Fleas?

[clueless]

My 14week old beagle scratches her neck all the time. Could it be fleas? I can't see anything when I have a look at ther neck. What do they look like anyways? It's been awhile since I saw one. :p

She likes rolling around in the grass and also digging a hole in the backyard and sitting in it.

How often can I wash a dog?

[badboyz]

Does she wear a collar? Fleas look like little black dots that crawl and jump. Bathing once a month should be sufficient. You don't want to wash her too often as it strips the natural oils from her coat and likely make her itchier. You can treat her with Frontline or Advantage if you think she may have fleas. Good idea, especially if you live on a suburban house block where you are in close proximity to neighbours pets.

[Peachie]

If you smooth the hair back above her tail backwards, so you can see the skin, look out for any tiny black dots - that would be flea dirt. Also turn her over and look at her tummy and under the base of their tail - that's where the fleas like to hang out.

If she doesnt have fleas, and loves rolling in the grass, it may be an allergy. Check the spots she loves to roll and see if you have any wandering dew - some dogs can be really allergic to it.

You can pretty much wash her whenever she needs it. If you are doing it frequently - as in, more than monthly, keep a close eye on her skin, if it gets dry or irritated then decrease the frequency. Just use a very gentle DOG shampoo - perhaps aloveen or similar, as the oatmeal and other ingredients are soothing.

[clueless]

SHe does wear collar. could that be causing the irritation? How small are fleas? I tried looking but could not see any or maybe i just know what i'm looking for.

Thanks for your suggestions. I am tempted though to wash her more often since she seem to get herslef dirty everytime.

[Poodle wrangler]

Fleas are about the size of a pinhead, black-brown and move quick. Their poo (flea dirt) is black and looks like tiny black flecks.

I use Advantix (spot-on) and it starts killing fleas in 20 minutes. I'm not exactly sure, but I think you need to wait 2-3 days after a bath to use one of the spot-on products (check the instructions, I'm not sure). You will also need to wash all her bedding and vacuum carpets, if it's fleas.

pricelesspets.com.au is the cheapest I've found for the antiflea, antitick stuff. Frontline is similar, but I found it didn't work for me when I got a freebie sample (?resistance in my area).

Is the collar irritating? Dirty? Too tight? Should be able to slip 2 fingers underneath without too much trouble. Too loose and she could hang herself.