itchy tail, does my dog have bug bites or fleas?

Leleanne

My dog keeps gnawing at the base of his tail by his bottom. We checked his fur and couldn't see anything in there. Bug bites are a problem this time of year in Oklahoma because it's humid. At least, we have a ton of them.

My other dog has been scratching a lot too since we moved here. How do you check for fleas? I think they just have bug bites but am worried they got fleas from our patio. We've sprayed it for bugs a few times, but there are always a lot out there especially in the late afternoon. Mosquitos are a problem here as well.

Shineillusion · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:22 am Post subject:

The most common cause of itching at the base of the tail is fleas. Fleas are bugs that bite, so if your dog has fleas, he has bug bites. Dogs don't usually develop the itchy welts from mosquito or gnat bites that humans do.

Some fleas are very tiny and hard to see. And some dogs are really good at catching them and eating them, and that makes them even harder to detect. But you can put down a white sheet, set the dog in the middle of it, and comb him really well, preferable with a flea comb. Examine what the comb pulls out and look for fleas in that. But even if you don't see fleas, check for little crumbly dirt like particles. If you see those, use a damp paper towel to get them wet. If it's plain old dirt, the particles will remain black or brown. If it's flea dirt, they'll leave a red colored stain as they dissolve. That's because flea dirt is digested blood.

If you're still not sure, have a vet or professional groomer check.

Shineillusion · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:22 am Post subject:

The most common cause of itching at the base of the tail is fleas. Fleas are bugs that bite, so if your dog has fleas, he has bug bites. Dogs don't usually develop the itchy welts from mosquito or gnat bites that humans do.

Some fleas are very tiny and hard to see. And some dogs are really good at catching them and eating them, and that makes them even harder to detect. But you can put down a white sheet, set the dog in the middle of it, and comb him really well, preferable with a flea comb. Examine what the comb pulls out and look for fleas in that. But even if you don't see fleas, check for little crumbly dirt like particles. If you see those, use a damp paper towel to get them wet. If it's plain old dirt, the particles will remain black or brown. If it's flea dirt, they'll leave a red colored stain as they dissolve. That's because flea dirt is digested blood.

If you're still not sure, have a vet or professional groomer check.

Leleanne · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 3:11 pm Post subject:

Well, indeed he does have fleas. My husband is off to the store to buy some shampoo for it. We are going to get a thing to bomb our apartment as well and spray the patio. I am so sick of this apartment and all of the bugs that come in. In two week we move into a home with a backyard and that will be so nice.

Thanks for the post! If you have any other suggestions as how to get rid of them let me know. I hope the fleas didn't make my dog sick.

Shineillusion · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:35 pm Post subject:

I think the most serious problem you might run into, healthwise, would be tapeworms. Watch for what looks like bits of rice in his stool and on the hair around his anus.

And keep in mind that one flea bite can make a dog with flea bite allergies itch for three weeks. So you may need to talk to your vet about using something to stop the itch before he get's himself raw and infected.

Now, flea shampoo will kill the fleas that are on him, but new fleas will just jump on in no time. You need a spot on product, like Frontline or Advantage if you want to control the fleas.

To get rid of fleas in your home, first vacuum thoroughly and throw the bag out afterwards. That will get rid of a lot of fleas, and more importantly flea eggs. Then use a spray with an insect growth regulator. Bombs are not as effective as sprays, because they won't penetrate under furniture. You can combine both, but it just seems like an added expense to me.

You can also use borax to get rid of fleas. Sprinkle on carpets. Let it set over night, then vacuum. But you must keep the dogs off the carpets while the borax is on it.

Leleanne · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:31 pm Post subject:

Thank you! We did buy a spray as well as a powder for the carpets. We bathed both of the dogs and they both now have flea collars on. I don't know if those help, but hopefully we can get rid of these things. We sprayed outside as well as inside.

I will keep on the lookout for worms. I didn't know that it could cause those.

Leleanne · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:00 pm Post subject: Found Fleas, now he's sick!

We got rid of the fleas (we think) but now my dog is acting sick. He is very lethargic this morning but was restless all night. He couldn't lay down and sleep yet when we held him and pet him he would sleep. This morning he is very lethargic. He won't drink and hasn't pooped yet so we can't check for worms. We are taking him to the vet ASAP but they are all closed today.

Any suggestions as to what it might be?

DeLaUK · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 6:40 pm Post subject:

I may be over reacting here but Im airing on the side of caution, if your dog was not acting sick before being shampood and having all these flea products on him, around the house, he could be reacting to them, allergic or even overdosing on the products. Sometimes just giving a bath can be enough to really stress a dog out so it could just be that but between the bombs (if youve used them yet), the stuff on the carpets (hes in contact with it if hes walking or on the carpet) and the flea collar itself (personally I dont use flea collars...ever, all they do is chase the fleas to the other end of the dog). Some flea products react to other types....the stuff thats in what you put on the carpets may be reacting to whats on the flea collar.....
I dont know what breed, size or age your dog is but I wouldnt ignore the way he is acting, it may be worth taking him to an emergency vet if he's as bad as you say....and as a precaution take the collar off, and keep him off the carpets, I would possibly even give him another bath just using warm water and making sure the shampoo is thoroughly washed off....but I wouldnt want to stress him any more than he already is....

Keep in mind Im not there...Im just going by what your saying.

Leleanne · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:09 pm Post subject:

I thought about that. We never did use a bomb, just powder on the carpets and we have vaccumed a few times. I think we had better take the flea collar off. He seems a little better now but we still want to take him in. Maybe a bath without shampoo would do him some good.

I am worried about it. He was sick before a few months ago and it just went away. This time we don't want to wait for that.

DeLaUK · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:05 pm Post subject:

Hope hes okay...keep us updated.

Leleanne · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:47 pm Post subject:

He's fine. My vet said he is just stressed because of his drastic change of environment. We are temporarily in an apartment until we close on our house and he is used to a house with a big backyard. The vet said dogs can get stressed out so much that they make themselves sick. She gave him antibiotics and some flea and tick oil for us to put on him. I am just glad he is okay!