Fleas are always the first thing to suspect when your pet starts scratching. To tell if that is the problem, begin by looking at your pet's bare belly since fleas will be easier to spot there than elsewhere in the coat.
Fleas are very hard to get rid of for the simple reason that they are incredibly prolific. A few fleas can produce hundreds of thousands of offspring within a few months. What's more, for every flea that you see on your pet, there may be hundreds more in the yard, on the carpets, and in your pet's bedding. To get rid of fleas, you have to hit them everywhere they live. Here are some strategies that vets recommend.
Bathe your pet with a medicated flea shampoo. That will send many fleas right down the drain. Products that are safe for dogs may be dangerous for cats, so be sure to read the label carefully. If your pet doesn't cooperate, you can take him to the groomer for the bath. It is a good idea to wash your pet's bedding as well.
Pull a flea comb through your pet's coat once a day. In between strokes, dip the comb in a bowl of soapy water to drown the fleas. This will remove many of the critters that are causing the scratching, says Dr. Weinberg.
Use over-the-counter flea sprays and powders. Vets often recommend products that contain D-limonene or pyrethrins, which are effective and less toxic than some other chemicals. Flea collars will help as well.
"Bomb" your house with a product containing a flea-larvae growth regulator such as Precor, following the directions on the label.
Talk to your vet about long-lasting flea-control medications. Oral medications like Program, for example, contain a medication that prevents flea eggs from hatching. Other products, such as Advantage and Frontline, are applied to your pet's skin and will kill adult fleas for a month or more.
In the short run, the only way to stop your pet's scratching is to halt the itching. A lukewarm bath can be very soothing, especially if you use an oatmeal shampoo or add a little colloidal oatmeal (like Aveeno) to the water, says David A. Gordon, D.V.M., a veterinarian in private practice in Lake Forest, California. Cats, of course, hate getting wet even more than they hate itching. One way to keep them calm for a bath is to put something in the tub that they can grip, like a plastic milk crate or a rubber mat.
To relieve the discomfort of sores caused by scratching, apply some aloe vera several times a day, says Dr. Gordon. You can buy aloe vera creams or gels, but the juice from the plant is usually more effective and possibly safer, he adds.
If you suspect that your pet has ear mites -- a telltale sign is an accumulation of dark-colored debris in the ears -- you will need to clean the ears thoroughly and apply a mite-killing medication, available at pet supply stores, following the directions on the label.
Next Steps:
Back to the Symptom Solver Main Page
Copyright 1999 Rodale Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
