Help with possible fleas?

[pebblesofhoward]

Hi everyone! First time dog owner here, have had my sweet boy about 6 months.

Last night when I was walking him, I felt something in my hair and pulled out a small bug - didn’t think anything of it. This morning I was giving him a belly rub and found one on his stomach, thus leading me into a mental frenzy of “oh no I’m a terrible dog owner what if he has fleas.” He was treated with K9 Advantix II, so I know that if they are fleas and they bite him, they’ll die.

But now I’m in a panic: I’ve vacuumed my whole apartment, washed all dog beds and am now washing my own sheets and blankets.

Am I taking the right steps? Does anybody have advice or suggestions on how to ensure I don’t end up with an infestation? Any help will be greatly appreciated - TIA!

 

[torrako]

@pebblesofhoward Trust me, even the best dog owners dogs end up with fleas sometimes. Don’t think you’re a bad dog owner. K9 advantix only lasts so long, when did put it on him? It only lasts a lot a month and if you gave him a bath it tends to wash off. Personally I do oral flea and tick medicine, it doesn’t wash off and I think it works better.

 

[sunshine2015]

@pebblesofhoward I’m a vet tech. You’re doing everything right except switch him to oral flea/ tick from a veterinarian. You’ll need a prescription, but it works 100% better than the OTC flea/ tick you buy at any pet store (most don’t even work). Due to a flea’s life cycle it takes at a minimum, 3 months to get rid of them so your dog needs to stay on flea/ tick meds for AT LEAST 3 months, ideally year-round and forever if possible. They’re a pain to get rid of but sounds like you’re on the right track!

 

[pebblesofhoward]

@sunshine2015 Thank you for the reassurance! I’ve been vacuuming every day and vigilantly checking his fur/skin, and I haven’t seen any fleas in about 5 days so I’m hoping I got lucky with a couple individuals rather than a whole infestation.

I will switch him to an oral flea and tick once I run out of the 6-month supply of skin treatment I have. Is there one in particular you recommend? Obviously all dogs are different and I’ll listen to my vet but I’d be curious to hear recommendations in the meantime