PetPom | Question & Answer

Complete Information Regarding the Pomeranian Toy Dog

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Pomeranian Questions and Answers (cont'd)

Question: Bubba has terrible itching from flea bites. He is on Frontline Plus so the fleas do die, but is there a good effective spray to keep the fleas from biting before they die? Owner: Maureen, Pomeranian: Bubba

Answer: Hi Maureen. Yes, when choosing a product for fleas, some owners choose to use a product that also repels the fleas. However, these products contain Pyrethrin, Permethrin, and Pyrethroids and small breed dogs can be very sensitive to these chemicals. A dog as small as a Pom may find this to be toxic. Usually the Pros do not outweigh the Cons.

However, fleas die rather quickly when using Frontline, therefore it sounds like your Pom is having an allergic reaction, just 1 bite from a flea can cause hours of itching. Sometimes, that 1 bite can cause days of itching!

Dogs (many of them) are not actually allergic to the fleas, they are allergic to the flea's saliva. The itching that can occur from just 1 flea bite can be severely discomforting for a Pom.

There is a way to diagnosis if your Pom is allergic to the flea's saliva, however, of course you main concern will be to remove the fleas forever.

Diagnosis can be made by visual signs in combination with the presence of fleas or through intradermal skin testing. Intradermal skin testing is a very effective diagnostic tool for this particular allergy, although some false negative results can occur. Your Pomeranian's vet would do this testing.

However, the best thing that you can do is to keep using flea prevention products. In the meantime to help you Pom with this allergic reaction:

Use a very gentle dog shampoo & condition and bathe your Pom very very gently.
Be sure to treat the home, as well, so that new fleas cannot jump onto your Pom. If your Pom has had fleas, you can be 100% certain that there are fleas on your carpeting, sofa, beds and more...even if you cannot see them and even if their tiny bites do not bother human household members.
Keep an eye on areas that your Pom may have scratched heavily to make sure that infection does not set in.
Talk to you vet about giving your Pom antihistamines while he is fighting this allergy.
In severe cases, oral steroids may be given to help a dog with the extreme suffering

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