Fleas

[pingu]

Hi Everyone.

 

What a blooming week we've had. where to start???

On the 3rd september kieran had a meltdown about going back to school. he came out in his customary heat bumps

his heat bumps increased daily

until the doctor diagnosed him with ezema, gave him antibiotics for his infected bits and cream to run on his skin. This didnt work,his skin became more inflamed.

then i saw IT. Hopping off jess like it was a flipping taxi service. Jess was curled on my bed with fleas !! But how? i ask myself. she has a collar. is treated with frontline. (put on excactly as directed). All precautions have always been taken. and still they are lodging on her fur like the hitchikers from hell.

 

Anyway to cut a long story short.

 

Kieran was looking terible. so we aired on the side of caution and did a massive mad clean, over the course of 4 days, i washed bedding, curtains, ...anything that could go in the washer. hoovered manically. Bought flea spray, powder, bombs. I felt very enviorementally unfriendly last monday as i fumigated the entire house.

Afterward i felt great. i caught the cat and treated her again. (Just in case).

 

Now from monday to this friday, kierans skin settled down, no new spots. excellent.

BUT.

tonight he is covered again. hes scratched and has blood everywhere and he has lots of new ones which have been gradually building all weekend.

 

He wears only pants mainly in the house, so im at a loss as to how they are clinging to him. Im convinced it is fleas as everyone else (apart from eldest DS) has a couple of nibbles to the lower ankle region. But Kieran is covered litrally from head to toe.

 

I feeeeelll awful. i have no idea what to do next. fumigate again. ???

 

has anyone else experienced fleas and there bites??????? helppppppppppp

 

Yours hopefully and expenctantly.

 

flea bitten penguin.

x

[Karen A]

Hi pingu sorry all the cleaning has not worked. You could try giving the local council a call to ask for advice fron environmental health.

Our local council had an article in the free paper about bed buggs-which are evidently around more this year.Hence they may be able to offer some advice.They said in the article that bed buggs are not killed by conventional products and specialist ''fumigators'' need to do the job.So they may have an idea re how to kill your beasties.Karen.

[pingu]

Thanks Karen.

 

We have had a morning to match today. Kieran refused to go to school, managed to get him there at 11.30 and am now in the midst of cleaning YET AGAIN. I swear my fingers are going to fall off before the end of this week.

 

 

Its Me V's them

[KateBall]

We have cats and in the summer we had a real problem with fleas. I get bitten by them terrible and react with big red blotches etc. Drove me mad. In the end I had to steam everywhere - that helped quite a bit. Then we put rugs and sofa cushions outside overnight - so the cold would kill them. Possibly that worked to some extent. But the biggest and best thing of all was the stuff I bought in an outdoor activity shop - jungle strength. It came in spray form to ward off the fleas and roll on to soothe the bites. Absolutely did the trick. Sprayed the furniture as well as me. NB the cat flea spray you get in pet shops or supermarkets did no good at all. Only get the jungle formula stuff which you can get in varying strengths. I think I used the mid one - not the most extreme. Not sure how it might affect your son if you sprayed it on him - but try spraying it on seating and carpets in particular.

[KateBall]

Oh and by the way - the problem only came about because we treated the cat. The fleas jumped off him and only had the furnishings and floor to go to and then onto me.

[Tally]

I've never known fleas quite that bad before!

 

Are you using vet prescribed Frontline, or a shop-bought one? I find the prescription one is the only one that works.

 

Your vet might know something good for humans too, although 50% DEET should work.

[pingu]

I've never known fleas quite that bad before!

 

Are you using vet prescribed Frontline, or a shop-bought one? I find the prescription one is the only one that works.

 

Your vet might know something good for humans too, although 50% DEET should work.

 

 

Hi tally yes we are using vet prescribed stuff. he assures me it will work, but reading previous threads i did i test which involves combing her and putting the debris onto some kitchen roll. (was that you that said that??) anyway i did that this morning. and although the paper went red where the black dots were, the black dots wernt moving, so i hope this is a sign that she is settling down.

 

As for the rest of the house, hubby has ripped the carpet up in the utility room, so ive been cleaning that all day.

 

Im here now listening to kieran and my eldest making a right din upstairs. they just dont get how knackered i am.

 

i need a drink

 

x

[Tally]

The black dots aren't fleas, they are flea POO, and they turn red/brown/orange because they contain blood. It's very rare you see the actual fleas, and even rarer you can catch them.

 

Are you putting the Frontline on where Kitty can't lick it off? They tell you between the shoulder blades, but I find a little bit higher, almost on the back of the head works better.

 

There is another product that might work better. I can't remember what it's called (but I am working on it and will get back to you). It's a liquid you put in the food, and it makes any flea that bites the cat infertile. Although you will get the occasional flea, they will not reproduce once they have bitten the cat, and the population will rapidly decline (especially if you have another go with the flea bombs, spray in hard to reach areas, and then have another good hoover including mattresses and sofa cushions, and you should be able to launder your duvets in one of the over-sized machines in a launderette - some high street dry cleaners are also offering this service).

[pingu]

The black dots aren't fleas, they are flea POO, and they turn red/brown/orange because they contain blood. It's very rare you see the actual fleas, and even rarer you can catch them.

 

Are you putting the Frontline on where Kitty can't lick it off? They tell you between the shoulder blades, but I find a little bit higher, almost on the back of the head works better.

 

There is another product that might work better. I can't remember what it's called (but I am working on it and will get back to you). It's a liquid you put in the food, and it makes any flea that bites the cat infertile. Although you will get the occasional flea, they will not reproduce once they have bitten the cat, and the population will rapidly decline (especially if you have another go with the flea bombs, spray in hard to reach areas, and then have another good hoover including mattresses and sofa cushions, and you should be able to launder your duvets in one of the over-sized machines in a launderette - some high street dry cleaners are also offering this service).

 

 

thanks tally your a star. <'>

The black dots aren't fleas

i have a lot to learn No one else (apart from kieran) has been bitten since i bombed the house, but to add insult to injury. Some of kierans exisiting bites have become infected so the doctor has signed him off school, problem is we've only just managed to get him to stay all day after going back from the summer holidays, AND.....

 

He has a 'patch' on his leg which i didnt know was there when i saw the doctor yesterday, i saw it when i bathed him last night. im convinced it's ringworm . Whilst i kniow this isnt actually a worm it doesnt change the fact the our adopted cat has once again been blamed for all this. we love her to bits, and have done everything to avoid this. but what a ###### performance.

 

we have such a lot of strays and locals hanging around all over the estate and i dont seem able to get on top of it.

 

To top all that DD has been sent home from school No rest for the wicked. And i must have been very wicked coz someone up there isnt giving me much of a break right now............ humphhh. fleas worms nits, mites, ticks, and bugs in general they should all be made illegal.

 

But anyway thanks for the advice. Ill look forward to hearing what i can attack her with next.....

 

PoP <<< Thats my new signiture..... i cant put what it means cos the Mods will be forced to delete it. but an alternative version would be P'eed Off Penguin.

[Kathryn]

We had a regular flea problem too when we had a cat. Furniture powder and a flea collar dealt with it but I can't remember any of the products we used (so not much help - sorry). When the cold weather set in, this usually brought an end to the flea invasion, so you might get some respite soon, provided your house isn't too warm.

 

K x

[Tally]

My mum can't remember the name of the product, or even that she used it at all

 

But there are other flea products out there. If this one isn't working, ask your vet for a different one. Your fleas may be immune to the one you are using.

 

The fleas actually live and lay eggs deep in the pile of your carpet of in your soft furnishings, particularly close to radiators. As well as bombing, you need to spray around the edges of the carpet, all the sofa cushions and under he cushions, mattresses (and then turn them over and spray the other side), curtains, etc. Spray until the surfaces are actually wet. Launder all his clothes and bedding, and then spray the drawers before you re-fill them, and the duvet (both sides).

 

Ringworm is a fungal infection, just like athlete's foot. Cats can carry it, but you can pick it up anywhere. Lots of children get it.

[pingu]

My mum can't remember the name of the product, or even that she used it at all

 

But there are other flea products out there. If this one isn't working, ask your vet for a different one. Your fleas may be immune to the one you are using.

 

The fleas actually live and lay eggs deep in the pile of your carpet of in your soft furnishings, particularly close to radiators. As well as bombing, you need to spray around the edges of the carpet, all the sofa cushions and under he cushions, mattresses (and then turn them over and spray the other side), curtains, etc. Spray until the surfaces are actually wet. Launder all his clothes and bedding, and then spray the drawers before you re-fill them, and the duvet (both sides).

 

Ringworm is a fungal infection, just like athlete's foot. Cats can carry it, but you can pick it up anywhere. Lots of children get it.

 

 

thanks tally x