PLEASE HELP! FLEAS!

feralSuki

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Hello! I am in a very tight position right now and am wondering if anyone has advice.

We think roommates dog gave my kittens fleas. I just got my kittens recently and pretty much all vets around me won't see animals that aren't already clients (due to COVID). The soonest appointment I could make for my kittens is a week away with the one vet near me accepting new clients. What can I do to help my kittens? One of them. was born feral and will not let me hold her yet (we think she experienced trauma early on), so I don't think I can give her a flea bath. I am at a loss for what to do to help my kittens, I feel like my hands are tied. Or should I take them to an animal hospital? Please, any guidance would help.
 

Talien

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Get some food grade Diatomaceous Earth (health food stores and pharmacies should carry it), it can be used to kill external parasites like fleas. Just coat your hands in it and rub it into the Kittens' fur and the fleas will die in short order. If you can't find it locally you can order it from amazon, just make sure it is FOOD GRADE because they will ingest some of it while grooming.

It's not a preventative though, and as long as the Dog has fleas they will keep spreading to the Kittens. Your roommate needs to get that taken care of or they will eventually infest your living space and will be very hard to get rid of short of fumigating the place.
 

FeebysOwner

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Just be careful to not allow the kittens or yourself inhale the DE; it is very dusty. Depending on how old they are, you could call the vet's office and ask what topical treatment they would recommend that you could apply before the visit. Most of the topicals are OK to use on kittens that are at least 8 weeks old. Hopefully, a topical would be easier to place on the one kitten than a bath would be. You could also bathe the other kitten(s) in Dawn detergent. Also, a temporary stop-gap.

If your room mate's dog still has fleas and even if he is or is not on any sort of flea treatment by now, you my very well have to clean the apartment for fleas, eggs, & larvae. This web site (see link below) will give you tons of information about getting rid of fleas in your home, as well as a bunch of other information you would have never thought you would need (or want) to know. It is very helpful, though.
FleaScience
 

LTS3

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Read these TCS articles:


A bath with original blue Dawn dish soap will help.



Comb the kitten's fur with a fine toothed flea comb to remove any adult fleas. Dunk the comb in soapy water and swish to remove the fleas off the comb.

The dog needs to be treated for fleas as well. Just treating the kitten won't help if the dog is the source of the fleas.
 

MissClouseau

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I would call the vet clinics and ask if you can go there by yourself to get prescription or buy Stronghold / Revolution from them for your kittens. The vet may not see for an exam but you could perhaps find a clinic that will hand you a prescription or the medicine.
 

LTS3

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If the OP is in the US, you can't just walk into any vet office and ask for a prescription. A vet has to exam the pet first and then write the prescription.

Any prescription flea treatment will take time to work and more than one dose may be needed to break the flea cycle. In the meantime, bathing the kitten with Dawn soap, combing frquently with a flea comb, vacuuming frequently, washing anything the kitten sleeps on in hot water, etc will help some. The dog needs to be treated as well.
 
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feralSuki

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Get some food grade Diatomaceous Earth (health food stores and pharmacies should carry it), it can be used to kill external parasites like fleas. Just coat your hands in it and rub it into the Kittens' fur and the fleas will die in short order. If you can't find it locally you can order it from amazon, just make sure it is FOOD GRADE because they will ingest some of it while grooming.

It's not a preventative though, and as long as the Dog has fleas they will keep spreading to the Kittens. Your roommate needs to get that taken care of or they will eventually infest your living space and will be very hard to get rid of short of fumigating the place.
Okay I ordered it and it's coming today! If I use this powder on my kittens, do I need to bathe them after? I'm concerned about my kitten that I am unable to handle yet, I don't think I can use it on her if I need to bathe her after. Well, I can do what must be done, but I would like to avoid it if possible for her. The other kitten will do just fine, though. Thank you!
 

Talien

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Okay I ordered it and it's coming today! If I use this powder on my kittens, do I need to bathe them after? I'm concerned about my kitten that I am unable to handle yet, I don't think I can use it on her if I need to bathe her after. Well, I can do what must be done, but I would like to avoid it if possible for her. The other kitten will do just fine, though. Thank you!
No you wouldn't need to bathe them after, food grade DE can safely be ingested and will be cleaned off when they groom.
 
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