flea collars and itching

pebblesmom · Member Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 30

I put flea collers on my dogs yesterday, and last night through this morning I swear they are scratching and biting more than before! Any idea why this would be? My husband claims it's because the fleas are on the 'run' and will be gone soon??
There is no irritation from the collars and definately less fleas on the body but still scratching, scratching..??

Mary_NH · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:00 pm Post subject:

could be the insecticide in the collars.
They are useless BTW. They only work on the neck area. The fleas can run down the dog's back and be quite happy.
You are better off using something like Frontline or Advantage.
It's quite possible you don't see any signs of an allergic reaction right now but you could soon.
Imagine having that much insecticide around your face 24/7!! Yuck
I'd ditch them and buy something effective from the vet

coppersmom · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:55 pm Post subject:

Ditto to what Mary said. I'd only put them in the vacuum bag if my house became infested. Not on the dogs though.

Ehilse · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:22 pm Post subject:

I had the same reaction with my dog, get some flea wash from your vet, but remember to clean bedding or carpets if they go inside, otherwise they will keep getting them. Good luck

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

I found this link and thought i would share, Its a herbal way of killing fleas scroll down to flea's and will give you some things to try.

I always feed garlic in my dogs food, I have never had a flea problem none of my dogs have ever had fleas, garlic is a good parasite killer.

People always think garlic is toxic to dogs and this is true but for it to become toxic a dog needs to consume 15kg of raw garlic in one go or over a couple of days, no dog ever consumes that much garlic...

http://eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm

Mike

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

It's probably the poison in the flea collar making them itch. Not only that, but when you pet the dog (or your children pet the dog), you now have that junk on your hands. Icky.

pebblesmom · Member Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 30

thanks for the replies! I took the collar off of the dog that had the itchy, scratchy problem and she stopped. I usually use Advantage, but didn't have the money for it this month so I thought I'd try the collar. We'll be getting some advantage tomorrow! I'm also going to check out the link on the natural ways to get rid of the fleas..I've heard of using the garlic before, but never tried it...I think I will now though! Thanks all

DeLaUK · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:23 pm Post subject:

Ditto to what a few have said about the flea collars, they just chase the fleas to the other end, plus could be having a reaction to the insecticide on them.

I did a little experiment with the garlic tablets, use them for about 6 months on my dog, she was generally healthy post 6 months but was still loaded with ticks and fleas, one dose of Frontline amonth after stopping the garlic tabs and they are all gone.

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

If the dogs actually have fleas, you might want to try food grade diatomaceous earth. You just take the dogs outside and rub it into their coats, being careful to not breathe it in or let them breathe it in. You can also rub it into your carpet and their beds and wherever else they spend time, and then vacuum it up.

There are also some natural shampoos you can use to get rid of fleas.

Best thing to do with that flea collar is to put it in your vacuum cleaner bag so if there are fleas in your house, they will be killed in the vacuum bag.

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

Garlic won't make existing fleas go away, but can help to prevent them from infesting the dog to begin with. Some say it doesn't work; others swear by it. It also depends on the overall health of the dog - the prevailing idea is that if the dog is very healthy with a strong immune system, fleas will not be attracted to him. Many people who feed raw food and minimize vaccines and other chemicals say their dogs rarely - if ever - get fleas.

Shineillusion · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 11:45 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't put a flea collar in the vacuum cleaner bag. Every time you vacuum you're exhausting pesticide into the air, and you and your pets will be breathing it. If you have a pet that's itching from wearing the flea collar, it'll probably also itch from breathing the pesticide.

A better way to deal with the vacuum cleaner bag would be to dust your carpet with borax (the laundry additive) and vacuum. Borax is a drying agent, and it will kill fleas, larvea and eggs in the carpet and the bag.

The best thing, however is to vacuum and empty (if you don't have a disposable bag) or throw the bag out.