Got rid of fleas, now for the flea dirt
November 20, 2015 3:55 PM Subscribe
My pooch was eaten the heck up with fleas, and after about two months, some laundromat trips, a trip to the vet, etc, we've been flea-free for a couple of weeks now. I'm having a heck of a time trying to get rid of the flea dirt he had picked up, however.
His entire hind leg was black with it at one point. Persistent scratching with my fingernail and a trip to the vet proved it was, in fact, flea dirt and not scabs or a rash. But he's just as clueless as I am as to why it seems so stuck to his skin or how to get it off.
We got off everything that was 'floating' in his fur, what's left seems like it's almost glued to his skin, and it takes some serious scratching to come loose. There's a lot of it, too, in several patches. I have not found any new patches, nor have any gotten bigger, and he is no longer scratching at all, which is why I believe the flea infestation itself is under control. (At its worst, he was chewing a rash on both hips trying to get the itching to stop.) But I'd like to get most of it off in order to make monitoring the situation is easier, and because I'm not sure if it might make his skin itch to be stuck there and such.
Has anyone seen anything like this, or have ideas on how to get it off? Last time we washed, it was with an extremely gentle doggie shampoo and just using my fingers and fingernails to try to scrub. If it helps, he's a white dog with oddly pink baby-like skin, and was shaved pretty short not long ago, so it's very easy to see where the patches are and what's going on.
His entire hind leg was black with it at one point. Persistent scratching with my fingernail and a trip to the vet proved it was, in fact, flea dirt and not scabs or a rash. But he's just as clueless as I am as to why it seems so stuck to his skin or how to get it off.
We got off everything that was 'floating' in his fur, what's left seems like it's almost glued to his skin, and it takes some serious scratching to come loose. There's a lot of it, too, in several patches. I have not found any new patches, nor have any gotten bigger, and he is no longer scratching at all, which is why I believe the flea infestation itself is under control. (At its worst, he was chewing a rash on both hips trying to get the itching to stop.) But I'd like to get most of it off in order to make monitoring the situation is easier, and because I'm not sure if it might make his skin itch to be stuck there and such.
Has anyone seen anything like this, or have ideas on how to get it off? Last time we washed, it was with an extremely gentle doggie shampoo and just using my fingers and fingernails to try to scrub. If it helps, he's a white dog with oddly pink baby-like skin, and was shaved pretty short not long ago, so it's very easy to see where the patches are and what's going on.
Have you tried running a very fine toothed flea comb through, starting at the skin? That's how I removed stubborn flea dirt from our small pink skinned mutt.
posted by Wavelet at 5:20 PM on November 20, 2015
posted by Wavelet at 5:20 PM on November 20, 2015
Have you tried some sort of exfoliant instead of your fingernails in the bath? The Salux towels are the very best IMO. It seems a waste to use it on the dog instead of your self, but there are three in the set so there's one for you and one for another friend.
posted by DrGail at 5:25 PM on November 20, 2015
posted by DrGail at 5:25 PM on November 20, 2015
Well, I find this a little perplexing. Flea dirt is basically your dog's blood. If you get him wet and keep him wet long enough, it will rehydrate enough to wash right off. You can test this for yourself by putting a speck of dirt on a paper towel and wetting it. Within a few seconds the outside of it will have melted and soaked into the paper towel as a reddish-brown liquid (this is how you can check if something is regular dirt or flea dirt). Can you just get him in the tub, get him wet, and then hold a kong with some peanut butter smeared in it for him to lick for five minutes or so, then scrub?
posted by HotToddy at 5:35 PM on November 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 5:35 PM on November 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I'm 99.9% sure it's flea dirt -- mange or a skin disorder would likely have continued to spread; this stopped spreading as soon as the live flea population decreased. I just had a closer look and I think I know what part of the problem is: his fur is VERY thick at skin level (pomeranian) and a longer soak might be what's needed to get down to it properly; what was loose in the upper part of his fur came off easily in the last bath. So a proper soak (rather than the wet under faucet -> shampoo -> rinse, done in 15 minutes version) may do wonders.
I also haven't tried a flea comb, which I'm starting to think is something I definitely need to do. I'm sure it can get down to that skin level better than my big human fingers.
As always, I will update with results.
posted by iarerach at 6:14 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also haven't tried a flea comb, which I'm starting to think is something I definitely need to do. I'm sure it can get down to that skin level better than my big human fingers.
As always, I will update with results.
posted by iarerach at 6:14 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
My dogs (american eskimos) both have a double coat as well and I know how easily the bottom coat can get matted. Do you have one of these combs? You can buy them at pretty much any pet supply store.They're the best ever for keeping my dogs mat-free. A flea comb is really good for actually getting fleas out because the comb teeth (?) are so close together, but because of this they're not good at all for general combing, especially with double-coated dogs. The combs I linked can go down all the way to the skin but still pull pretty easily through the fur for actual full body combing. They make it easy to get mats out. Once you get any mats out, you should be able to wash the flea dirt off pretty easily as the water and shampoo will be able to reach the skin. Good luck!
posted by triggerfinger at 6:48 PM on November 20, 2015
posted by triggerfinger at 6:48 PM on November 20, 2015
Yes, really soak in very warm water. Dawn dish detergent helps. Someone recommended that when my dog had fleas and even though his skin was generally on the sensitive side, he was fine.
posted by Kriesa at 7:00 PM on November 20, 2015
posted by Kriesa at 7:00 PM on November 20, 2015
If you're not totally sure that it's flea dirt, you can test it very easily by rubbing some of it on a wet piece of paper. If it's flea dirt, it will leave rust-colored smears on the paper. If it's not, it won't smear, or it'll be a different color.
If the issue has to do with matted fur, then flea dirt is really brittle and water soluble (that's why that test works). A soak that will get through the matted fur should be able to wash out the flea dirt very easily.
posted by teponaztli at 7:19 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
If the issue has to do with matted fur, then flea dirt is really brittle and water soluble (that's why that test works). A soak that will get through the matted fur should be able to wash out the flea dirt very easily.
posted by teponaztli at 7:19 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would give him a bath, a long bath with plenty of mild shampoo and gentle finger-scrubbing of the affected areas. That really should get rid of flea dirt. But he may have some irritation, scabby/weeping, mildly infected skin that's crusting over a bit. Frequent bathing for a week or 2 will help that heal. I'd also check with a flea comb to be sure the fleas are gone. Our dogs are flea-free, and it's time to sprinkle the rugs with flea powder, leave for an hour or 2, then come back and vacuum, just in case there are eggs or larvae in the rugs, as well as washing dog bedding.
posted by theora55 at 8:10 AM on November 21, 2015
posted by theora55 at 8:10 AM on November 21, 2015
Haven't been in that exact situation, but when my dog's dense undercoat gets really dirty, I take him to play in the ocean or in an un-muddy lake. Is that a possibility? Ocean is clearly the best, because the salt-content in the water has healing and skin improving properties, however, lake water is fine as well. My dog loves swimming but hates baths, so I'd have difficulty keeping him in the tub for a long bath, but he loves playing in open water for a long time. Doesn't matter what time of year it is.
After the swim, I rub him with towels and comb him thoroughly, all of which he enjoys.
posted by mumimor at 12:47 PM on November 21, 2015
After the swim, I rub him with towels and comb him thoroughly, all of which he enjoys.
posted by mumimor at 12:47 PM on November 21, 2015
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posted by Juliet Banana at 4:48 PM on November 20, 2015