Flea bites don’t just hurt your chiweenie. Each time your little dog gets bitten by a flea, it runs the risk of being hit with approximately the 15 different types of antigens which studies confirm flea saliva contains. Some dogs don’t seem to be affected by the antigens, while others react strongly to it.
Signs That You Chiweenie is Allergic to Fleas
Some chiweenies don’t seem to be bothered by the antigens in flea saliva while others experience a strong allergic reaction. It’s no different than how one person can have an intense reaction to a tree pollen while the person standing right beside them remains unaffected. Just because your dog is scratching at a flea bite, it doesn’t mean they’re allergic to the pests. Even dogs who aren’t allergic find the bites itchy. The best way to determine if your chiweenie is allergic to flea bites by parting their hair. Lesions indicate an allergy. It’s important to remember that even a dog that isn’t actually allergic to fleas will scratch at a bite.
Be ready, the lesions are generally the very first sign of a flea allergy and if you’re unable to quickly rid your pet and their living environment of the biting bloodsucking insects your dog’s allergies will grow steadily worse.
The more your dog gets bit, the more they’re scratch and bite at the spot which quickly cases large, round, raw sores which are referred to as hot spots. While a spot can form on any part of your Chiweenie’s body, the most likely place for one to develop is on their back between their hips and the base of their tail.
Additional symptoms that will develop as your dog continues to deal with their flea allergy includes:
- Hair loss
- Bumps that look like pimples
- Skin that grows progressively thicker and darker until it bears a strong resemblance to elephant hide
- Some dogs will engage in such severe self-mutilation in an attempt to get some relief from their flea allergy that they’ll great bloody wounds in the areas where the fleas gather and bite.
If the hot spots created by the flea allergy aren’t treated quickly and the dog continues to get bit by fleas, the odds of your pet developing a bacterial or yeast infection grow. Once this happens you need to take your chiweenie directly to the vet so they can advice you on the best way to treat the infection.
In severe cases, you will want to take your chiweenie to the veterinarian for their allergies. It’s possible they’ll prescribe
Treating Flea Allergies
The sooner you can rid your dog of the fleas the better. One of the first things you should do is give them a bath. Believe it or not, you don’t have to invest in a bottle of expensive flea pet shampoo, the best product is most likely sitting behind your kitchen sink right now. It’s Blue Dawn.
Put your dog in a bucket, sink, or bathtub and get them thoroughly wet. Once they’re soaked, you’ll want to scrub them with soap. It doesn’t take a lot of soap; you should be able to clean your chiweenie with less than ¼ of a cup. When scrubbing your dog, you don’t want to grind the soap into their skin, but you do want to make sure you massage the soap into the roots of the hair where the fleas are hiding.
The important thing to remember is that the only thing the Dawn dish soap does is rid your chiweenie of the fleas that are on them at the time. There will still be fleas on your dog’s bed, your carpet, and possibly your yard. Ask a friend to keep your dog at their house for a few hours while you washing everything your pet came into contact with and steam clean your carpet. It doesn’t hurt to flea bomb your house as well.
Now your will need to make sure no fleas make their way back onto your chiweenie. I use a topical treatment on Anya which has worked well for her. A friend of mine has a long lasting flea collar that she purchased from her veterinarian. Other’s I’ve spoken to prefer an oral treatment. There are pros and cons to each choice. Don’t be afraid to ask your veterinarian, as well as family and friends, for their recommendations.
If your chiweenie has severe flea allergies you will need to plan on giving them a flea bath as soon as you get home from each and every veterinarian appointment. If you’re going out of town and need to leave your pet behind, see about leaving them with a pet sitter rather than at a kennel where there’s an increased risk of them being exposed to fleas.
Once your dog has developed an allergic reaction to flea bites, you should expect to have to deal with the problem for the rest of their life
Anya, the Farm Chiweenie 