[Layla Stryker]

ABANDON SHIP!

I have a new little kitty. She started out as a foster kitty and I think I may have found the new addition. My cranky old cat Billy actually grooms her.. carries her to her bed.. and so on.

Anyhoo I noticed she was kind of scabby (shes all black, hard to see anything) and I decided to check the scabs near her eyes.

Imagine my surprise when they MOVED.

Shes 9 weeks and just got big enough for flea medicine.. and she had over 150 on her poor little body. They were so dug into her skin we spent over 1.5 hours bathing her with dawn and tweezing them out of her skin.

Then came billys bath(s).. and he had them too! Not nearly as many, but big FAT ones.

Billy has long fur.. and i cant tweeze them out without him throwing a fit, so I just applied a fresh dose of medicine.

Both dogs however.. NADA.
All get the SAME flea medicine on the SAME day each month and they arent due for 3 more days!

What on earth do I do now? I mean I was able to handle when just Billy got fleas.. he was the only animal in the house. Treat him, bomb the house (with him in a local kennel for the day) and BAM.

But with FOUR animals?!

Are there treatments for the yard we can use?
The houses that border our property are ALL foreclosed and lets just say they often let the grass get waist high before cutting it (and there is no way i am push mowing 5 acres!).

I need suggestions pronto! I cant deal with this.. I'm itching just thinking about it!

[BlueDevilGirl84]

There is a product called terro. Most known for the ant baits and gel, but it also comes in a shaker bag in granule form. It's not crazy expensive, at around 7$ a bag. You treat the area with it and lightly water and it lasts a few weeks. It keeps ants, earwigs, roaches, fleas, and all kinds of creepy crawlies

[BlueDevilGirl84]

There is a product called terro. Most known for the ant baits and gel, but it also comes in a shaker bag in granule form. It's not crazy expensive, at around 7$ a bag. You treat the area with it and lightly water and it lasts a few weeks. It keeps ants, earwigs, roaches, fleas, and all kinds of creepy crawlies away. It is VERY effective!

[BlueDevilGirl84]

Sorry for the double/partial post. Using my phone, and accidently hit send To soon! :p

That stuff is sold in the hardware store (Lowes) here in NC and I don't have the bag any more, but I believe that it has a money back guarantee too! (we got it for an ant invasion, and as a precaution against fleas from the fur babies)

[Layla Stryker]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilGirl84

Sorry for the double/partial post. Using my phone, and accidently hit send To soon! :p

That stuff is sold in the hardware store (Lowes) here in NC and I don't have the bag any more, but I believe that it has a money back guarantee too! (we got it for an ant invasion, and as a precaution against fleas from the fur babies)

Its ok I do it too from my phone ALL the time! (I also hate how you can't see reps/thanks on your phone)

We were using the Sevin dust that was left here by BIL (its his house, we rent it from him) but that stuff didnt really seem to work.
We have a minor ant invasion too! They just march on in, I'll find one on my laptop and no others in the house.. then BAM 400 ants and a can of lysol later.. LOL

I just got itty bitty out of her crate shes flea free. Shes bald in a few spots probably from scratching, but I can even see her scabs are healing.
I feel SO bad, I had just assumed the scabs were from Billy playing too rough or carrying her at the neck like a mama cat does.. except Billy is a boy and probably doesnt know what hes doing.

Billy appears flea free and both pups are flea free as well.
They are obviously still in the house, which is next on my list. (Steam cleaning the carpet tomorrow.. its pouring rain right now)

I will get that torro.. the neighbors properties are HORRIBLE.
All owned by bank of america too. One had all the copper stripped.. and the 4 ton a/c unit stolen.. they dont care!

(Her name is Savannah but I call her itty bitty and she currently sleeps in an XXL dog kennel with litter box, bed and food so billy doesnt try to eat her)

[nicb87]

Sorry to hear about the fleas. If you were using Frontline, in recent years I've seen more and more people (including myself) finding that it has lost effectiveness. I switched to Advantage for my cats and it worked much better, though not 100% either

Make sure you vacuum every day and dispose of the bag/contents immediately. It will help cut back on the amount of flea eggs. Wash any clothes/bedclothes/towels/pet beds etc that may have been exposed in very hot water.

Buy diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it around--it is a natural flea/bug killer and has worked very well for me. It is EXTREMELY important that you get the food grade kind. Make sure it explicitly states it is food grade and not for use in pools. The food grade D.E. is safe to use around pets and people, but the kind used for pools, etc is toxic for animals. I bought a bag on Amazon over a year ago for less than $10 (Nature's Wisdom Food Grade D.E. brand) and still have a bit left. It has a chalky consistency so it does track but it helped cut down the flea population in my apartment when the whole building was having flea issues. You can rub a bit of the D.E. directly onto the cats if you want (again--ONLY the food grade kind) but it is very drying so use it sparingly otherwise dry skin and dandruff could occur.

It usually takes a few weeks for the full flea population to die out but if you are diligent, it is easy to control before it gets out of hand. Good luck!

[BlueDevilGirl84]

Another thing, our vet told us that we could bathe our fur babies that weren't old enough for flea meds in blue dawn to Kill the fleas. It works!

[simba123]

I second the recommendation of the diatomaceous earth. I don't like using chemicals on my pets. It also helps eliminate roaches too! And for the ants use cornstarch it works.

[SLance68]

You need to try diatomaceous earth - FOOD GRADE. You Put it in a tube sock and powder the animals (yes all 4) then powder your home - carpet, pet beds, furniture. Then vacuum it up 3 days later and reapply. It will take some time (couple of weeks) but it will get rid of them along with most other bugs. I found it pretty inexpensively on Amazon but you can get it at any local feed store. DO NOT buy it at home depot, lowes or hardware store as there are 2 types and the one that is for pools will kill your animals. Just make sure it say's food grade.

As for Frontline - my Vet doesn't even sell it any longer since it doesn't work. I use Advantage, diatomaceous earth and Adams Flea Shampoo. It works but it takes a little time.

[Layla Stryker]

Yep was using front line.

I found MORE on Billy. He has LONG tummy fur and he wont let me near it.. so they hide there.

He got a buzz cut mostly today. He hissed and clawed.. we got about half of him done. Not the undercarriage though (He needed the buzz anyways he gets SUPER matted in the summer)
Next time I'll pay the vet to do it!

No fleas on itty bitty.
Found one on Pennie (the chi mix dog of mine) and she got a buzz too.

Found NONE on captain jack the pup.. but he too got a buzz. I feel like I sheared a bunch of multi colored sheep!

Before I order.. can I use THIS one from Tractor Supply? Our TS is right down the road.. and I dont want to wait for amazon. If not Ill order the DE from there.
I've read about DE.. sigh.

I just bought Bayer 2 for cats for the kittehs, and I will buy some for the dogs.
The hardest part.. is the fleas dont seem to be dying AT ALL. They are still big FAT fleas!!

To compound the problem.. BIL and his wife are coming today (wednesday) to get their stuff from the house.. probably will be here all day. (We rent from them, they own it but live in another state now)

There are boxes EVERYWHERE. We cant vacuum, steam or ANYTHING until everything is moved out.

I intend to attack the carpets with steam.. DE and fog the ever living life out of these things!
They will NOT win!

Attached.. pre shaved billy and post shaved billy. I think I cried harder than he did!

[Huntinglabmom05]

That is the correct DE! Use it for your chickens as well They love it! Keeps the mites off of them.

[nicb87]

Before I order.. can I use THIS one from Tractor Supply?

It looks like that one is food grade but before you buy it, just call them and ask. Some of the reviews mention using on animals so it should be the type you want but double check!

Make sure you let your BIL know about the fleas if he is moving stuff out of the house. There is always a chance that a flea could hitch a ride :-/

Poor Billy! The 'after' picture is too funny

[Layla Stryker]

Originally Posted by nicb87

It looks like that one is food grade but before you buy it, just call them and ask. Some of the reviews mention using on animals so it should be the type you want but double check!

Make sure you let your BIL know about the fleas if he is moving stuff out of the house. There is always a chance that a flea could hitch a ride :-/

Poor Billy! The 'after' picture is too funny

The odd part. .. billy doesn't even seem to care. Every time i see him I tear up!
I left him some dignity with the head fur

They didn't even call us today much less show up.. they are SOL. we won't be here tomorrow so they can either wait until friday or go home.

I'm irked by that. . Not a text. . Not a call. . NOthing.

I'm going to stop by TS and ask here in a few. . I have to get itty bitty a new shot anyways.

I hope this stuff works!

[SLance68]

You can get it there but get a smaller package if possible. I got a 10 lb box and it is a very fine powder so a little goes a long way.

[Layla Stryker]

Originally Posted by SLance68

You need to try diatomaceous earth - FOOD GRADE. You Put it in a tube sock and powder the animals (yes all 4) then powder your home - carpet, pet beds, furniture. Then vacuum it up 3 days later and reapply. It will take some time (couple of weeks) but it will get rid of them along with most other bugs. I found it pretty inexpensively on Amazon but you can get it at any local feed store. DO NOT buy it at home depot, lowes or hardware store as there are 2 types and the one that is for pools will kill your animals. Just make sure it say's food grade.

As for Frontline - my Vet doesn't even sell it any longer since it doesn't work. I use Advantage, diatomaceous earth and Adams Flea Shampoo. It works but it takes a little time.

Well I just powdered the animals with a tube sock full of de.
20lb bag of food grade de for 12 $. Sprinkled most of the house and will finish tomorrow.

I actually caught a flea and trapped it in a tupperware with a bit of de. An experiment if you will.

Gotta do the yard too.

Let's hope it works. I did a capstar for all four too.

New advantage on Friday. :/

I'm kinda worried it may harm billy. He's trying to groom it all off alReady!

He's my furry child.

Fingers crossed!

[CarrieM]

As long as it's food grade DE, it shouldn't harm your pets. I know several people (myself included) who use DE in their animals feed and also dust the animal with it to help control parasites (including internal parasites).

[NoLifeGamers]

I use DE and Dawn Baths to control the fleas here but I have done 6 dawn baths and washed and vacummed and froze everything in the house and still my beagle is itching. Looks like a vet trip is in order.

[rachelxoxo]

Originally Posted by NoLifeGamers

I use DE and Dawn Baths to control the fleas here but I have done 6 dawn baths and washed and vacummed and froze everything in the house and still my beagle is itching. Looks like a vet trip is in order.

Try seresto! It's an eight month long flea collar from bayer. It's new!

[Goddessoflubbock]

I add apple cider vinegar to my dogs shampoo, and put a few drops in his water bowl. It's kept fleas at bay so far!

[Layla Stryker]

We ended up bombing the house after itty bitty died, and everyone hit comfortis.
It worked but at 100&$ a month absolutely not!

I'm going to try serresto on the cat at least. The dogs do well with advantage 2 it seems

[daisybelle]

We had an awful time with fleas here on the cats. I wasted all kinds of money on Frontline. I switched to Advantage Multi, and the fleas were gone pronto!!

[juneannloves2shop]

there is a pill cats can take that dogs take called Comfortis, I started using it because Frontline was not working and was burning my dogs skin.

My dog seems to get severe skin irritation from the fleas, the comfortis seems to have helped quite a bit.

I have also heard Cedar works, it is the kind you get in a natural health store, in a little bottle sprinkle some on the carpets and a bit on the cats seems to work too..if the cat is indoor only works good