HELP! my puppy is constantly scratching himself

My two puppies are now 10 weeks old. I recently found two black bugs on the golden one and was able to get rid of them. I suspected that they were fleas. Since then, I've checked again and again, and bought a flea comb to try catch out any more fleas, but it seems like there aren't anymore. However, I can tell that my puppy is still itching a lot and is constantly scratching himself.

His skin is slightly pink at the place he scratches, and I felt the tiniest scab the other day.

I've tried bathing him with puppy shampoo, and bought an anti-itch cream to soothe his skin, but none of it seems to be working. The vet says its still too early to put him on Advantage, and I know that flea products available are not suitable for puppies this young.

What should I do to help soothe his skin and stop the itching? Any advice would be appreciated!

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 29, 2011 at 9:32pm

I would try washing him and using just peroxide (a fair amount after he's wet...this is suppose to kill fleas and is non toxic but keep away from the face. I have used it bathing and got a tick off but we don't get fleas often around here....at least it won't hurt him. He could also have be allergic to the bites....poor babies!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on June 29, 2011 at 9:35pm

We used Dawn dishwashing detergent.....it seemed that the fleas did not like it and would stay off of the puppies....Good luck! ^,,^

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 29, 2011 at 11:28pm

I think I heard about the Dawn detergent also?????

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Permalink Reply by Jane on June 29, 2011 at 9:47pm

I don't know about Advantage but Frontline Plus can be used as early as 8 weeks old I believe.

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Permalink Reply by MaryAnn Williams on June 29, 2011 at 11:25pm

Try Advantage Multi.....it's for pups 7 weeks and older. It is for fleas AND heartworms all in one monthly dose...I have used it on my two corgi pups beginning at 8 weeks old. I love it!

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on June 30, 2011 at 12:02am

We just took our calico kitty to the vet because she was scratching and had scabs. We had some early fleas, but we caught them quick, treated everyone with flea meds, and now the fleas are gone but Sally was still scratching. The vet said that she's allergic to flea bites and even though the fleas are now gone (he checked her thoroughly), they started a reaction that wouldn't stop without a prednisone shot. She felt better hours later, and if she's like our old cat (who died earlier this year), the scabs will heal over in a few days. I can tell she's much more comfortable now! So it's possible that the fleas bit your pups and they are still scratching the bites, like when a mosquito bites us and it itches for days later.

A bath in oatmeal shampoo might help them feel better, but make sure not to bathe them too much, since that'll dry out their skin and make them itch more.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on June 30, 2011 at 2:15pm

There's a company called FleaBusters that will dust your carpets and upholstery with polyborate salts (a dessicant, not a neurotoxin). I don't know if it's OK for puppies. They guarantee 1 year; we used them once long ago with 1 cat, it lasted for several years in our climate (Seattle), never had to repeat. You may be able to buy such stuff and dust bedding etc., but you wouldn't want a young pup inhaling any kind of dust.

How to test for flea dirt: if you find little black specks of dirt in the fur, put it on a wet tissue; if it turns red, it's blood (flea dirt).

Sounds like the itching is fleas, but food allergy is a possibility. Our first corgi had severe itching/chewing as a youngster; this disappeared when we removed corn from the diet (this is why we still feed raw meat, although we also use Wellness kibble which does contain barley).

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Permalink Reply by Helen Yeh on July 8, 2011 at 12:44pm

Thanks for all the input.

I put them on advantage last weekend, but yesterday I still managed to find two bugs on one of the puppies. I've applied some anti-itch cream to help soothe the spot he scratches the most. However, last night they started scratching themselves again and whined a bit, and when I woke up there was some vomit on the their bed. I'm planning on taking them to the vet this weekend.

Also, I did use a flea spray on the carpets but made sure to leave the room ventilated and left it for at least 3 hours before bringing the puppies back in.

Does anyone have any insight to this?

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on July 8, 2011 at 3:16pm

Can he lick the spot where you put the cream? Maybe if he injested some if the cream, it made him sick?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 8, 2011 at 9:23pm

Hi Helen, follow these steps. Here's an rx solution when your pups are older. Make sure your AC is not drying out their skin, turn on the air humidifier at home. Add a tsp of oil to their food daily.