Flea Allergy

[alisha]

Hi all,

I recently adopted a jack russell cross (I actually think she looks like a tenterfield terrier but the rescue is unsure of her breed) I attached some photos (she is the white and tan one). She is 4.5 months old. I noticed she scratches/bites/licks the base of her tail, paws and stomach but I couldn't find any fleas on her. I took her to the vet to be checked and they couldn't find fleas either and said she looks generally healthy. They said she may have a flea allergy though. I have put her on Revolution to help combat this (i put the solution on last week) and will take her back to the vet for another check up and a skin test in the next few weeks.

Does anyone have any tips on dealing with a flea allergy? For example any products I should use in the garden and house to get rid of the possible flea environment?

I am taking her to have a hydrobath on Saturday so hopefully that helps. Should I give her a weekly bath with Oatmeal shampoo??

Also, how long does revolution take to work? She was being a bit difficult when I was putting it on her so a lot of it got on her fur instead of skin. Next month I will put it on her when she is sleeping. Will the fact that some of the treatment went on her fur affect the effectiveness of Revolution?

Thanks

Edited July 15, 2009 by alisha

[jrm88]

To be honest, if there were no fleas or no sign of fleas, i dont think it sounds like flea allergy dermatitis. With true FAD there is usually a huge amount of scratching, red irritated skin, basically a huge reaction.

This to me sounds more like a contact allergy of some sort, have you ruled this out? Especially with licking the paws/stomach. Maybe bring this up with your vet

Edit: Sorry forgot to answer your original question, make sure you choose a flea prevention and stick with it, dont skip months and try do it every month or so. The best way to deal with the environment is to make sure she cant get to areas such as under the house where fleas love to live. Also vacuuming underneath furniture, close to the walls will encourage the fleas to hatch out and then they will die when they jump on your dog (this may not be the best way if she does actually have flea allergy as it could exacerbate the problem)

Revolution should be working within 24 hrs, 48hrs at the most. It may affect the effectiveness but it shouldnt if you got most of it on the skin. If your unsure, you can reapply the revolution in 2 weeks.

Edited July 15, 2009 by jrm88

[jr_inoz]

Could be an allergy to grass or a weed that is in your grass.

My dog is allergic to kikuyu. She scratches and bites her feet after obedience training (where the grass is full of kikuyu and weeds at present) - especially is we have had to do a few 'down stays'. Apparently it is quite common in dogs, but under diagnosed.

(I went to the expense of ripping out kikuyu at home and putting down santa ana couch (small yard) - she is much better and we only generally have issues after training etc.)

She has had the odd cortisone injection at the vets when things get really bad. Helps no end. Fish oil tablets are helping too.

[Tru Borders]

Asher suffered from allergies not too long ago and the Vet put him on cortisone and it cleared it up fabulously.

When we finished the course, it started again.... relentless itching and biting... it was hard to watch.

We initially thought it was a allergic reaction to the Wandering Jew Plant that Asher used to love rolling around in.

We stopped all contact with the plant but the allergy continued. I still believe it had some effect on him though so check around for Wandering Jew.

We also thought it could have been a food allergy brought on by a commercial diet.

I can honestly say that Asher has no sign of allergy any more. I believe the diet played a big part in this.

We Flea bombed the house and under the house. Go to a pet shop (Petbarn or Pet Stock) and grab a few Fido's Flea bombs. I recommend one per room. Put it on a chair in the middle of the room (on newspaper) and push the button. Get out of the house for a couple of hours. No vaccuming for 5 days so clean the house before doing it.

Get rid of any Pet bedding the is not Flea Free. And fabric bedding needs to go. Disinfect the outdoor area. Fill your bucket with hot water and part disinfectant, get your broom to give it an extra scrub clean.

[Staranais]

It may or may not be a flea allergy - the pattern of scratching doesn't sound entirely characteristic to me, but I wouldn't want to second guess your vet who has actually seen your dog. Since flea allergy is one of the most common allergies that dogs suffer from, & since they are relatively easy to treat compared to some allergies (just get rid of the fleas), ruling out a flea allergy is a good place to start IMO.

Dogs that are allergic to one thing are commonly allergic to several, so even if you get rid of any fleas, it might be a good idea to play round with a diet change & looking at environmental or contact allergies etc if his symptoms haven't completely resolved.