I have an 9 week old Labrador,who I brought home 5 days ago. the breeder said he had been checked for fleas,none were found,but he had given him a sponge flea treatment. At home the puppy kept scratching though. I couldn`t see any fleas,but he kept on scratching and biting himself constantly even when he ended up bleeding. I tried a flea treatment myself 2 days ago,but this hasn`t had any effect at all. He scratches and bites his ears,legs,feet,eyes and tail and is now covered in cuts.I will be seeing a vet for his first vaccination,but thats not for another 5 days. can anyone give me any advice in the meantime?

-- k mitchell (tmitchell57@aol.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

First, I would wipe, not wash, the pup with cool or cold water to try and stop the itching. When giving a bath or flea treatment this dries out the skin making the skin flaky and tight and it will cause more itching. Secondly, if you don't see any fleas, Don't treat for fleas. Usually you can easily see them in the groin area or you will see what is called flea dirt. They look like small black particles. Which is actually flea excrement. When it comes into contact with the water it will turn blood red. The pup may also be allergic to the flea treatment or a flea collar, or even a plastic nylon collar. Hope this helps Good Luck.

-- Kelly (packldr1101@yahoo.com), February 13, 2002.

Sounds like an allergy that could be related to anything; food, carpet, medicine, anything. Sprinkle a bit of garlic powder on the food to repel fleas and ticks.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 13, 2002.

k, the first thing we would do in the pet clinic is give the pup a gentle bath with mild shampoo(for dogs)and rinse very well. Get rid of anything on the skin that might be the cause. The second thing is get on the phone with the breeders and if you bought your pup from reputable breeders(and shame on you if you didn't)they should be very aggressive in helping you with this! I can't believe you are not on their doorstep right now with that pup!. This is miserable thing for a puppy to go through and I wouldn't put up with it for one day. Get on the phone and get that little guy some help. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), February 13, 2002.

Thanks for the advice. I phoned the breeder who mentioned that there were a lot of foxes in the area and that Cooper may have mange. I took him to the vet (the pup,not the breeder)who agreed that he may have it. He was prescribed Stronghold,antibiotics and steroids and was also given an injection.If there is no improvement he goes back to the vet on Monday. Fingers crossed he doesn`t need to.

-- k mitchell (tmitchell57@aol.com), February 14, 2002.

Mange kills rabbits. If there is a rabbit population in your area, and your pup has mange the rabbit population will crash. If there are rabbits in your area and they are not dying off, it ain't mange, but some type of alergy. Good luck.

-- Carroll (caerhuill@att.net), February 17, 2002.