Last night Ruby began to shake her right ear vigously. We got a torch and checked her ear thinking it might be a grass seed. Running around inside was a small creature which I think was a flea but could have been anything. Took a while to catch it and flush it down the sink. We checked her again and applied a flea treatment as she was well overdue.
Her bedding was changed and washed on a hot wash and her bed hoovered out. We hoovered all around as far as we could - it was late at night! Now, she hates topical flea treatments and runs around cowering as though in pain or discomfort. Daren't risk a tablets as she hates those even more and worming tablets make her vomit:( It took an hour for her to calm down enough to go to bed hence why we are loathed to use it.
Today we have combed her, then used a nit comb. Nothing to speak off. No more creatures nor flea dirt. On the inside of her ears though were lots of white things, more flakes than eggs we thought. We combed them over and over to get as many of them out then used a natural oil, rubbed all over the area, to help sooth her ears (more from the combing any anything else). No red bites anywhere as far as we could see.
The rug we combed her on is now on a hot wash and the house has been hoovered through. We have sent for diatomaceous earth for both the carpets and her if necessary. Time will tell.
Poor dog and poor you. I hope the fleas have gone.
ReplyDeleteSo do we, don’t want them in the carpets.
DeleteWe looked after one of our grand-dogs last month. We found no end of ticks on him!! Nasty little blighters- luckily I've got a tick tool as we get hedgehogs and I sometimes remove their ticks too. It sounds like you've done a good job checking/deterring any possible fleas.
ReplyDeleteHope so. I think the white bits are dry skin as they are irregular in shape but some are more oval. I will keep combing her ears!
DeleteJust thinking about fleas make me itch.
ReplyDeleteMe too, weird isn’t it?
DeleteGood luck and successful hunting!
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking "We're going on a flea hunt." as I read. Ooops.
xx
Thank goodness it wasn’t going on a bear hunt!!!
DeleteCould they be ear mites?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. We checked that out and no.
DeleteI'd never heard of 'DE' and had to look it up! There is nothing worse than thinking you have missed some flea and it comes back to bite you - or the dog. Thank goodness Ted will take the Tablet every 3 months and keep it down.
ReplyDeleteI don’t like using it as let’s face it, it is pesticide at the end of the day. Trying alternatives.
DeleteWell you couldn't have been more thorough! Fingers crossed you've nipped the problem in the - er - bud.....
ReplyDeleteHopefully we have.
DeleteI think these may be ear mites which can produce dead skin.
ReplyDeleteThanks but we have checked skin cells under a microscope and nothing moving. Skin has cleared and nothing else anywhere so we think it was just a random bug from the garden.
Delete