Urgent - child’s skin irritated/bleeding from flea bites

[Cocacolathanks]

Hey everyone,

Hope everyone is enjoying Christmas! Just a quick question for anyone with pets or experience with flea bites on kid’s skin.

My nephew (I just found out today) has been badly bitten on his bum/back by the cat’s fleas. The cat has been given to a shelter (the family was not really in a state to care for it properly so thankfully they agreed to rehome it, much better for the cat too) but the house has not been professionally treated.

My nephew’s skin is badly irritated. Scabs, open bleeding scabs, itchiness and dry patches. I’ve advised them to contact a GP immediately of course.

However, does anyone have any experience that could help? I was going to suggest camomile for the itchiness but don’t want to risk further issues.

Also, the house definitely needs pest control, doesn’t it?

Hoping someone can offer some advice! I’ve also rung up the local pharmacy, just waiting for them to ring back.

Thank you and merry Christmas

I'd use an antihistamine cream on them

He needs a dose of piriton to start with. If it's that bad it needs looking at by a pharmacist or GP.

For the house they need a couple of cans of Indorex (available on Amazon) it works very well but you have to be very thorough with it.

If they have it in the house, also try sudacream, plus antihistamine.

Piriton and get to the pharmacy

@doctorhamster have you tried/tested Indorex? I’ve seen SO many options on Amazon so I just don’t know which to buy and what would actually work!

He’s had Piriton and a light anti-allergy lotion also helped the first day but now it’s been useless. Epaderm I think it was?

The pharmacist has said use Sudocream for a few days but we haven’t gotten through to a GP yet

Indorex is the very best one on the market. I've used it a couple of times and it completely cleared them.

Indorex is perfectly effective to control fleas in the house. Fleas live in soft fabrics and places like skirtings. I would follow the instructions carefully and not skimp.
They also need to dispose of or hot wash any pet bedding.

E45 anti itch cream is good. Not sure if it's available over the counter though. Defo piriton.

Antihistamine and a cream from the pharmacy, there will be one open today.

You can get a spray from the vet, it's expensive but does the trick. YOu need to spray every hard surface.

How old is DN? Cat fleas die from drinking human blood, he might like that idea.

Hi, has this been going on a while? If.so it.might not be urgent and you can wait a few days before needing a doctor etc.

Firstly do what others have said and treat with Piriton and soothing cream.

Then hoover everywhere and empty the hoover into the bin outside. It won't kill the eggs but will get the fleas away to stop more bites.

Hoover again tonight and in the morning. Make sure you use tools to go down cracks in the sofa etc

Order the flea spray/bombs on amazon to treat the house so they arrive ASAP.

Keep hoovering and treating your nephew with creams.

Good luck

Dermal cream is antimicrobial, you can get it from the pharmacist and it should help with any further infection - we use it for bleeding eczema

anti histamines, if it is itchy use calamine or sudocrem would work but could be messy

Sounds like the fleas are in the carpet. I feel sorry for the cat.

[quote Cocacolathanks]@doctorhamster have you tried/tested Indorex? I’ve seen SO many options on Amazon so I just don’t know which to buy and what would actually work![/quote]
It's good stuff. I use it every six months or so to do the house.

Yes Indorex is good stuff and I've used it successfully.

Are you certain it’s flea bites? Do you know if the child is generally taken care of and living in a clean house?

Indorex is the best thing we’ve bought. Our vets recommend it too.

The treatment will only really help if the fleas disappear too, so whatever works for him (I can't recommend) the cause needs to be treated too.

It's impossible to hoover too much. Twice a day ideally, carpets, cracks in floors, by skirting boards, but also in the carcasses of the sofa, chairs, mattresses. And get some sort of flea killing spray as well.

The sprays work in different ways, not all kill the fleas before they've moved out if egg form. The hoover noise/vibration can trick them into hatching so aside from sucking the fuckers up, it can increase hatching and the pray then kills them.

The hoover bag needs to be removed each time (to stop fleas hatching in the bag!) and done outside ideally.

It's a very time consuming job. But if this kid is suffering so much it really has to be done urgently. I'm not sure if this is too much for the family as you said they couldn't cope with the cat (and this is more work than keeping a cat), but it's short term. Creams can help alleviate itching but they won't stop him being bitten.

Indorex or Acclaim, both will give 6 months protection killing any fleas that hatch.

It does HAVE to be applied properly, all around the edges of the carpet, any crevices in hard floors, skirting boards, cushions off the sofa and down under where the cushions sit, mattresses, under beds, under sofas etc. If it can't go on a hot wash, it needs indorex/acclaim.

There is some risk that children can pick up tapeworms from cat fleas, its low but its a bigger risk in kids than adults so thats something to be aware of particularly if the infestation is longstanding/heavy (which it sounds like it definitely is).

Sudocrem is excellent for itchy bites. Hydrocortisone is also very good, but use very sparingly and not on broken skin or the face. If he needs a quick fix today, freeze a cold wet facecloth or towel and put it on them. Definitely get vacuuming the house until you can buy treatments to fumigate.

Indorex is brilliant.

All the advice here is good - antihistamines and a cream like aqueous calamine if available, will both help the itching. Soft cotton clothing to stop any additional irritation. Flea treat the house ASAP - order off Amazon or get to Pets at Home or Wilkinson tomorrow. In the meantime hoover frequently, emptying the bag or whatever outside in between times. Hope the little one feels better soon.

Unusual places for flea bites. I wonder if it could be something else like bed bugs rather than fleas

Could it be bed bugs or scabies?