Safe flea treatment

[Jen]

Hi, anyone recommend a safe flea treatment while being treated for aiha? I’ll call vet tomorrow but wanted to see if there was a consensus of a good, safe treatment here.

Thanks.
Jen

[Tamara]

I don’t know about a consensus, but I can tell you what I’m doing. I flea comb every day, vacuum more frequently, and the holistic pet store near me recommended Pet Cure Plus, it’s a spray that is mineral salts and essential oils. I also rub diatomaceous earth into his beds. This has been working well, I still see a couple fleas but that’s all.

Let us know what you find out!
tamara and ashki

[admin]

Hi Jen
We use Frontline Combo (flea & tick) for our two. I have tried Certifect which has a faster tick kill rate but Ollie was sick (vomiting in the morning) the day after. You cannot use Certifect on Border Collies & some other breeds (details in the leaflet) as it passes through the blood-brain barrier, so for me, Frontline will suffice. It is important to get the Frontline for the country you are living in – e.g. Frontline UK does not kill the type of ticks we have here in France – a common mistake for owners bringing their pets on holiday here – I have to remind holiday folks about this constantly. Permethrin is brilliant – you can get sprays for clothing etc & use a bandana or something similar – read the label thoroughly.

Also, if you have cats in your household, some dog products are dangerous for them but it is clearly marked on the product. I wish there was something herbal or holistic that is effective, but there isn’t according to tick many disease websites. Being a probable victim of AIHA from tick disease, Worzel would like you all to protect your dogs properly from these deadly disease carrying insects. Sadly, that means using a chemical method such as Frontline, Certifect or Permethrin – don’t take the risk, dear friends. Hope this helps!

Love Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxx

[Jen]

I asked the Vet on duty (not my vet) while I was picking up a prescription and she said Frontline or other topical treatments would be safe but not to use any of the pill forms that go through the bloodstream. Maggie had a couple fleas on her after her grooming appointment. I washed her bedding. Then gave her a bath using a solution I saw on pinterest & other websites using 1/2 cup joy lemon scent dish soap, 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water. I haven’t seen any fleas since. I would like to wait to use any additional chemical on her until she’s not on so much medicine.
That brings up another question (sorry so many questions) do you think its safe to groom when their immune systems are being suppressed?

Thanks
Jen & Maggie

[Vally]

Jen, hope the lemon vinegar wash does the trick. How does Maggie cope at the groomers? If she stresses, I’d probably avoid it as much as possible, if she likes it though, then I don’t see that it would be a problem.

Bingo has always been very insecure anywhere outside of the house, so I’ve never taken him to a groomer. I have some clippers and use those myself. It’s usually quite uneven as he gets sick of sitting there for more than 5 minutes and will walk off. So he’s usually done over a few “sessions”. At his worse though, I just used some scissors to quickly trim him so as to not stress him out too much – he’s always been such a drama queen.

Love Vally & Bingo

[Brigitte]

Hi Jen,
I have Standard Poodles so grooming was a big issue. Unfortunately I am not talented enough to do it myself. When my dog was ill i postponed the grooming as long as possible. I cleaned him up as good as I could but after a couple of months there was no avoiding it any longer. I have a great groomer that understood my fears. I was staying with my dog the whole time, I think it was just over an hour. For a 56 pound Standard Poodle this is extremely fast. i think the fact that I was tight there was helpful to everybody. My dog was less stressed and I was even able to hold him up when he got tired. I think after it was done we all felt so much better.
I know that stressing an AIHA dog is not good, but having them unclean is not either.
Good luck and best wishes,
Brigitte & the poodle boys

[admin]

Hi Jen

How is Maggie getting on? I wish I could answer your question, but it is a difficult one. I also hate using chemicals on Mable (who hasn’t had AIHA, but I lost her sister to it). I use Stronghold (Selamectin) which is fabulous but she hates it. I tried Comfortis (tablet) but she vomited, and yes, they say this is normal, but I’m not willing to chance it again.

I wonder if this thread might be useful? https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/forums/topic/routine-parasite-treatment/

People gave me some great suggestions and hopefully it will help.

Mary and Mable x

[Jen]

Thank you all for the information. I read through the posts Mary linked and think I will try the spray for now & hope for the best. She likes going to the groomer but I’ve been thinking of trying one if those mobile units that come to your house ( less interaction with other dogs).
Maggie’s been doing really good. Her RBC holding and a lot of her old personality is showing through granted I n smaller bursts than before, but I am really encouraged. Her vet eliminated the Leflunomide med & she doesn’t have to go back for a month. If everything looks ok then we can start to ween. I’m still a nervous nelly but really thankfully she’s feeling good!
Hope your all doing well!
Jen & Mags