Help identifying what is biting my dd!

[melissasummerfield]

My DD consistently has these bites - the rest of us do not get them and i literally cannot figure out what is going on.

i have absolutely gutted her bedroom, just incase there is something in there, have googled all of the usual things and there is no evidence of bugs that the internet says would be there i.e black flecks or blood if it was bedbugs.

we are generally a very clean household, regularly cleaning all of the house etc.

we do have a cat , but no sign of fleas and presumably we would all be getting bitten if it was that?

if anyone can help me figure out what is biting that would be amazing thank you..

They don't look like flea bites....I googled 'pale bites on humans' and this came up:

White bites on the skin are often swollen, itchy bumps from common insects like mosquitoes, midges, or mites, appearing white (especially at the peak) or reddish, sometimes with fluid-filled blisters, and can result from mild allergic reactions, but also could be bed bug bites or other skin issues like eczema or scabies. Treatment involves cool compresses, antihistamines, hydrocortisone cream, and keeping the area clean to prevent infection, while persistent or severe reactions may need a doctor.

Does she have allergies? Perhaps try her on some antihistamines?
Alternatively, has she stayed in a hotel/been abroad recently....could it be bed bugs?

Someone I knew had what they thought were bites on their lower legs. Got their office fumigated in the belief it must have been fleas but the bites kept happening.

They then went to GP and discovered it was some kind of skin infection. Unfortunately I don't remember exactly what, but they were prescribed something and it resolved.

I wouldn't rule out fleas especially if its mostly on ankles though. Bed bugs bite in clusters of 3 so that could fit too. Also, we had fleas once and I was the only one bitten weirdly. Have U checked for bed bugs in seams of mattress with a light?

I was only one getting bitten from cat fleas to any extent though it was mainly ankles with occaional arms.

Anthisan Bite & Sting Cream Relief is good for bites.

I've had bites like that from mosquitoes and midges - but I can't say for sure that what it would be for your DD.

The appearance of the bite comes from your body's reaction to the allergen. You can't usually diagnose the biter by the look of the bite. And with fleas (maybe bedbugs too, I'm not sure) only some people react to them while others in the household are unaffected. They are still getting bitten.

I reckon fleas are most likely and the rest of you just don't react to them, but it's worth a GP visit if the usual flea treatments, Indorex etc don't work. Consider getting professionals in. I don't know what they cost these days but they usually guarantee their work and will return for free if it doesn't work, and cans of Indorex at £30 each mount up fast if you are treating and re-treating multiple rooms.

Thanks for all the replies, she does get the bites all over her body, she currently has these lower leg ones and then some on hip, back and neck…

I will get a gp appointment to rule out a skin condition, but I do think it’s bites..

we have all the itch relief creams and I do give her benedryl when they are unbearably itchy… I just feel really sorry for her she is only 8 and it makes her so miserable!

yes I literally went over the whole mattress, bed frame with a fine tooth comb again yesterday, nothing at all that suggests bugs of any kind 😕

If it's fleas it could be on the sofa or even in the dining room though, not in her bedroom.

Allergy to carpet beetle larvae hair. Google it.

Fleas. I was the only one in my house getting bitten. We didn’t even have a cat anymore, she’d sadly passed away three months prior and had been a house cat! The guy who came to fumigate said if we had a cat, it will have been that, no matter how unlikely it seemed.
i only ever saw two of the fleas, once the house had been fumigated I even found a dead one in our wardrobe so they must have been in my clothes :-(
I had to wash every item of clothing in my house to get rid of them
good luck! It’s so infuriating

What are you using to prevent fleas on the cat?

It could be bird mites. Does her bedroom have a window or do any of the windows in your house have birds nests in the gutters? Has she (or anyone else) had any contact with chickens etc? Does your cat go outside and catch birds?

They very frequently will only bite the member of the household with the weakest immune system. We had them and I was the only one who got bitten. They are absolutely tiny, smaller than a speck of dust but I managed to catch one on me and get it identified by a lab - so worth having a good look around her skin or asking her if she can feel anything moving on her (even very lightly). You don't feel them bite and they are most active at night - is she waking up in the morning with more bites? Getting rid of them is an absolute nightmare so I hope it's not that but definitely something to investigate once the usual suspects have been ruled out.

It'll be fleas.is the cat treated and have you sprayed the house with flea spray? Some people don't get bitten when other members of the family do.

Frontline plus monthly treatment that is vet prescribed..

Ask the vet for Bravecto,it's a spot on given every 3 months and spray the house with Indorex.

Crikey yes we have a lot of wild birds that live on our property , and unfortunately our cat does frequently kill and bring birds in..

Bedbugs can also live inside power sockets, bedside table, the seams of curtains, the gap between skirting board and wall, inside a wardrobe.

Bites are usually the first sign of them.

I think these are either fleas or bedbugs, and she definitely is reacting to the bites.

A lot of fleas are resistant to frontline. Have you checked the cat and where the cat sleeps?
https://furric.com/are-fleas-immune-to-frontline/

might want to switch to a different flea treatment,

Frontline is rubbish.

Ah rubbish - it could be bird mites than bed bugs, especially as the bites aren't in straight lines (the bedbug classic), and I think you'd have found a flea by now, assuming you've inspected the cat. The mites live in disused nests and there are different kinds for chickens and then nests of wild birds. I don't know if they're also on the birds your cat is bringing in (maybe it can become an indoor cat after this) but it seems possible.

The bites are really horrible too, I had awful reactions to them even with prescription anti histamines, so can imagine really rubbish for a kid.

If you've ruled out fleas, suggest searching for local pest control that has bird mite experience - to get rid of them you have to a) remove source etc b) professionally fumigate (it's a spray) c) hot wash and tumble dry every single bit of a fabric in the house (you might be able to get away with 'just' doing her room).

Good luck!

Buy some diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it all over the carpets and especially in her room. I think people even put it on the cats but Google it as I can't remember. It shreds the flea exoskeleton
It definitely could be fleas as only some people are allergic to their bites and react
Buy Indorex spray and go nuts with it it's really good
Hydrocortisone on her bites
She's not allergic to the cat maybe ? And showing up as hives ?

One way to see if it's fleas..... get some white socks and walk around. Fleas will jump onto the socks.

The only bedbugs bite in a straight line is a myth
https://www.ridmycritters.com/bed-bug-bites/

Me and my daughter get flea bites, my husband and son don't.

Plates of soapy (dish soap) around her feet. The soap breaks the water tension otherwise they just climb out, she's the bait.

I agree. It gave one of my cats cancer and wasn’t very good at stopping fleas.