Fleas!

[WakeUpFromYourDreamAndScream]

My dog has fleas, took him to the vets yesterday and she gave us some Advocat drops for his neck, i put it on over 24 hours ago but the fleas are still alive. How long does it normally take to work?

It might be new ones jumping on from the carpets, etc in the home and they need contact with the dog to kill them. Have you treated the house too?

I think it's something like 12 to 24 hours to kill them on the dog, but not sure about the fleas that are elsewhere in the house. I've been lucky in that mine never got fleas, but I had a cat that did, and the fleas that fell off took to biting us instead. So we had to treat the house/bedding etc separately. But it needs to be a treatment that doesn't affect the dog. I'm sure other experienced posters will jump in at some point but if not I would phone the vet and ask for advice, if the vet's not available either a nurse or the reception people should be able to advise. I wouldn't dose the dog with anything more until you've spoken to someone 'in the know'.

I also remember one particular flea fest year when friends had an infestation, they had jam jars of hot soapy water, they plucked the fleas off and drowned them in it! Not the greatest long-term solution but does work in a crisis.

You need to apply advocate for at least 3 months to kill the flea cycle. However many you have seen on the dog there will be SO many more in your house (sorry) including eggs which have yet to hatch. Hoover everyday and empty in bin outside to speed things up a little. (The vibrations cause the eggs to hatch). They all need to bite the dog to die so buy Indorex to treat the house too if a big infestation.

Thanks for the replies. The vet never mentioned treating the house as well, he's my first dog so I'm learning as I go really.

Is treating the house vital or would those fleas die if they weren't able to feed on the dog? I can hoover thoroughly and wash his bedding etc but can't afford an expensive home treatment yet until I get paid

I don't think they need to bite for advocate to work but they would need contact with the dog

I appreciate the need to hang on till pay day but wanted to recommend Indorex which you can get pretty cheaply from Amazon. It really is brilliant and I know lots of others are not so good - meaning you would waste money on them.

amazon.co.uk/Virbac-Indorex-Spray-500-ml/dp/B00UJNADKK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526583040&sr=8-3&keywords=indorex+household+flea+spray]]

All that makes me sound like a salesperson. I'm not

From advocate website:

Since only 5% of total fleas actually live on the dog and the rest lives as immature stages in its environment it can take roughly 3 months to eradicate fleas in the home. Due to its high efficacy and its ability to kill fleas without the need for them to bite, advocate®is an excellent choice to control and eliminate fleas from the pet. Furthermore, advocate®also kills flea larvae in the pet‘s immediate surroundings.

And remember you should treat your dog monthly for fleas

Yes I know they need monthly treatment and every pay day I'll call at the vets and get the Advocat.

So @dementedpixie does that mean it'll kill the fleas within my home...?

Thank you for the Indorex link, I'll try and get some of that tomorrow I'll cut back on food shop

It seems to suggest that over the course of 3 months the advocate should kill off fleas in the home as they jump on the dog. Hoovering regularly should help too

Thank you @dementedpixie

Bloody fleas

If money's tight the peak flea season is May to November, tends to be worse in warmer months and if there is a long hot spell. I treat my dogs with Advocate monthly during flea season, but go 6 to 7 weeks in the cold winter months. Haven't had a flea in 12 years. Also some vets have special schemes for flea treatments bundled up with vaccination cost etc and give a discount, some also then allow that to be paid in instalments. So you should check if yours does or alternatively if it's possible to get it cheaper online.