The saga continues....but may be near an end (Hudson)
Yes, I said A FLEA (although I'm sure it's not the only flea...but oddly enough, he seems to have had a very small number of fleas for the last four months)! Now logic would dictate that a dog who has had untreated fleas for four months would be teeming with them, right? But no - apparently not. He has, it appears, special ops stealth fleas - obviously trained by some elite branch of some militia. The kind who never show their miserable faces, and leave no evidence except the itching... 
In fact, one week ago today one of the vets at our clinic spent nearly half an hour checking him from head to toe for fleas (and she was thorough) and found none. She found no droppings, NOTHING on the skin, near the skin, or falling off the skin (even when she shook him on a white sheet). But in the wee hours of Saturday night I found (and caught) one, and it's official. After everything we've been through it appears we've been chasing the oh so mundane flea(s). I am happy to have something to treat (and to put an end to all this) but I cannot believe how many pills, treatments, and shots we've all been through over FLEAS. I'm not even stressed that we'll be scouring the whole house and giving meds for a year....I'm just so horrified that we chased down all these other things while a flea (or some fleas) HID OUT FROM ALL OF US. So while I am happy to finally know why Hudson is itchy I cannot begin to tell you how horrified I am that all this was caused by some tiny little bugs, that we checked for, and checked for, and checked for, and checked for. So, thanks for all the advice, support, and suggestions. Hopefully I can now stop whining about Hudson and his many problems, and be a not so annoying member of this community. We also treated him yesterday, and he had his first really good night of sleep since we got him. Poor puppy, maybe he's not really evil but rather he's just been tired all this time! I feel like such a bad doggie mommy, but honestly, I don't know how on earth I could have done anything more. I'm going right home today after work to wash, scrub, clean, and hug him to pieces.  |
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| you probably don't want to wash him if you've just treated him with a topical - you should probably wait three days.
But good to know you know what yu are dealing with! |
 So glad you got to the bottom of it! For some dogs, one flea bite is enough to set off a bad reaction. Give Hudson a good "scritching" for us.
Laurie and Oscar |
| How to Get Rid of Fleas!!! |
| i too think that was duffys problem after all the itching and test and food change i did find one on him and itched for weeks right now he is doing great with sentinal and frontline good for you i know how happy you must be |
| I have seen some tiny black specks on Summer but have never found a flea yet!
Glad you are sorted. Super fleas!!  |
| Okay, one more wrinkle...
Hudson's currently on a reducing dose of the steroids for the itching. He spit out his morning pill yesterday (found it hidden in the evening) and the itching was back in full force. I gave the evening pill and he was more comfortable almost right away. He goes down to one a day in a few days, then one every second day, and then none. Hopefully by then there won't be new bites to react to... Anyway, with the steroids comes the constant peeing. He's been really trying, but at night he doesn't even seem to see it coming. We understand it's not really his fault, so we're just cleaning it up when he does have an accident. However.... Since the drops on his skin day before yesterday (Advantage or Program, I don't recall which one...we do the other tomorrow) I can pick up a faint medicinal smell on his fur (no problem...it's still on him obviously) and a STRONG change in the smell of his urine. It smells like the powder or cubes you make chicken broth from, and the odor really lingers. I can smell it outdoors on the ground near the area where he pees, and even after cleaning with soap, a touch of bleach, the enzyme stuff, and our steam cleaner with boiling water, it's still hanging in the air inside our home. Does anyone know if this is a normal side effect? Is it likely to continue all year or will it fade as the medicine eases out of his system (oh please oh please oh please)? I suppose we'll get used to it (yuck) but I was just wondering if this is something that happens normally... Thanks! |
| more likely a side effect of the steroids. make sure he drinks alot! |
| The change in his urine is from the steroids, and you do need to make sure he drinks lots of water. He may have developed an infection which can lead to crystals which can cause more infection etc... so lots of water is crucial.
Glad you got to the bottom of it!  |
| For UTI or suspected UTI, have you tried Solid Gold's Berry Blast? http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Solid-Gold-Berry-Balance/140041.aspx
I love it but can't get it without ordering from out of state, can't remember why it's not instate here. When I'm out and need something, I give 500 mg Vit C. Maybe this would help if it is a UTI type problem and with the smell. |
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