Hi there

I,m getting my new puppy in 4 weeks. She will be 8 weeks old then. All very new to me, lots to sort out. Concerned about the flea side of things. Is it easy to keep the fleas away! I,m a little paranoid!!! I hope to use frontline plus but need to see the vet first to be sure.

Any advice welcomed.

Tone

Hi

Hello and Welcome .Dont be worried too much we have four Cavaliers now and
had three cats and never ever seen a flea on any of them even when they were
babies straight from the breeders .

oFleas really shouldn't be a problem at all. Only if you have bought your pup from a dirty, unhygenic environment like a back yard breeder, or a puppy farm - and I hope you aren't going to do that!
I've had Cavaliers for nearly 18 yrs and they have never had fleas, neither have I front-lined them or anything as I don't believe in putting chemicals on my dogs unless absolutely necessary. All I have ever done is in summer, when fleas are more likely to be around, is when I shampoo my dog I use a flea repellant shampoo.

tone said:

I,m getting my new puppy in 4 weeks. She will be 8 weeks old then. All very new to me, lots to sort out. Concerned about the flea side of things. Is it easy to keep the fleas away! I,m a little paranoid!!! I hope to use frontline plus but need to see the vet first to be sure.

Any advice welcomed.

Tone

Click to expand...

Dogs can get fleas, especially if other pets such as cats are kept, but Frontline or other such products should prevent it from happening.

Check what worming & flea treatment the breeder has already carried out ( a good breeder should give you this information in writing ) and make sure that you wait the recommended time before repeating the treatment.

Your puppy will be a real baby so it is a good idea to ask your vet's advice if you are unsure.

I've never really had issues with fleas, even with several dogs and cats in a small house, but I Frontline them a couple times a year --mainly for ticks as I do take them in long grass. Also when a dog is kenneled or homeboarded it can often pick up fleas from the other dogs so I ill frontline before they go to care if they haven't been within the time parameters to have protection.

Shampooing occasionally with a flea shampoo and regularly hoovering and washing bedding etc also helps keep fleas at bay.

If it is a serious concern however you might want to consider whether you actually would feel comfortable having a dog, especially an indoor breed like a cavalier? There are also so many other issues to dog ownership that will likely be far more imposing and of greater concern and many -- such as cleaning up after your dog, worms (and all puppies have them and adults easily get them), accidents in the house (and there will be many, both during housetraining and the times when you have a sick dog), expressing anal glands, brushing dog teeth, occasional vomiting, etc may be hard to deal with if squeamish.

Just some things to think about as I'd consider fleas a really minor concern in owning a dog! On the other hand maybe you don't mind dog vomit on a favourite sofa or a runny poo on the carpet when a dog couldn't get outside and had a tummy bug, but have a phobia about fleas! :lol: So it is hard to advise.