Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/5/2005

Question
Hello!
Our small dog has lots of fleas.  We have been using a shampoo that we bought at a pet store.  We have been using it once a week (per instructions on bottle) for 3 weeks.  He seems okay for a day and then it seems like he has just as much as before in a couple of days after shampooing.  We think he is getting them from outside/grass.  We thought about buying something to spray outside.  We were wondering if there is a "home" remedy that we can use on him between shampoos, or do you know of anything else that can help.  Flea collars don't work.  He is constantly scratching and has a few sore spots from it.  Thanks for your time.  If you could help "Lucky", he and his family would appreciate it!
Shanna

Answer
You can spray the house and yard with an insecticide, but that is not going to kill all of the life stages of the flea.  A better thing to do is to get some Frontline or Advantage flea killing insecticide from your vet and apply that every 3-4 weeks.  In addition, if the dog is scratching alot, maybe the vet can give some steroids to help control the itching.