My kitten has brown specks in fur, scabs, and hair loss. Is it fleas?

some flea treatment just don't work on every cat/flea! I advice waiting at least 10 days and the use a completely different product. Spot ons are usually the best option (revolution/advantage/advocate) make sure it's an appropriate one for kittens and a different main ingredient in it to avoid toxicity. Going to the vet for this will be the best idea. Treatment should be given every month, especially after he start going out if he does. A spray for the house to kill the fleas is very important as well as fleas can survive in carpets for ages.

That's not good at all. Fleas can make Catty very sick, and cause anemia. She has to be treated for it. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30. minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

I can give you a great flea treatment program for Princess. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

I am sorry to hear of the flea issues you are experiencing. That is certainly an unusual response to Capstar and it would be worth reporting this to the veterinarian that you purchased it from. You are right not to put the advantage onto the scabby skin, it could worsen the irritation. A safe way of helping to remove some of the fleas is to give your kitty a bath with blue dawn dishwashing detergent. Whilst it has no protective effects it is safe and gentle to use. Capstar is only one effective for about 24 hours so it may actually have worked, it just isn't helping longer term. Environmental treatment for fleas is always very important too. Wash all of your cat's bedding and any blankets etc that she likes to sleep on. Your own bedding too if she is frequently on your bed. Consider steam cleaning all carpets and rugs in the house, and any fabric furniture too (like couches and chairs). You may need to resort to a 'flea bomb' product or call an exterminator if the problem is not easily controlled. You can also look on your cat's body to see if there is an area of skin that is NOT scabby, where you could maybe apply the advantage instead. The back of the neck is preferred since the cat cannot lick it off, but you can certainly apply it elsewhere if needed.

It could be fleas. If Hailey isn't up to date on her flea treatments, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Best of luck.

What you are describing sounds exactly like flea dirt. What I would recommend is putting a few of them on a wet paper towel and rub them back and forth with your finger or another wet paper towel. If they turn the paper towel brown or red, then they are likely dried blood and flea dirt. If Bailey had fleas when you started Advantage 2 months ago, there were likely still eggs, larvae or pupae in the house that have now hatched into adult fleas and may be biting Bailey resulting in flea poop even though he is on a flea preventative. I am attaching a handout below that includes some information on the flea life cycle. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1575 I hope that makes sense and answers your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

This could be due to different causes such as fleas, an allergy, an infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.