Red Spots

[Kimberly Lyons]

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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.

In Dog Grooming they recommended that I not shave him, so I wont, I looked at the infection today and it is very... the only way I can describe it is watery. It is warm to the touch but that could be just his normal temp. Anything anybody can rec. would be helpful. I dont want to have to bathe him everyday.

[heathea]

A lot of people don't like to do this but I have had really good luck using frontline from the vet. It is a pesticide however when I used to live in a flea and tick infested environment it kept me sane.
If your pup has a severe flea infestation it can cause anemia in the dog. I am not one to recommend over treating your pet, however frontline may be needed in your case.

Some people have had good luck with Neem oil. I have never tried it. Good luck.
Heather

[Kendall Aliza]

I live in Florida and the fleas are out here as well!! I too use frontline and it has worked just fine on Shaddy.
I wanted to make sure though that you are not washing him bc it washes off all the medicine.

[Kimberly Lyons]

No I wait the three days before applying the medicine after a bath or three days after applying to give one. I bought some frontline plus so we'll see how that works. Is there any natural remedies I can give to help get rid of the wounds and the itch?

[Jenna Johnson]

You can use Neosporin on the wounds if they're where he can't lick it off. I doubt it owuld hurt him if he did but it's a waste to put it somewhere that he's just going to lick it off of. That should help lots though....

Jenna
visit us at www.scruffyjackbaker y.com

[aussiesmum]

Neosporne and frontline are not holistic alternatives for your problem :( using frontline may just agrivate this problem because it is a chemical that you are putting on your dogs coat.

For fleas, we use neem spray. We don't live in FLA so I don't think Aussie is as likely to get fleas in the first place. We have a neem shampoo and a neem spray (the spray we use almost daily). Other ways to solve fleas are giving your pup a bit of garlic in his food, and I think an apple cider vinegar rinse will make your dog highly unattractive for buggies like fleas.

For the redness, he may be having an alergic reaction to the fleas, so you may want to see your vet about that. However, living in florida I know you have access to an aloe plant, which is a nice thing to try on the rash. You could also try to make a light chamomile tea (cool it off) then rinse the area with it.

Finally, as a general rule a health dog is less prone to attracting fleas.

Please note, this is a holistic forum, so recommending frontline or OTC people medicine is not really the purpose of this forum.

[Jenna Johnson]

Finally, as a general rule a health dog is less prone to attracting fleas.
Please note, this is a holistic forum, so recommending frontline or OTC people medicine is not really the purpose of this forum.


I'm new here but I don't think recommending a topical antibiotic is way out of line. Sure, the aloe would work but I've been using Neosporin on myself, my dogs, cats and farm animals forever and never had a problem with it. It'll help heal faster than aloe will and is less sticky, plus the added bonus of helping to keep the wounds from becoming infected. I'm all for using natural things and not chemicals, which is why I'm here, but I think it's shooting yourself in the foot a bit to not use the best product you can (even if it is "human OTC") to bring relief if it's not a danger. Not all things that are "natural" are safe and not all things that are "human" or "medical" are a danger. It's not like I suggested taking the dog to the vet for a cortizone shot (which is probably what her vet will tell her).

And I'm sure both Kimberly and Kendall's dogs are healthy, well-taken-care-of dogs. I'm sure they wouldn't be here if they weren't. My own dogs get excellent nutrition, lots of exercise and are very healthy. However, as you said, having never lived in the Deep South in the summer I don't think you can truly understand the flea and tick problems associated with living where we do. In this area saying that healthy dogs are less prone to have fleas is like saying that healthy people are less likely to die if stuck outside in a blizzard. That may be true but you stick anyone out in a blizzard for 6 months and you're going to die. Even the most healthy dog is going to get fleas, possibly lots of fleas, if it goes anywhere outside in the south in the summer- and Florida flea season can last 10-11 months, Georgia's where I am is about 5-6 months. Last summer my neighbor's yard was so bad that just walking across the grass you could look down at your pants legs and see dozens of fleas hopping out of the grass onto your legs! He had to use Frontline on his dogs because he couldn't keep the fleas off of them with anything else and his blue heeler even had to have a blood transfusion. Now, that being said, most people do not have a flea problem on that scale and I agree with you on the Frontline. I put up a post a while ago asking for advice on natural flea remedies for my outside dogs because I didn't want to put Frontline on them. (And thank you very much to those who offered advice!) Last year I tried bathing them once a week in eucalyptus shampoo, spraying once or twice a day with eucalyptus spray from the people who made the shampoo, spraying the area they sleep in outside with orange peel extract once a day, and I still had to use Frontline once because Nikki was literally crawling with fleas. I'm going to try the Neem this year and I'll let you guys know....

[aussiesmum]

having never lived in the Deep South in the summer I don't think you can truly understand the flea and tick problems associated with living where we do.

Born and raised in Orlando, spent my adult life in Atlanta, I know the deep south, trust me ;).

My point was not that those treatments dont work, but meerly that this is not the right forum to advocate the use of them.

[Kimberly Lyons]

Thanks for the advice, I did put some neosporin on the worst of the wounds, and I didnt think about it even thought I have used it before of a bite he had on his nose. The fleas just leave little red bumps and spots on him and he aggervates them by biting and licking them. I dont like to use the E-collars because then they bother him and he whimpers.

And the vet did recommend a cortisone shot but I dont like to use anything like that unless it is absolutely nessecary so he escaped with out a shot. I did bathe the area with a little witch hazel and that seemed to help for a little bit, then he tried to lick it so I washed it off with a washcloth.

Do you know where I can pick up so neem oil? How would I apply this to him? should I wash it off or spritz it on with a squirt bottle? There was also an article on the old doggiedoor, about something you can spread in your yard, and for the life of me I cant remember what it was called. Thanks again!

[Jenna Johnson]

Kimberly, I also thought of tea tree oil. My sister uses it a lot on herself and my nieces for an assortment of boo-boos and scratches. I think it stinks to high heaven and I never use it... not sure if your dog will want it on him. I'm afraid mine would run for the hills if I tried to put it on them but that's also an option you can try instead of the neosporin.

[Amber]

Kimberly, I just posted what my groomer said in the other thread. You might want to check it out. It does have holistic AND non-holistic ways to clear Charlie's problem up. I'm sorry, but I'm don't believe that every problem can be cleared up witih JUST holistic methods EVERY time...but that's just me.

[Kimberly Lyons]

Thanks Amber, I posted over there to. Charlie has stopped scratching and the fleas are almost all gone from on him, he stil picks them up in the yard but they die quickly. I did put frontline plus on him and it seems to work. I am putting a little bit of neosporin on the nasty areas twice a day and after a week or so I am going to bathe him with a tea tree oil and aloe vera shampoo for dogs with an allergie like this.