Found a weak, flea-ridden dog. Should I bathe it if it's hurt?

Hi there, it was very nice of you to find this dog and take care of him overnight. I would recommend to call any local emergency veterinary hospital in your area or the local humane society/rescue organizations and let them know you have an injured dog that needs medical attention. Veterinarians can provide care to relieve pain and suffering at no charge. It is our duty as veterinarians to do so for animals. If you are considering keeping him as your pet he needs immediate medical attention as well. He is injured, needs evaluation, and needs medications for his parasites and pain. Best of luck.

Poor Shadow! She is very young to be fully immersed in water, it is incredibly stressful and dangerous for young animals. Moreover, dish soap is very bad for their skin and coat and not even a truly effective way of killing fleas, when the eggs hatch there will be no residual activity. In future it would be much kinder and more effective to buy a spot on flea treatment such as frontline. Now as for why she is so poorly: best case scenario is that she has gotten very cold and stressed and her body is temporarily reacting to it. But on the same hand she may have got water in her lungs ( her lungs are tiny so it doesn't take much) and this will make her incredibly sick and is potentially life threatening. You need to get her to a vet asap because if something serious is going on it needs to be treated quickly. Hopefully it is just that she is in a bit of shock. In the mean time keep her warm and comfortable. In future if you need any advice regarding pet care please ask your vet or ask us, we will always help. Best of luck.

This poor puppy! I would take him into your local SPCA. They can treat his fleas, take him into a vet for care, and can find a home for him when he's healthy. You can also see if there is a local dog rescue in your area to help you. I hope this helps!

The blood is probably from the dead fleas. I would not be overly worried about it. You just really need to get him on a high quality prescription flea medication. There is really no excuse for a flea infestation when there are so many good products on the market. Poor guy must be miserable...... I suggest an oral pill like Bravecto, Nexgard, Comfortis or Simparica. You can try one of these local vaccine clinics to get a product. ( https://www.vippetcare.com/find-a-clinic/32534/ ) ( https://www.ezpetclinic.com/products ) ( https://www.shotvet.com/pages/walgreens-pet-vaccine/ ) If you don't want to do that then you can try using K9 Advantix II from your local Petco or Walmart. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/k9-advantix-ii-topical-large-dog-flea-and-tick-treatment )

I recommend to have Mony examined by the veterinarian. The weight loss and the decreased energy likely represent illness. This could range from something like a parasite infection to an infection in her uterus. Since she can't talk and tell you whats happening, I recommend to play it safe and have her examined. Regarding the fleas, baths don't tend to work well to control fleas. I recommend to use a monthly flea product. Top products for dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. Oh dear, those are a lot of ticks & I am VERY glad you are wearing gloves. I would get her in a tub with warm soapy water, preferably one labeled to kill fleas & ticks, but dish soap will work, & try & remove as many of the ticks as you can. The skin will bleed, but just try to get as many ticks off as you can. The soap will stun/kill the fleas, but the ticks can take days to die & fall off. It may take several baths to get all of the ticks. If you have access to any of the oral flea/tick products, give her one appropriate to her size. If all you can get are the topicals ( not sure what is sold in your country, but an Advantage or Frontline type product is great). Bathing shortly before or after applying a topical can diminish its effectiveness, but you should go ahead & apply anyway. If none of these are available, just use the soapy water & tweezers to remove the ticks, even if it takes a few days of bathing. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You can give a bath, but it may not get rid of all of the adult fleas and any fleas that are now in the environment will be able to jump back on if she is not on a preventative. I do not recommend using a flea shampoo since they can be harsh and some can even cause toxicity in small dogs. I would recommend a sensitive skin dog shampoo and a flea comb. You could also check with your vet and see if Capstar, an oral medication that kills fleas for about 24 hours, would be safe for Lyrik.