Why is my flea-allergic dog still shaking and crying after treatment?

Poor Lucky! Flea bites can be very irritating to the skin. If she received an oral flea medication today at the vet's office, you can try bathing her in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo to help soothe the irritation and make her feel better. If her flea medication was topical (applied to the skin), then unfortunately she can't be bathed for a few days without washing off the medication. In that case, I would suggest asking your veterinarian about an over-the-counter medication like Benadryl - this can be used in dogs to hep with itching and skin irritation in some cases, but should only be given if directed by your puppy's vet.

Yes, Gidget could absolutely be allergic to her flea treatment! Topical products can definitely cause redness, irritation, hair loss or sores at the application site. They can also cause system reactions such as seizures, tremors and trouble walking but these are rare. Oral products can cause vomiting, diarrhea and decreased appetite. Dogs that have epilepsy may be more prone to have increased seizure frequency but this is also not likely. Extremely rare cases can be anaphylactic reactions of collapse and hypotension and this could be to any product. If you are seeing problems, I would recommend to switch products. While some products have the same active ingredient (like Fipronil), many are different. I have had good flea prevention and very low reactions to Comfortis, Simparica and Revolution. Remember that itching all over can be related to fleas not dying from your product, food allergy or environmental allergies. I hope I answered your question!

Poor Pepsi. Flea bites can be miserable and even once you get rid of the fleas, the body is still having an allergic reaction to the bites. You may need to use oral medication to decrease the itching. I would discuss this with your veterinarian. You may be able to use something over the counter like Benadryl (https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/) or you may need a presciption medication to get rid of the itching. Another thing to consider is that some dogs will develop a skin infection and will need antbiotics after having fleas, so be sure to have your veterinarian examine Pepsi if the red spots on her skin are not improving. Hopefully, you have gotten rid of the fleas, but I have attached addtional flea control information below in case it is needed. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1575 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to allergies and until these are improved, he will continue to itch. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

It's possible that the product is burning or that he can smell/feel the product on his skin. I don't recommend to re-apply the product and I suspect the application is not the problem. You may try using a hair brush and brushing the area of application. Do check the skin to make sure it's not red/scabbig. This will generally stop within 24 hours. Moving forward, I recommend to speak with your vet about an oral flea product like Simparica. I hope this helps.

Blair may need a medication that kills the fleas quickly if she seems sensitive to them - you could ask your vet if Capstar would be safe to give to her. This medication kills adult fleas quickly but is not a preventative, so you have to follow up with a long acting preventative medication. If her skin looks red or she has scabs she could have an itchy dermatitis - in that case I'd recommend making an appointment to see your vet because she might need antibiotics and a corticosteroid for comfort. An oatmeal shampoo in the meantime would probably be safe to try.

I recommend you get him checked by your vet - it is likely the damaged skin has become infected and very painful, hence the biting and snapping towards the area. It is likely he will need antibacterial and antifungal washes and possibly antiinflammatory medication to allow the skin to heal. An omega fatty acid supplement and rigorous flea prevention (including household flea spray to kill the eggs and larvae) are also recommended