Hey everyone!

I live in northern Washington where they do not really have fleas. The yards in my community are treated for pests because I live in military housing and the government did a crack down in this area.

About a month ago my family and I took a trip across the country to visit our family in Tennessee and Georgia. We believe that when we were in Tennessee, our dog, Magpie, caught fleas. Before going, the vet prescribed a one year supply of flea drops that we put down her back before going. She still picked them up. So while we were there we gave her flea and tick baths three-four times and figured that the drops were not working so we put a flea collar on her. Apparently, that did not kill them all.

We gave her a flea bath before bringing her in our house when we got back just to make sure they were not in our house or on her anymore. We didn't see any the whole ride back and her bath (we bathed her in a doggy pool I bought for her) ran clean. Ever since then, we have been pulling fleas off of her. We gave her a flea bath and took her to the vet. The vet said that all of the flea and tick medications that are on the market dont repel the fleas, they only stop the cycle or kill them and just to keep putting the drops on her. He combed through her fur and found nothing, just bumps from the bites but there were only one or two at the time. He gave her shots and dewormer before sending us on our way. He said she is absolutley perfect for her breed.

Today, I have found 2 fleas, both after she came into my room; one on my tv remote (small and dying but it jumped and i lost it) and the other jumped on my arm (i killed it). I have already washed my bed sheets not even a day ago and vacuum and clean my room religeously. I don't know what to do at this point. Where is she even getting them from? She is covered in bites. Any advice and recommendations? We have been doing the drops monthly and the package says not to mix the collar and drops but the vet said a flea bath every now and then is okay. She is a short haired dog but her fur is very thick. I just want to get rid of these parasites and I have had it with this bull crap. Nothing is working.

Black Desert Elites said:

I've had to deal with a few outbreaks in different places I've lived in, living in the countryside didn't help with fleas lol. But there are a few things that are recommended that helped me with getting rid of them.

You can buy sprays at pet stores that kill off fleas on your furniture, stuff like couches or seats that you can't wash. Advantage spray has worked well for me, it targets bed bugs, fleas, dust mites, and ticks. I spray it on Ginger's dog bed in between washes, and wherever else she frequently lies down. What seemed to stem the tide in my experience, is limiting her usage of my bed and using a flea collar.

I've used edible flea stuff, drops, and collars, but the collar seems to work best with my situation, with baths every now and then. The thing that will keep them coming back are eggs that are laid around the house. It could be in furniture or carpet.

Mainly, I would focus on where your dog frequently hangs out and just go ham on those areas with sprays or washes. It sounds like you do plenty of baths and the drops should work to get rid of adults.

Fleas suck, wish they didn't exist for our torture.

Black Desert Elites said:

I haven't noticed any stains/bleaching after use. It does leave a smell, but it's not horrible or overwhelming, and normally goes away a short while after application. I've got older carpets, since I rent an apartment, but they do just fine with the spray. My blankets and chairs seem to do fine as well. I wouldn't use it on anything leather, as it won't need it and could cause damage to it if applied directly. Other than that it works really well and I would recommend it for sure. Good luck :)