Red Spots

[Kimberly Lyons]

Hi all, Charlie is my Sibe/Cocker mix, he is a little taller than a cocker and a little shorter than a sibe, He has the Sibe markings in a light tan and white, so as you can imagine, he attracks fleas. They drive him crazy and all the flea medicines we have tried only have moderate sucsess. I shaved his belly and the inside of his legs because the fleas tend to congregate there and all around his tail.

I rubbed this reddend area down with water after I shave him and when all the excess fur was gone, I noticed a lot of little red bumbs and serval small areas with scabs on him. Should I just shave him all over and continue to clean him until they(the scabs and fleas) are gone? On the base of his tail it is very nasty, very scaby and very red. He doesnt have any allergies to his food, because Ive done the elimination diet and now that the fleas arent eating his belly he is leaving that area alone so I hope it will heal. He is sensitive when I touch him even gentally on his hind end.

Please get back to me ASAP!

[Amber]

I'm not sure what you should do for that...I will get your post to my groomer tomorrow, as I volunteer for her and will see her first thing in the morning. However, I do have to tell you that as someone who works with a groomer, I have picked up a "groomer's hint." Dawn dish detergent kills fleas if you bathe your dog with it. Leave the Dawn on the dog for a few minutes and then rinse off and no more fleas. Depending on how bad the fleas are, you may have to rinse and repeat, but IT WORKS! I bathe Precious and Sally in Dawn a few times a year just to make sure, even though their Frontline Plus and Advange work for them wonderfully. Just make sure you don't get it in your dog's ears or eyes. Dogs usually close their eyes when they feel water and shampoo running to them, but in any case...just watch out.

[TimberWolf]

I would not recommend shaving him. But he does need something to soothe his red areas. Shaving can cause more troubles since the coat is also meant for insulation and protection. They can get sun burned since their skin is very sensative. Also I had been warned many times when asking about shaving my dog (which I never intended to do fully. I wanted to have her coat shorter so I can see where the staph was). Vets and groomers both have told me if I were to shave her down too much her fur may not grow back. If it does it also could grow back differently or not as much. She's a slow grower, but my dog did grow her hair back in full and no difference from before. I was lucky but not all dogs will grow their fur back. Anyhow, my guess is those red spots not true hot spots but flea bites and areas where he scratched. He needs a fea bath. You can also take him to a groomer or vet and ask them to give him a dip. Also bathe him with a soothing shampoo untill spots are cleared. Keep him from scratching too much or more scabs will form and that can get more irritating to him. Dawn may be nice. gell like stuff always feels good. I had not heard of dawn killing fleas but every groomer has learned things through exprerience and I just happened to not hav heard about that. Sounds good though. I agree with Amber, be careful around the eyes. All soaps can sting the eyes. However I don't know if Dawn will sting open wounds so if you aren't sure wait until any open ones are closed.

Meanwhile, lets see what Amber's groomer says and I might suggest you ask your vet what to do about making Charlie more comfortable while he heals. You may also think about asking in the holistic health forum if any of the professionals in that forum has any advice.

[Amber]

Sorry it's taken so long, but the past couple of days have been hectic at the shelter!

This is what my groomer said:

"Charlie has flea dermatitis, which is an allergy to flea bites. He will heal completely when the fleas are gone. There are several spray products on the market to ease the pain and itch of this condition. Frontline Plus is very effective...Advantag e is also very good. Because of his allergy or reaction to the bites, I suggest you use something like "Over and Out" in the yard to kill fleas there and possibley bomb the house. Brewers Yeast with Garlic is another way to help keep the fleas away. Another way is "Cedarcide". This can be found at www.cedarcide.com and is a natural, non-harmful product to dogs. Fleas do not like the smell."

She does say that the Cedarcide is harmful to birds, so if you have birds I would suggest you not use this product. Also, depending on where you live, you can also try Frontline instead of Frontline Plus. We live in Louisiana and the regular Frontline just does NOT work down here so we have to use Frontline Plus. She also agrees with not shaving Charlie until everything heals up.

I hope this helps.

[Kimberly Lyons]

I have an area in my bedroom that is sectioned off as a whelping area, after this last female has her litter she will be spayed so would spreading cedar chips and making it an area for all the dogs to sleep (it is 4X4X5) help cut down on the fleas?

[Amber]

Cedarcide is cedar granules, so I'm assuming cedar chips would do the same. I would see what others have to say though.

[Lesly Stevens]

Kimberly, what kind of flea products are you using? Flea dips are harsh and unnecessary poison, flea collars are worthless.

I live in Florida, where fleas are a real problem, and my dogs and cats have rarely had fleas. When they have been exposed by other dogs, I've used Advantage, a topical gel that you put on the dog between the shoulders, in the middle of the back, and at the base of the tail. It's very effective.

If the dog is heavily infested (and from what you've said, it sounds like Charlie is) you're going to have to use a flea comb to get rid of fleas and flea grit, or at the very least, bathe the dog in Ivory dish soap, let the lather sit on the dog for a few minutes, then rinse out and dry. Put some Witch Hazel on reddened skin and bites to soothe. When skin is dry, you can also apply a cortizone cream to stop the itching, and help the inflammation. The red skin and scabs may be from flea bites and scratching (he may also be allergic to fleas), or from shaving too close or with a dull blade, or a combination of both. Using plain water to rub after shaving isn't going to help Charlie at all, unfortunately. Shaving the belly and inside of the legs because the fleas tend to congregate there isn't going to solve the flea problem. Fleas are after blood, so fur or bare skin makes no difference. You have to eliminate the fleas - on him, in your house, and in your yard.

Then, you have to ensure that the dog's bedding is laundered, and vacuum your home thoroughly, throwing the bag out immediately. I used powdered borax to sprinkle on carpeting and around baseboards (dries out flea eggs, so no fleas).

Poor Charlie, we're sending Poodle hugs and kisses and our best wishes he's flea free and feeling better soon!

Lesly, Maddy, & Bo


Hi all, Charlie is my Sibe/Cocker mix, he is a little taller than a cocker and a little shorter than a sibe, He has the Sibe markings in a light tan and white, so as you can imagine, he attracks fleas. They drive him crazy and all the flea medicines we have tried only have moderate sucsess. I shaved his belly and the inside of his legs because the fleas tend to congregate there and all around his tail.

I rubbed this reddend area down with water after I shave him and when all the excess fur was gone, I noticed a lot of little red bumbs and serval small areas with scabs on him. Should I just shave him all over and continue to clean him until they(the scabs and fleas) are gone? On the base of his tail it is very nasty, very scaby and very red. He doesnt have any allergies to his food, because Ive done the elimination diet and now that the fleas arent eating his belly he is leaving that area alone so I hope it will heal. He is sensitive when I touch him even gentally on his hind end.

Please get back to me ASAP!

[Lesly Stevens]

Kimberly, what kind of flea products are you using? Flea dips are harsh and unnecessary poison, flea collars are worthless.

I live in Florida, where fleas are a real problem, and my dogs and cats have rarely had fleas. When they have been exposed by other dogs, I've used Advantage, a topical gel that you put on the dog between the shoulders, in the middle of the back, and at the base of the tail. It's very effective.

If the dog is heavily infested (and from what you've said, it sounds like Charlie is) you're going to have to use a flea comb to get rid of fleas and flea grit, or at the very least, bathe the dog in Ivory dish soap, let the lather sit on the dog for a few minutes, then rinse out and dry. Then aply the Advantage (Do not bathe again for a week, and only withe a non-detergent based shampoo). Put some Witch Hazel on reddened skin and bites to soothe. When skin is dry, you can also apply a cortizone cream to stop the itching, and help the inflammation. The red skin and scabs may be from flea bites and scratching (he may also be allergic to fleas), or from shaving too close or with a dull blade, or a combination of both. Using plain water to rub after shaving isn't going to help Charlie at all, unfortunately. Shaving the belly and inside of the legs because the fleas tend to congregate there isn't going to solve the flea problem. Fleas are after blood, so fur or bare skin makes no difference. You have to eliminate the fleas - on him, in your house, and in your yard.

Then, you have to ensure that the dog's bedding is laundered, and vacuum your home thoroughly, throwing the bag out immediately. I used powdered borax to sprinkle on carpeting and around baseboards (dries out flea eggs, so no fleas).

Poor Charlie, we're sending Poodle hugs and kisses and our best wishes he's flea free and feeling better soon!

Lesly, Maddy, & Bo

[Kimberly Lyons]

I put FrontlinePlus on him, which has curbed the fleas, I washed all the blankets and things before and after I put the medicine on him and it has made a good deal of diffrence, he isnt scratching all the time and he it largely ignoring the red and scabby spots.

[Amber]

Just curious, why do you say Ivory dish soap. From what I've heard, Ivory doesn't kill fleas, it's Dawn dish soap. Also, you have to wait two days between batheing your dog and applying your flea treatment. That's what it says on the package and that's what we advise people at our shelter...why do you say a week? Just wondering.

[Amber]

I'm glad Charlie's doing better, Kimberly!

[Lesly Stevens]

Why Ivory? Why Dawn? LOL! Because Ivory works, just like Dawn does. So does Shaklee's Basic H, or so I'm told! For many years I was a volunteer foster home, and member of Friends of Strays, Inc., and Ivory was what we used instead of harsh chemical dips, because it was mild, and could be used on newborn kittens and puppies.

Oops, you're correct about waiting to apply Advantage after a bath! (It's no excuse, but I've only had to resort to using Advantage twice, and that was so long ago, I forgot! Hopefully, directions on the package would be read prior to use!) The first time I used Advantage, my vet's office said to wait a week before shampooing, I believe because they'd found better results (with Advantage) for on-going effect, and that shampoo should be non-detergent based (and they were aware that I bathe my Poodles once a week).



Just curious, why do you say Ivory dish soap. From what I've heard, Ivory doesn't kill fleas, it's Dawn dish soap. Also, you have to wait two days between batheing your dog and applying your flea treatment. That's what it says on the package and that's what we advise people at our shelter...why do you say a week? Just wondering.

[Amber]

Just never heard of Ivory working for fleas, that's all.