, or perhaps administer the medication every 3 wks for awhile.
Treat all the pets in the home, including cats.

I am not a fan of "natural" when it comes to fleas --- for fleas, I want all the chemical my dogs can stand. Love the insect growth regulators.

The only time I've ever seen much biting at the top of the tail that wasn't fleas is super fat dogs with anal sac issues -- the dog being too fat to reach the rectal area, biting the top of the fanny, instead.

For a dog with flea allergy dermatitis, fleas are very bad.

The affected skin becomes inflamed ---- hotter and damper, and perfect for bacteria and fungus. So FAD can lead the way to skin infections (typically Staphylococcus intermedius) and yeast (Malassezia pachydermatis) very fast.

Swallowing the bitten-at fleas is also a tapeworm source.

And flea saliva allergy doesn't go away ... it gets worse. On repeated exposure, the dog develops allergies to more and more of the antigens in flea saliva: amino acids, aroma compounds, phosphorus, polypeptides, and more.

FAD (flea allergy dermatitis) doesn't need a full-on infestation to be bad. A non-allergic dog may have little reaction to a heavy load, where an allergic dog goes crazy and starts to damage his own skin because of the itch from chemicals his own immune system produces in response to even one exposure.

Bath done, ordering more anti-flea action-thank you for that link. Followed the bath strategy on one of those links. Was glad because otherwise I would have started in the middle and he'd have fleas in his face!

Yes, on one of those threads you post was EXACTLY what I keep saying.
My dog can't have fleas.
None of them have never had fleas.
I don't see any fleas. (I didn't--ever. I looked, I combed, I inspected flecks with a magnifying glass.)
None of the other dogs is itching.
Must be an allergy. (tree pollen? I dunno.)

Question: I am washing all the dog bed covers, but what about the actual beds? Not all of mine are washable. I was going to hit non-washables with DE and one of the natural sprays I saw listed on one of your flea threads.

I suspect I'll need to dose with Advantix again. Again, thank you SO much. Leerburg rocks!

depending on what the dog bed is, you might be able to just put it in the dryer and tumble it on high heat for long enough to kill fleas and desiccate any eggs. (this works for couch throw pillows, stuffed toys, etc. too.)

what I did with dog beds: I tossed the unwashable innards that come with the covers (mine were some kind of fiberfill fluff) and replaced the stuffing with rags. Old t-shirts, old bath towels, old fleece blankets, even scraps from my bin of sewing fabrics. Old clothes. Tear or cut into rag-sized pieces and stuff the dog bed cover with this pile of fabric. Then, when it starts to get doggy, you can wash the rag stuffing, tumble dry, and put it back in.

Oh, that's a good point!

Wasn't sure if I should post here or on the other thread. Still total newb at this.

Itchy on base of tail and biting at base and at tail, licking and biting at paws (but not super bad compared to sides and joints), biting and scratching sides, armpits and knees/hip joints. Some ear scratching. But he does go for long periods without scratching and stuff, but also wakes me up at night almost every night with his scratching hooey.

Vacuumed car today, too. Killed a dog bed in the dryer. Oopsies. Will continue revacuuming like I'm preventing the plague.

Every time I have checked, I have seen zilch for fleas.

Ears look pretty clean. The skin looks good. Sometimes it looks irritated but I think that's just from playing and getting excited; it usually goes away.

Paws don't look inflamed to me.

Here's a link to his most recent skin issue pics if you're so inclined. I guess if I wanted to, I could video his scratching. Hmmmm.

Also, how often can I bathe him? The flea threads said bathing is good for allergies. Once a week too much?

Fenris' suspected flea itchy pics

That's a "permission only" picture link.


"Itchy on base of tail and biting at base and at tail, licking and biting at paws (but not super bad compared to sides and joints), biting and scratching sides, armpits and knees/hip joints. Some ear scratching. But he does go for long periods without scratching and stuff, but also wakes me up at night almost every night with his scratching ..... "

Every time he bites at the base of the tail, etc., he has just been bitten by a flea. (Long periods of no itch and then sudden biting and licking would be one more proof of fleas, except you didn't need one more. )

Even a dark-color dog, if you really part the fur where he is biting/scratching, you will probably see the flea(s) and can remove it/them. Have a bowl of water with a little dish soap in it to drown each one as you remove it (plain water is not escape-proof). You won't always find it, because the dog is often very good at biting/licking/removing them. But the itch lasts past that.

If his sleep is being interrupted, I'd guess that you have fleas in his bed or in the carpet around it (since he just had a bath).

You don't have a cat or cats coming into and out of your house, right?


Also, how often can I bathe him? The flea threads said bathing is good for allergies. Once a week too much?

Bathing is soothing. Also, done properly (keeping fleas from going up the neck onto the head, and not in a rush, so the ones on the body drown), it kills fleas. It's important to use a shampoo made for dogs. (Dogs have a different skin pH, and frequent bathing and/or prolonged sitting in the bath with the wrong shampoo can damage the mantle, which is the secreted protective fluid layer over the epidermis. This affects the barrier task of the skin.)

Don't be surprised if the dog shampoo lathers less. They do lather less.

I don't use so-called flea shampoos because they're toxic enough to easily damage the mantle (and worse).

During a flea battle, or with my allergic (atopic) dog, yes, I do bathe once a week sometimes.

(The dog with atopy is plain-water rinsed often, though, in his bad seasons.)

Oh blarg. Sorry about the link. Trying to fix it, but it appears Google may have changed up their permissions. Either way, I will repost somewhere public later tonight.

yes, I cleansed the entire sleeping room and both dog's beds/crates yesterday. But will do it again. Fleas are goin' down!

Cat-free house. No dog door. Inside dogs except when walks or potty or training.

I sadly used herbal shermal non-everything human shampoo. I think I've got some dog shampoo enroute, but I was noticing some on Leerburg today as well.

Fenris' itchfest

Hoping this will work. the link has the authkey in it that I think it needs. If it fails, totally delete this.

Edited by Jessica Walsh (06/08/2013 06:20 PM)
Edit reason: typo