Abbey's Vet Visit

After much work and worry over all this flea treatments and stuff, I had to find an answer.....so I took Abbey to the vet. Abbey is the one dog that gets tons of fleas where Shorty and Prissy only get a small amount. I thought that maybe the vet could give me an idea of what's going on, not to mention that Abbey was scratching and had a raw spot from it all as well. Vet check went great, Abbey's in good shape, no intestinal parasites to worry about but it came down to the "flea" talk. I told her that I had used just about everything to get rid of the fleas and they get right back on her. She gave me 2 options that would work. One was comfortis and the other one was frontline. It was a toss up, but I wanted to try the comfortis. It has to be bought in a 5-month supply and at $85.00, it was alot of money for me to cough up along with the vet bill too, but I went ahead. Comfortis cannot be used on a small dog nor can it be used with dogs prone to seizures so my other 2 chis cannot use it. Comfortis also has to be taken with food so it doesn't upset their stomache too much. Within 30 minutes the fleas started dying and Abbey isn't itching anymore. Now, I still have to deal with Shorty and Prissy and the fleas but it seems that since I treated my yard and the house, they are not having any at this time. Wow, that's such a relief! But I think that I will keep a good eye on things just to be sure! Has anyone else out there used the comfortis with good luck? Remember, comfortis cannot be used on small dogs that are prone to seizures!

Chihuahua Seizures, Flea Treatments

Let me just begin this post by saying that chihuahuas are prone to having seizures at times, especially if they are on the small side, however, I have to tell you what I have discovered, at least about my own chis. My Shorty is about 2 pounds and as in some of my past postings, I have reported him having seizures. Well, I used to use that spot on treatment for fleas, and found that it only worked a few weeks, which was very expensive for me.. I also noticed that since I stopped the spot on treatment, he has NOT had any more seizures so now I am wondering if that was the cause of his. Yes, I do have to battle fleas and I think I have found that food grade Diamitous Earth works, just as a combo of salt/baking soda on the carpets swept in. That also includes treating the yard for fleas off of other animals who pass through. Do I dare wonder if the spot on treatments ( I have used several of them) could have contributed to the seizures? I have done some reading on the internet and I hear alot of nasty things. What do you think? Do you have an opinion on this subject? If so, I would love to hear it.

Shorty's Visitor

Shorty sure had a wild and crazy weekend....he is normally not used to being picked up by a child, but my granddaughter thought that he was supposed to be in her arms the entire weekend. Shorty didn't give too much opposition to being carried, even laid on his back. What a great dog! Chihuahuas really aren't much into children and usually pick one member out of the family to bond the most with, and in our family's case, they usually stick to me but like the rest of the family too.... My granddaughter hasn't been to visit for about 7 months since they live out of state, but the dogs did wonderfully! Now, just watch a cat or a strange person walk around outside where they can see them through the glass door and they will bark of holy terror! Crazy dogs!

Finally Getting Ahead Of Fleas

After searching for something that will finally kill the flea cycle, I think that I have finally found the answer. Believe me, I have tried the salt/baking soda mix, which does help some, spot on treatments that don't last but 2 weeks and are very costly, not to mention poisonous, flea baths, dips, over the counter holistic sprays that cost the pocketbook but don't really help much, I think that I found the answer I was looking for. It's diamituous earth, but it's the food grade one. I looked all over for it, and found it in my local feed store. It's safe, non poisonous and it's not a chemical....but it's starting to work. Nothing works immediately and this also takes a little bit of time but I am actually seeing some progress. My dogs are not itching so bad and I am not seeing fleas on them like before. I sprinkled some around the baseboards, under the dog beds, inside the kennel and now have to realize that it's not instantaneous. Fleas have to walk through the DE in order for them to dry up. So, it's another battle of the wait and see...

Brewers Yeast Is Only Momentary

Well, Brewers yeast really did make the fleas jump off of my chis however, it did not keep them away because my dogs eventually shook it off. This morning, I washed my dogs in the dawn dish detergent, ran a flea comb through their fur, vaccumed really well and then I made a mix of half salt, half baking soda and sprinkled it all over the carpet, under the sofa cushions, then broomed it in really good and left it there. I have had it there all day and haven't vaccumed it up yet. I vaccumed all the sofas, washed all the blankets in the front room, mopped all the floors with bleach and cleaned out all the dog kennels and blankies that they sleep with. I pray that this works, but I am told that I must keep after it steady because it doesn't happen over night. Plus, the outside needs to be treated as well...oh joy!

Using Brewers Yeast On Dog's Coats For Fleas

I am so sorry for writing so much about fleas but geez, it really can get annoying trying to find the right method of dealing with them. My chihuahuas are so special to me and I want them to be comfortable. About 3 or 4 days ago, we treated our yard, even though they never touch their feet on the grass, we treated it anyways. I also cleaned the house from top to bottom, washing all the cushion covers, dog blankets and such. We also tried that spot on treatment by adams. Well, that worked,but only for a couple of days. This morning I found more fleas. I got out the brewers yeast, you know, the one that you buy at the health food store (not the bakers yeast) and sprinkled it all over their coats. Those fleas just jumped off of them. Maybe if I continue this, they will be flea-free for awhile. I feed them top quality food, so I don't think it's that. Guess it's another trial and error here to see if it's going to work. Wish me luck!