Why is my dog's bath water bloody after a flea bath? Is he okay?

I'm sorry to hear that your dog is having so much trouble! Fleas can cause a tremendous amount of discomfort, especially if he has an allergy to them. You can get a tablet called Capstar over the counter that will kill any fleas on your dog every effectively within 30-60 minutes, so this would help to give him some immediate relief. It only lasts for 24 hours, so you will need to start him on a longer-lasting medication as well to prevent them from coming back - the most effective products are oral medications like Bravecto or Nexgard, which you can get from your vet. Depending on how severe his skin problems are, he may also need prescription medication such as an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medication to treat the bleeding sores - for this, he would need to have a vet exam. I understand that costs are a concern, but this should not be an expensive visit at all - just the exam fee, and you can request written prescriptions for the medication to be filled at a human pharmacy. The medications themselves are very inexpensive.

The reddish color in the water comes from the flea poop (or "flea dirt", as it's often called). This looks like little black specks in the fur. The black specks are actually digested blood from the fleas, and will turn red in water. So this is nothing to worry about, just a normal part of having fleas. Once you get rid of the fleas, you should stop seeing the reddish color in the water :) I would suggest using a good quality monthly flea medication such as Stronghold or Advocate - you can get these from your vet. They're generally safer and much more effective than over-the-counter flea meds for cats.

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.

Hello! My name is Dr. Elizabeth and I am happy to help. Ugh! Fleas are the worst but the good news is that you can effectively get rid of them if you use a good product and are diligent in the treatment. Here is a link about the flea life cycle: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/flea-control-in-dogs The flea life cycle can last as long as 6 months. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure EVERY dog and cat in the house is treated with a good flea prevention AND that this treatment lasts an entire 6 months. Your vet can give you access to the best flea products on the market. Oral flea products like Simparica, Nexgard and Bravecto are the best products out there because they kill fleas so quickly. This decreased to potential for the female fleas to lay eggs which breaks the life cycle. Since the product is in the bloodstream, it also can't be washed off. Lastly, because they are new, there is not a resistance issue in the flea population. They are also cost competitive with a name brand product like Frontline. I recommend to get Smallie on one of these oral flea products and use it for 6 months. If you use a topical flea prevention, only wash Smallie just before the next application of flea prevention is due. Topical flea products like the one you applied can be washed off which means they won't work as well. Also know you will likely continue to see fleas for at least 6 weeks (assuming your product is working correctly) because of the newly emerging adult fleas. Lastly, know there is great variation in the effectiveness of topical flea products. As far as they go, for over the counter options, Seresto, name brand Frontline and Advantage/Advantix are your best options. Use them as directed. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, dogs will shed after a bath. They also shed a lot if they have skin problems like fleas or an infection. If you have bathed him daily for 4 days in a row then that could be causing excessive hair loss and could dry out his skin. If he has fleas I recommend using a long lasting flea preventative like Nexgard, Bravecto, Simparica, or the Seresto collar. Flea baths only last a day and are not good preventatives. Good luck!

Flea infestations can be really frustrating to manage! It sounds as though you're doing all of the right things to manage this issue. However, in recent years, I have not found Frontline Plus to be as effective as it once was. Consider talking to your vet about switching to an oral flea preventive, such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Credelio or Simparica. (All are prescription-based, which is why you'll need to first talk to your vet.) I find these medications MUCH more effective at rapidly killing several flea lifestages, which helps to break the flea life cycle (adults lay eggs, which become larvae, then pupae, then adults, which lay more eggs). Consistently giving flea preventives is the best way to resolve a flea infestation. Over the counter oral medications like Capstar are great at killing adult fleas, but only last for 24 hours. K9 Advantix II is an over the counter topical option that works well, but isn't quite in the same league as the prescription orals. Also be sure to wash any blankets, pillows or bedding that is machine washable on the hottest setting allowable. Try to wash these things at least once a week. If all else fails, consult an exterminator to treat your environment. Flea baths are largely ineffective at treating fleas. Many of these flea shampoos cause skin irritation, so I would just try using a regular dog shampoo every few months to wash off any dead fleas or flea dirt. Also be sure to talk to your vet about checking a stool sample for tapeworms, as dogs can ingest tapeworm eggs if they eat infected fleas. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Atlas! https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/flea-infestation-1/

Poor kitty. It is likely these were just additional fleas that then migrated to the kitties face b/c you were bathing the rest of the body. This is very common. Fleas do have a blood meal so the water will turn red when they are killed. I would recommend rebathing the kitty and gently apply it to the top of the head, use care not to get in the kitty's eyes. Then rinse again. You should also use a flea comb (from your local pet store) to physically remove the fleas that are still remaining on the face where the shampoo can't reach. Your kitty is old enough for a flea preventative, so its best to then get Midnight on a good quality flea preventative. My only recommendations for cats are: Revolution, Cheristin, or Advantage. I hope that your pet Midnight does well moving forward and finally gets rid of these fleas. Take care!