Corgi Forums

tjguitar · **Fleas -** 08-09-2007, 09:34 PM

Today we took GQ to the vet cause he's been itching and scratching and biting alot. Turned out he had some fleas

They gave him a shot and a pill to kill the adult fleas and some ointment that needs to put on him once a month to kill any more that come on him. We took him a couple weeks ago but they said that he didnt have any fleas, just a 'staff infection', but he kept itching and biting. It got really red down there. Poor guy.

Tomorrow the cat goes in to the vet for other reasons, but hopefully she didn't get any fleas from the dog.

Michael Romanos · 08-09-2007, 09:57 PM

Poor GQ. It is usually cats that gives dogs fleas - they are the bigger carriers.
If Taylor had fleas it would only be because his Frontline had run its course (he gets a tube of it soaked into his skin every four months) and I would simply give him another - it works so quickly and so effectively. Of course the other obvious immediate treatment is specially medicated dog shampoo.
Did you think of these things before taking him to the vet? I take it he was too far gone and in too much discomfort.

Clogs · 08-10-2007, 03:33 AM

Hmmmm. My vet told me that cat fleas and dogs fleas are two completely different critters...

Michael Romanos · 08-10-2007, 03:49 AM

Oops, I think your vet is sadly mistaken. Must be that Silverstream vet I don't visit for consultations

Clogs · 08-11-2007, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Oops, I think your vet is sadly mistaken. Must be that Silverstream vet I don't visit for consultations

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

There are two distinct fleas that inhabit cats and dogs - Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis.

C felis is smaller - 1.5 - 2.5mm long and has a shallower curve to it's back. It also only has one notch on the tibia.

C canis is 3 - 4mm long, has a sharp curve to the back and two notches on the tibia. C. canis also is the intermediate host for the dog tapeworm.

However, dogs and cats can both carry either, or both, species of flea.

P.S. I go to the S.V. vet - a good guy. Got nothing against Silverstream vet, but we've been with Ian for decades.

Michael Romanos · 08-12-2007, 03:01 AM

Clogs - we are talking to different vets. How dare they promote different responses.

The so called cat flea has cats and dogs as its primary host but it will also fling onto us humans and bite away but will not live as long as it would do if cats or dogs were its host
Fleas can jump up to 13 inches in moving from cats to dogs or to humans in looking for a meal.