Fleas, tratment, fragil adult health???

[Chixarecute]

Found out yesterday MIL's old rescue beagle/foxhound has fleas.

MIL is 93, with heart & lungs compromised. The dog is an indoor dog & is often on MIL's bed. (She never would have allowed that 6 years ago!)

There is wool carpet in MIL's bedroom, the house is over 100 years old, log cabin & frame, not quite square & not quite level (crevices for bugs to hide?). The interior is wall paper over plaster over lathe, other flooring surfaces are very short carpet from the 70's and linoleum.

Please recommend a course of action & products. There is a Pet Supplies Plus in the next town.

Thank you!

[Haven]

I would soap the dog up in a thick lather of Dawn dish soap and soak her for 10 minutes - this will drown the fleas. Actually any shampoo lathered well and soaked will work. Vacuum floors frequently and wash all bedding in hot soapy water..

This should work well if you don't want to buy chemical products that may harm your MIL's delicate health.

[lasergrl]

You can get Capstar at the pet store and give it every other day untill they are gone. It is oral so will not harm the owner.

[Maura]

Give the dog a bath, but the Capstar will do the trick with fleas that are feeding on the dog. The fleas will also be in the carpeting, the drapes, etc., which is why you are advised to wash them and dry on hot You can steam clean the carpet. Are they bothering MIL? Check her for bites, they are smaller than mosquito bites. If she is not getting bitten, I wouldn't worry too much after washing the dog and stuff.

[Chixarecute]

That's how the fleas were found - crawling/jumping across her forehead!

I'll go over tomorrow & start....can I wash on HOT & dry on the line?

[Maura]

I would take the wash to the laundromat and dry on heat.

This is how we got rid of a flea infestation. The gas company turned the gas off in the winter for two weeks. The house got cold, killed the fleas. Depending on how cold it is where MIL is, you could have her and the dog come and stay with you for a couple of weeks while you let the house freeze (turn off the water). This would give you a chance to go through the house, clean it good, replace the carpeting (or simply pull it up). That old carpeting is going to have a pad under it, which has probably broken down into dust and is harboring not only fleas but all kinds of things you don't want to know about. In fact, the carpeting is most likely making her lung issues worse, if not creating them. Don't put down new carpeting. Carpeting is the worse thing for someone with lung problems because you can't really get it clean, and new carpet will outgas nasty things.

Possibly bug bomb it. There is probably money available through the gov't to hire someone to do this for her, at least the cleaning part. Contacting her church or nursing agency can help you make the right contacts.

A healthy dog should not have fleas. What is he being fed? Put him on a high quality diet (first ingredient should be meat). MIL is probably very attached to him and you'll want him to be healthy for her.

[Chixarecute]

MIL is 93, has round the clock care at home. Moving her is difficult, as she tends to be very wobbly. She only leaves home for Dr. appointments. MIL has pulmonary fibrosis, damage to the heart muscle from a major heart attack, and dementia. Bombing would be the easiest thing, but our homes aren't set up for her limited mobility - no bedrooms on first floor.

Not sure how attached she really is to the dog - half the time she calls dog by her old deceased dog's name - been gone nearly 20 years - and tells dog to get out (dogs don't belong in the house - they are livestock). And the other half of the time dog is invited on her bed!

I would love to pull the carpet, however I don't know what kind of condition the subfloor is in. If we can't get the fleas under control, I'll recommend this to BIL.

I'll check on the dogs food. I doubt it is a high quality food. He is rarely spends any time out of doors, and has limited contact with only two other dogs, mine & BILs, neither with fleas...and no more contact until the fleas are cleaned up.

Thanks for everyone's help!

[Katskitten]

Sounds like she is not getting enough oxygen and that could be causing the dementia. We dealt with that with my husbands mother. The dementia could also be why she is calling the dog by the other dogs name.
Good luck with all the cleaning. If you decide to bomb the house, check out the product named "Hot Shot" at your local Walmart. I used that in "02 on the house we are in now and have not had much if any trouble in the house since.

[SDjulieinSC]

Washing the dog will only kill the fleas on the dog. Check into COMFORTIS, it's oral and our clients are pleased with it's results.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=18887