Fleas between the toes?

[moxiegrl]

I have Katie on the monthly flea medication...not the cheapo kind I think its Frontline Plus. I dont see fleas on her or around the house, except between her toes. When I spread her toes apart a little bit, I see the fleas, and some of them are stuck in her,some of them run, and some are dead. I scratch the ones that are like stuck in her, and have to keep scratching them to get them out. My boyfriend said this might be because when she's outside and playing thats the first place they go and dont get any higher on her. Anyone else see those between their dogs toes?

 

[makenzie71]

Are you sure they're fleas?

Dogs are outside running all the time...with propper treatment they shouldn't be getting fleas at all.

 

[moxiegrl]

What else could they be? And she always gets her frontline every 30 days.
They have to be fleas...

 

[bubbatd]

I agree ... this would be the last place for fleas to attack. If there none around the butt or around the neck and they are on preventatives it has to be something else.

 

[makenzie71]

They're likely chiggers.

 

[moxiegrl]

Arent chiggers a reddish color? Who knows I'll just wait for her next check up and ask the vet

 

[makenzie71]

Chiggers can be a variety of colors...there's about 2907292529525823 billion different varieties...some are BRIGHT almost flourescent red, some are brown, some are really dark and look like fleas.

 

[aelizilly]

Moxie, can you snap a picture on your digital camera and post for us to see what the bugs look like? That may help in the interim, as if it is a chigger, you don't want to ignore them.

 

[moxiegrl]

Yeah, I will try when daddy gets home. I just tried by myself and taking a picture of between my puppies toes is hard alone...you can imagine. It kind of looks like flea dirt with the occassional "bigger" dirt. Except the bigger dirt is embedded in her and i have to keep scratching it with my nail to come out.

 

[makenzie71]

I doubt you'll get a picture unless you have some standard photoagraphy equipment and a macro setup.

Is this something she's ONLY getting after she goes outside? If she's left alone for a while inside the bugs don't appear?

 

[moxiegrl]

no, its not just from outside...i first noticed them about a month ago when I was cleaning her feet in the bathtup after endulging on a Chewlotta...when I spread her toes apart I saw these flea-like bugs...I thought they were fleas. Now I check every day. There arent a lot of them, just a few between some of her toes. Its harder to see when she's dry, but when she's in the bathtub I can see them well. That's when I try to get them off...

 

[makenzie71]

Have you thought about having an exterminator visit your yard?

 

[bubbatd]

I would collect some of the " bugs " and take them to your local college or exterminator to see what they are . Don't fight what you don't know !!

 

[moxiegrl]

We spray the yard regularly. Since we live in S. FL bugs can be a problem year round...especially in the summer. I will collect some next bath time when I can really get to them, and bring them to the vets...(can't bathe her too much she has dry skin and gets flaky sometimes, we have to use prescription shampoo)

 

[wrat]

ticks?? we live in S.Fl as well and are developing a tick problem one dog is on revolution and one is on frontline+..I read its due to the hurricanes and shifting habitat

 

[moxiegrl]

Really? When I looked at them I told Aaron they almost look like tiny tics, because they are like embedded in her skin, and fleas dont embed do they? Where is S. Fl are you?

 

[bubbatd]

Do you have the deer ticks there ??? They're much smaller than regular ticks.

 

[moxiegrl]

We arent near any woods, and the backyard is sprayed and fenced in, so i wouldnt think so. She's getting a bath tomorrow so I will see if the little pests are still there.

 

[bubbatd]

Don't know what spray you're using on the back yard ... be careful... one of my dogs got mouth cancer years ago from licking paws when I used to spray.

 

[moxiegrl]

Wow...That's scary. Aaron said he uses spray in the house that is non-toxic for animals after its dry. And it the yard the same thing, something made by Cutter(?).