coco22 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 hi, my 13-week old cavalier puppy, obi kept scratching and biting his own legs in the last 2 days. does anyone know if something is wrong with obi? also, need some advice on flea treatment for puppy. what type is most suitable for puppies and when should i start? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 (edited) Could be a few different things. Could be Fleas - Advantage is a good product. Although, biting and scratching at legs sounds more like insect bites or a contact allergy. Can you see any red bites on the skin at all? At this time of year an insect repellant for your dog is a really good idea. I'm not sure if you can use human ones, I personaly buy an animal one. Have a chat to your Breeder or your Vet if you don't have a Breeder to speak with in regards to using flea treatment for the first time Edited December 20, 2007 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie-boy Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 hi,my 13-week old cavalier puppy, obi kept scratching and biting his own legs in the last 2 days. does anyone know if something is wrong with obi? also, need some advice on flea treatment for puppy. what type is most suitable for puppies and when should i start? thanks. Sounds like you just answered your own question! I would say he has fleas - particularly if you aren't using anything yet. Most of the flea preventatives are safe from 8 weeks old. I use and prefer Advantix which does fleas & ticks but there are plenty more on the market and many do different and/or extra things. Basically its going to depend on what you want the product to do, convenience and price. Why not call or visit your vet clinic and ask the nurse for advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Do you have paralysis tick in your area? If so, you need something like Advantix- covers fleas, paralysis tick (when put on fortnightly) and mozzies. Also, you need a heartworm and intestinal allwormer preventative. I use Interceptor Spectrum (monthly for heartworm and most intestinal worms) + Advantix (fortnightly in warmer months). I use pricelesspets.com.au- good prices and service. Intestinal worms are common in pups, so you could give an intestinal allwormer 2 weeks after Interceptor Spectrum. Drontal is a good brand. Assume fleas for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco22 Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks for all your replies. The vet recommended Interceptor Spectrum for worming and I'm using that now. But I have not started on flea prevention yet. I will go and check out the flea prevention products later today. How do I find out if Obi has got fleas? Sorry this seems like a silly question to ask, but it's my first time having a dog :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Start at the base of the tail and run your hand up the coat pushing it in the opposite direction so you can see the skin. Fleas do like the bum & groan area. I didn't flea treat my puppy for some but checked him daily as that was simply because I didn't want him over done with everything at the same time as vaccinations and so forth and we didn't have any issues, however we didn't have the scratching you're having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 (edited) Do you have paralysis tick in your area? Intestinal worms are common in pups, so you could give an intestinal allwormer 2 weeks after Interceptor Spectrum. Drontal is a good brand. Assume fleas for now. Agree that assuming fleas are the problem is probably the way to go considering the pup isn't on flea prevention. I use Sentinel Spectrum. I don't know if Interceptor Spectrum covers tapeworm. No paralysis tics in Melbourne Thanks for all your replies. The vet recommended Interceptor Spectrum for worming and I'm using that now. But I have not started on flea prevention yet. I will go and check out the flea prevention products later today.How do I find out if Obi has got fleas? Sorry this seems like a silly question to ask, but it's my first time having a dog :wink: Not a silly question at all You will probably see flea dirt if Obi has fleas. Look for tiny black specks if you don't see any fleas. Have a look on Obi's lower back at the base of the tail. Fleas usually infest that area and have a look on his tummy for fleas or flea dirt. Check your packet of Interceptor Spectrum to make sure it covers tapeworm because fleas are host for tapeworm. I prefer Sentinel Spectrum to Inceptor because it stops fleas from breeding so your house won't have a thriving flea colony. None of my dogs have ever had fleas or worms on Sentinel. It does all worms including heartworm and tapeworm. As Poodle Wrangler mentioned...Pricelesspets sells these products much cheaper than vets or pet shops. Edited December 21, 2007 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco22 Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 the interceptor spectrum does cover tape worm. i have checked through obi's legs, groin, tail and back area. can't find any flea or flea dust. he doesnt scratch or bite all the time but i noticed that when he scratches, he does it for a long while and then will attempt to bite his legs to ease the itch. anyway i think i hv to start on flea prevention soon. just wished the rain would stop so that i could go out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Coco, what is his diet? My dogs are fed a BARF diet for their main meal. Sometimes they have Eagle Pack dry food for breakfast. Recently I fed another brand of dry food because I was given a packet of a top quality dry food of a different brand One of my Cavaliers started scratching and he's never done it before. None of the other dogs were scratching at all so I suspect it's the different dry food that doesn't agree with this dog. I put him back on EaglePack two days ago and he's rarely scratching at all now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillybean Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 It might be an idea to give Obi a bath with a good moisturising shampoo. Perhaps that will stop with the itching? And if there are fleas you might see them in the bath water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Could also be sarcoptic mange - affects the elbows, backs of legs, hocks etc. Causes intense itching. Revolution treats mange. Check your garden for wandering jew also. Its renown for causing contact dermatitis in dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 then again, letting a vet have a look is probably the wise thing to do.... then the treatment can be tailored for Obi. It would be a shame to treat him for fleas, then find out it was something else! Hope he feels more comfortable soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco22 Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Coco, what is his diet? My dogs are fed a BARF diet for their main meal. Sometimes they have Eagle Pack dry food for breakfast. CavNrott, i'm feeding him meaty bones for main meal. Sometimes i give him raw beef mince with vegetables. He has been on this diet for the past 3-4 weeks. Jillybean, we had just given obi a bath 2 days ago. Digressing a little......It was his first bath since we had him and I hope it hasn't traumatized him. we try to make it fun by having toys in the bathtub and encouraged him to play with the toys but he was whining throughout. After the bath we gave him a treat and praise him. Stormie, he has not scratched as much today as in the last 2 days. It it doesn't stop in the next day or two, I'd take him to the vet as suggested by Persephone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swizzlestick Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hi Coco22, Was he scratching before the bath? Just wondering if it may be the shampoo that you used? Was it a mild one specifically for dogs? Some dogs have quiet sensitive skin to some shampoos. Also be sure to wash it out very well, unless it specifies that it can be left in like some doggy conditioners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco22 Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Hi Coco22,Was he scratching before the bath? Just wondering if it may be the shampoo that you used? Was it a mild one specifically for dogs? Some dogs have quiet sensitive skin to some shampoos. Also be sure to wash it out very well, unless it specifies that it can be left in like some doggy conditioners. i remember him scratching a little before bath... it could be the shampoo maybe. today he hasn't scratched as much. i will monitor the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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