Flea Follies

The latest challenge in our journey of dog ownership has been that we have been struggling with fleas. Besides the feral cat population in our neighborhood, we so much enjoy our daily trips to the dog park and have made wonderful friends there, both canine and human. This assures that we are constantly exposed to a fresh supply of fleas every day.

For about the past week, Lacy has been scratching what feels like nonstop. I look and I look and I very rarely find "flea dirt" or fleas on her. But, I do find them, which tells me that fleas are an issue. Fleas aren't exactly solo creatures so I know the one that I find is probably one of many.

I have been trying all of the organic solutions I can find. I have been feeding her 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar every day for the past month. I have sprinkled untold quantities of diatomaceous earth on the dog, in the yard and around her crate. I have washed her in Dawn dishsoap and have rinsed her in apple cider vinegar and let her air dry.

Still, she suffers. I hate watching her scratch. She was not a happy girl and I was not a happy mom. Finally I called my vets office and had a long talk about Advantix and similar products. I realize that it is actually pouring poison on the skin of my dog and that it soaks in and goes all through their system. I also realize though, that there is nothing honorable or life affirming about a dog suffering with flea bites.

So, I asked if I could come and buy just one month of the product and give it a try. I applied it to her last night and even by the time I went to bed I could tell she was getting relief. In order to make her even more comfortable I gave her an antihistamine to help with her existing flea bites.

She doesn't seem to be having any bad effects at the application site and as far as I can tell she is feeling better than ever.