Nanny's dog has fleas!

NicoleWI · September 2013

The nanny's dog had fleas last week and she told us today that apparently the treatment isn't working and for some reason the dog still has fleas. After our nanny search from H@#, raccoons in our old roof this spring, moving, and living in chaos while remodeling the new house, the LAST thing we need are fleas!! Do you think there's a chance she will bring fleas over, b/c her apartment is likely now infested? Ugh. Or, am I being crazy?

jf198400 · September 2013

OMG I would be freaking out too! My moms dogs had fleas once. There are oral meds the vet can give her in addition to using frontline. She should also use the flea bombs in her apt. Good luck!

82Sonia · September 2013

If her house is truly infested, then it's possible that they could be on her. If it's just fleas on the dog, then I doubt she'd have any on her. Fleas don't generally live on people.

Mustardseed2007 · September 2013

Fleas don't usually bite humans and they probably wouldn't survive the car ride to your house. You could treat any pets you have as a preventative measure, but I doubt I would worry about it.

You should suggest to your nanny if she is using frontline drops to try advantage drops instead, and vice versa. We had a terrible flea problem at a place we were renting and treated all of our animals with frontline and then even did flea bombs and it didn't help. What finally worked was treating them with advantage. There should not be a difference in the advantage/frontline products, but it seems some fleas in our area are resistant to them.

whatididntkno · September 2013

It's unlikely that the fleas would make it to your house- they much prefer dogs to humans. That said your nanny should vacuum her carpets, wash linens etc frequently. Comfortis is an oral (prescription) pill that works wonders to kill fleas.

Kmartinrvt13 · September 2013

It is possible to bring the eggs on her clothes/shoes. I deal with this on a daily basis at work. All she needs to do is vacuum daily, treat every furred animal in her home with flea prevention for 3 months continuously and wash the things they lay on frequently. Flea bombs don't work so tell her not to waste her money on that and get a good flea control instead. Like a PP said the fleas are becoming resistant to frontline, but comfortis is a great new oral product on the market that fleas aren't resistant to. GL!

shannm · September 2013

I know it is environmentally eyebrow raising but she needs to bomb her apartment. Seriously, she shouldn't mess with anything less potent.

Edit: in addition to using a good preventative like frontline from now on.

LoCarb · September 2013

I wouldn't worry too much especially if you express your concern and she takes the proper precautions.

court115 · September 2013

Do you have a dog? If you do, I'd be concerned but like PP said, fleas prefer dogs to people so if you don't have an animal, I wouldn't be freaking out but I would definitely ask her about how she's treating it.

Our dog caught fleas from a family friend's dog a few months ago and it was AWFUL. Those things spread like wild fire when there are other animals around. We were able to get it under control and he's been flea-less for a long time now but it was a nightmare while it was happening. Our house got infested. My SIL's house got infested. My IL's house got infested. They were every where.

82Sonia · September 2013

I wouldn't freak out even it you do have a dog. Buy Comfortis (it's oral so you don't have to worry about your kids getting it on them) and put diatomaceous earth (it's non toxic) on your carpets an upholstery and vacuum. My dogs got fleas last fall and it wasn't that difficult to get rid of them forever (the fleas, not the dogs obviously),

RondackHiker · September 2013

shannm said:

I know it is environmentally eyebrow raising but she needs to bomb her apartment. Seriously, she shouldn't mess with anything less potent. Edit: in addition to using a good preventative like frontline from now on.

Are you suggesting she tell her employee what to do in her own home?

If my boss told me to use a flea bomb in my house I would not be happy. Needing to clear myself, my kid, and my pets out of the house for a few hours for a treatment that isn't as effective as many people think would not be something I would be willing to do.

Some dogs and cats have sensitivities to them. They can be very toxic to many cats (and I'm assuming that'd include hedgehogs, so telling me to flea bomb my house would be telling me to put my pet in a very toxic environment and risk her life). They're often very flammable. Many require you to ventilate the house for a few hours afterwards. And part of the reason they're effective is that they tell you to treat the dog orally and topically, vacuum daily, and treat all bedding daily.

NicoleWI · September 2013

We don't have any pets. I am just crossing my fingers right now and hoping she doesn't bring fleas over. I didn't see her last night (work event) but might casually ask today how things are going and whether they have needed to do any special cleaning at home.

shannm · September 2013

RondackHiker said:

shannm said:

I know it is environmentally eyebrow raising but she needs to bomb her apartment. Seriously, she shouldn't mess with anything less potent. Edit: in addition to using a good preventative like frontline from now on.

Are you suggesting she tell her employee what to do in her own home?

If my boss told me to use a flea bomb in my house I would not be happy. Needing to clear myself, my kid, and my pets out of the house for a few hours for a treatment that isn't as effective as many people think would not be something I would be willing to do.

Some dogs and cats have sensitivities to them. They can be very toxic to many cats (and I'm assuming that'd include hedgehogs, so telling me to flea bomb my house would be telling me to put my pet in a very toxic environment and risk her life). They're often very flammable. Many require you to ventilate the house for a few hours afterwards. And part of the reason they're effective is that they tell you to treat the dog orally and topically, vacuum daily, and treat all bedding daily.

No, I'm not saying that she demand that her nanny does this. I was saying it as I would say to a friend who is having trouble getting rid of them. I had an issue years ago and I tried several more gentle remedies and the only thing that worked was a full out bomb. Yes we had to clear everyone out including the cats for nearly a day including ventilation time, etc.. I hate having to use such toxic chemicals and I learned my lesson the hard way about preventative care even on indoor only pets.

Want a personalized experience?

Nanny's dog has fleas!

Re: Nanny's dog has fleas!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards