Why does my dog smell wet and have fleas? How to stop the itching?

I hate to hear that Sam is so miserable! Definitely for the fleas I would recommend an oral flea product such as Simparica or Comfortis. These are the top products on the market and will kill any fleas that land on Sam within 3-4 hours. Topical products take 12 - 24 hours. You will need to use a good flea prevention on him and any other pets in the house for a solid 6 months. To help his skin to feel better, give him a cool water bath daily. You can also give him an over the counter antihistamine. If you have an elizabethan collar for him, you can also apply a small amount of cortisone cream. The collar will keep Sam from licking. You need to rub it in well and make sure he cannot lick it. You might also call the clinic daily and check to see if they have any cancelations. You might be able to get Sam in earlier. I hope this helps!

If you’re noticing increased itching in that area and you found a flea, you may try switching the flea prevention to see if that helps. Fleas can become immune to products. The top products on the market are oral products such as Nexgard and Simparica. Most pets can use these products but you should talk with your veterinarian before switching. They are administered once a month and at this point appear to work very well. If the itching goes away, then you know it was related to flea bites. Best of luck.

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.

I would recommend bringing Aries to the veterinarian to get medication to help with the itch. For the fleas I would either get Bravecto, SImparica or Nexguard. You can even use a Seresto collar. These flea preventions work great. You need to treat every animal in your home for at least 3 months. You can also get Capstar. Capstar only lasts for 24 hours so you have to do this in addition to flea prevention. This pill kills adult fleas only. For baths (if you wanted to give them) you can use dawn. I would leave dawn on for 10-15 minutes prior to rinsing it off. If by cleaning and vacuuming multiple times a week and all of this does not help you may need an exterminator. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Sounds like she not only has fleas, but likely a flea allergy as well. Poor thing! Fleas can be very hard to get rid of as various life stages can remain present in the environment. Treatment focuses on several factors: 1) A good flea preventative such as Simparica or Trifexis. I prefer oral medications as they allow you to bathe your pet as necessary 2) Capstar- this will kill all fleas on your pup in a couple of hours, but has NO preventative quality 3) Cleaning of the enviroment- vacuum often. Wash bedding in hot water. Use a flea bomb in your home. It can take 3 months to truly eradicate them from your home 4) A medication to provide relief from itching. I prefer Cytopoint which is a once monthly injection that halts the inflammatory response in the body with very few side effects. Apoquel is an oral medication that is also a good choice. A low dose of a steroid is also an option, but has more side effects such as excessive drinking and urination. The key with fleas is to treat all of your animals,and your home concurrently. Be patient and persistent. I am sorry you are having to deal with this!

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.

I do not recommend any flea or tick shampoos, these are usually not safe products and not as long lasting as more modern preventive treatment for fleas and ticks. here is the list of the best flea products on the market. Spot ons: Revoulution Advantage Advantage Multi Frontline (ticks as well) Tablets: Trifexis/comfortis Bravecto (ticks as well) - for dogs Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex