[Jarmo]

My problem is twofold, and hopefully you guys can help. My puppy Leo is around seven months old (and needs to get neutered soon come to think of it) and due to the dry weather and the lack of "better" food I've noticed his coat and his skin becoming a tad dry. This isn't a problem in most areas, however right where his back meets his rump seems incredibly dry and even when there were no fleas he's been itching like a fiend and I feel bad for the poor little guy. Any recommendations on what I could use to help out his coat / skin until I put him back on some better food? He was having some issues processing the food I was feeding him, so I put him back on what the 'breeder' was feeding him.

My other issue is a tiny bug issue. I was really hoping to avoid using the topical treatments as they seem a bit expensive, and I don't want him to become dependent on using medications like that. While it's been proven to not hurt the dog, having some sort of toxin in your bloodstream still just doesn't sound safe to me. HOWEVER, it seems my hand is being forced to do this as our vacuum is broken and no effort has been made to fix it over the last several weeks and they don't want me trying to fix it. As such, it's hard to remove the fleas from Leo because as soon as I give him any sort of combing or should I try a bath, they would just re-appear in a day or two.

My question: what would be the ideal topical to buy to last for around three months, and where would I be able to find ideal prices?

 

[Jarmo]

Is everyone gone for the holiday?!

 

[Rainheart]

You can try omega-3's or fish oil for the dry skin.

As for the fleas- you may want to get capstar, which lasts for 24 hours and kills all fleas and then you'll need to wash everything in the house and possibly flea bomb. Then you can use a multitude of products like Frontline, K9 Advantix, Revolution, Vectra... to keep them off. These are all monthly topicals. There is also Triflexis and Sentinel that are tablets and include a HW preventative (as does Revolution) you can use.

 

[Megora]

and I don't want him to become dependent on using medications like that.

Dogs don't become addicted to flea pills or topicals.

If you live in an area where you have a LOT of fleas, you definitely have to use something like Frontline or K9 Advtantix or Advantage Multi to help.

Beyond that, your dog needs to be getting monthly treatments for heartworm prevention - Sentinel, Revolution, Advantage Multi, Interceptor, etc.

If your dog has fleas right now and has never been treated for fleas, it's likely the fleas are in your furniture and rugs. Unless you bomb your house, that isn't something that will go away overnight.

I would personally give my guy a bath in something like Adams Plus Flea/Tick shampoo. I'm not exactly thrilled about all the chemicals in the shampoo, but I can definitely assure you it takes out fleas and lice. Our cat came home covered with all kinds of bugs. That same day - after a quick bath - the bugs all went down the drain.

I do use this same shampoo on our dogs when we go out swimming and hiking in spots that probably have ticks. The shampoo smells great and is gentle on their coat and skin.

 

[MGMF]

You need to treat your dog with one of the topical flea treatments, bomb your house, heartguard your dog and at his point a good wormer since he has probably ate an egg or two. Your dog needs a good diet and after you treat him for fleas you will see the difference a good diet will make. Their is no saving money with flea treatments because it will cost a lot more when you see how much it is to treat the health problems fleas infestation will cause your dog. Proper dog care cost money, there is no way to cut corners.

 

[Jarmo]

Any idea on the ideal location to buy these products where I could save a few bucks? I imagine most stores are rather expensive.

 

[sns3948]

Having the same problem here in NY...was recommended to use Boric acid on the carpet, leave for 5 days and vacuum VERY well after the 5th day. Also steeped some rosemary in boiling water, added to spray bottle and am using as a deterrent for hikes/swimming.
I've heard Vitamin E tablets for dry skin....my mom uses vegetable oil for her Lab. She pours about 2 tbsp on his food when she notices he is dry...dryness goes away within a couple of days and his coat is so shiny too!

 

[Jarmo]

Dogs don't become addicted to flea pills or topicals.

If you live in an area where you have a LOT of fleas, you definitely have to use something like Frontline or K9 Advtantix or Advantage Multi to help.

Beyond that, your dog needs to be getting monthly treatments for heartworm prevention - Sentinel, Revolution, Advantage Multi, Interceptor, etc.

If your dog has fleas right now and has never been treated for fleas, it's likely the fleas are in your furniture and rugs. Unless you bomb your house, that isn't something that will go away overnight.

I would personally give my guy a bath in something like Adams Plus Flea/Tick shampoo. I'm not exactly thrilled about all the chemicals in the shampoo, but I can definitely assure you it takes out fleas and lice. Our cat came home covered with all kinds of bugs. That same day - after a quick bath - the bugs all went down the drain.

I do use this same shampoo on our dogs when we go out swimming and hiking in spots that probably have ticks. The shampoo smells great and is gentle on their coat and skin.

What I meant by that was simply that I don't want him to NEED the treatment all the time. I would rather not have to spend another +$100 a year on making sure he doesn't get fleas when it's never happened to any of my past animals. Although if it is necessary to keep him healthy and worm / flea free I will certainly do that.

So far I have
Advantix II
Heartguard Plus
in my shopping cart. Any other suggestions for hookworm or anything else? His stool has been normal, and he has had hookworm before that was taken care of. No symptoms thus far from what I can tell.

Also, thanks for the olive oil suggestion. I will give it a whirl and see how it turns out.