My dog has severe fleas. Does he need a vet for professional help?

I would recommend first a good flea and tick prevention. You can use the oral medication or even the seresto collar. Even if she doesn't go outside she can still get fleas. For her skin I would bring her to a veterinarian. She will most likely need medication to stop licking and scratching and antibiotics to heal her infection. She may also be prescribed a shampoo that is medicated that you can't get over the counter. There are great medications now that help with itching also. There are pills and injections that you can discuss with your veterinarian to help her feel much better. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fleas can carry tapeworms, so it may be necessary to deworm Huey. A vet can also take a good look at Huey's skin to make sure there is no irritation or allergic reaction to the fleas. I hope all is well!

Unfortunately, from the photos and information given, that looks like it needs to be seen and treated by a vet. Flea allergies can cause major reactions, and if you are noticing an odor in addition the area is likely infected and needs to be treated with prescription antibiotics and medicated shampoos in addition to getting the underlying cause (the fleas) under control. While keeping the area clean and dry and using a T-shirt or Elizabethan (cone) collar to stop excessive licking and scratching can help, it ultimately needs professional treatment at this point to get it under control. If you're having trouble affording care, this site can help give you ideas/options so that Bagheera can be seen by your vet: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ricky should be on a monthly flea/tick preventative such as Frontline. These products kill fleas over the course of several days to weeks and prevent infestation with new fleas. You should also consider treating your home for fleas with nontoxic sprays (available in pet stores) and vacuuming. Please keep in mind that scratching may be caused by conditions other than fleas such as skin infections, skin mites, or food allergies. It is important to have Ricky seen by a vet if his condition worsens. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Jaydence. Fleas are particularly bad near the end of summer and throughout the spring/summer depending on the weather. What you should do is EITHER discuss this with your local vet and let them evaluate your pets or treat him with multimodal flea/tick products and see if that doesn't help get the skin calmed down and the fleas under control. The irritated areas are typical for dogs that have a flea allergy and each time Jaydence gets bit by a flea the allergy intensifies. Flea allergy dogs may require antibiotics or topical treatment to calm down the allergy/itching. Multimodal treatment involves using a vet advised topical product (Revolution, Advantix, Vectra, Effitix, etc) along with an oral flea/tick medicine (Comfortis, Bravecto, or Nexgard). You should also treat your indoor environment since the bulk of the flea problem is immature stages in the environment. Your vet can help you with all of these treatments to get Jaydence and all of your pets back to normal and not scratching. Good luck with Jaydence.

Did they treat him even if they didn't find them? I typically recommend putting them on an oral flea and tick prevention if I suspect mites. This is off-label for mites but helps. Oral flea and tick preventions are prescriptions so your veterinarian would have to write one or approve it. I would also be concerned about a secondary infection and would recommend medication if one exists. WIthout see Bedog it is difficult to say if there is one or not. Your veterinarian should be able to tell you. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend that you try a product called Capstar which can help kill a lot of fleas at once. You can consider switching to another flea preventative product such as Bravecto or Frontline. In the meantime, your veterinarian can consider a medication such as prednisone or Apoquel to help with the itch for now. Good luck!