Flea control and scratching.

Question
I've got a 1/2 Chow, 1/2 Black Lab and I've used everything from Sentinel to Avantix to get rid of the fleas on him and no luck with any of them. He's scratched the fur off his read end and looks horrible with the bloody scratches from digging himself. Getting him into a bathtub nearly requires sedation, so I'm really upset what to do to help him.

Answer

flea_lifecycle Well you certainly have one hairy dog! How long was he on Sentinel for? I have been using it for over 15 yrs and I have not one flea on my property nor have I for over 14 yrs. It takes a good year to get rid of the fleas but after that even the ones the wildlife drop don't last long.

My pets are indoor/outdoor so if they were going to get them they would but they are all flea free. You have to use this product for at least 6 months to see a change.

Since your dog can't wait that long the products we recommend the most are from Ovitrol. Ovitrol spray, yard spray and bombs will kill the first three stages of a flea's life cycle, the flea, the eggs and the larvae. You cannot kill the flea in its cocoon so you have to hit them again in two weeks with the knock down spray. Ovitrol is an IGR, or insect growth regulator. It stops fleas in the stages that you have the biggest problem with and cannot even see- in your rugs, floorboards, dog bedding and shady spots in your yard.

You need to call around and find a vet that sells all three of the above, the spray for him, the bombs for the house and the yard spray to kill what's outside. Only then can you get a handle on these fleas.

Believe me, Ovitrol works great! I had clients come back and want to kiss me they were so thrilled. One lumberjack had a dog like yours and had spent over $85 on black flag bombs etc only to have the flea laugh at him. One treatment with three foggers (bombs) and his fleas were gone. He also sprayed the dog and then started him on Sentinel as well.

So get some Ovitrol, spray a rag if he freaks over the spray and really wet it and wipe him down from head to tail tip. The fleas will bite him as they die and he will itch but he will then be much better. Do this outside because the fleas jump off as they are dying as well.

We have used Ovitrol flea spray since 1980 and have the best success with it.

Here is some information for you about the life cycle of the flea and the flea pyramid to show you how the adults are only the tip of the iceberg:

http://www.ah.novartis.com/cab/en/dog_fleas_lifecycle.shtml


I hope this helps and I hope you can find relief for your boy. You might want to ask the vet about getting him on some prednisone for a short while to help with this digging and scratching until he heals from the flea bites.

Good luck and please let me know how he does or if you have any other questions about the products of fleas.

Ovitrol can even be bought on Amazon.com!
http://www.amazon.com/Ovitrol-Plus-Flea-Spray-Trigger/dp/B000EMWMJG

http://www.amazon.com/Siphotrol-Yard-Spray-32-oz/dp/B000KNKHVE/ref=pd_sim_k_3