So yesterday my girl had Mylo on her lap and as she was petting him she says.."ohh whats this black dirt looking stuff almost peppery".
Most of that stuff was on top of his head. I also saw a little bit by the neck but thats it. I searched and found out its flea dirt…crap. I'm freaking out.
I called the vet office today and they recommended Advantage II so I went to go get that stuff. I already administered it on the back of his neck. That's where I was told to put it on.

Is it too late? Is my boy gonna be infested and get sick?
We bathed him about a week ago..will we need to bathe him again for security?

Yes me and my girl are first time puppy owners.
We've both had older dogs in the past but not baby pups. So excuse the questions that might seem "dumb" haha.

(I had asked for trifexis on my last visit to the vet (Dec 17) but they were out and gave me Iverhart Max. I was like okay cool.
I completely forgot to ask about fleas & ticks)

Thanks in advance for anyone who reads this post!

Hi

Don't panic, your gorgeous little ball of fuzz will be fine.

Here is what I would do;

Since you have already administered the flea meds then don't bath him right away give it a day or so to soak in. In the mean time get a metal flea comb, pop mylo on a large white sheet (so you can see any fleas etc that come out and eliminate them), have a basin of hot soapy water at the ready, groom him very thoroughly with the comb making sure you drown any fleas that are removed by the comb.
Thoroughly vacuum everything (if you are really worried you can shampoo the carpet too) and wash his bedding in a hot wash to kill any fleas. You'll probably want to do this quite a bit over the next week or so while all the adult and larve fleas are being killed.
Apple cider vinegar can be a great tool in helping against fleas as well - just pop a little (unpasteurized with mother) into his water everyday and it will help him to be flea free

Good luck!

Thank you for the advice!
Strangely…my boy has the runs now
Since last night before bed time.
He usually wakes me up at 2am and 4am.
Nothing this time but I did wake up to a puddle of diarrhea he did.
Is this a side affect from the Advantage??
His stool was perfect up until now. Coincidence?
I'm scared…I almost lost the boy to Parvo now this

Don't freak out! This is a very common thing. My parents' little dog has had fleas a few times and is fine. She even gave some to our dog once, but we only found a couple on her and that was it. With puppies over eight weeks old it's usually safe to give flea/tick medication, whether topical, oral, flea collar, etc.

In addition to what you've done so far, I would also recommend getting some diatomaceous earth. You can find it at most feed stores (Tractor Supply, etc.), or sometimes pet stores will have it. You can also get it on Amazon. Make sure you get FOOD-GRADE DE only. It's totally nontoxic and safe for pets and people. Sprinkle it on your pet's bedding and in their fur. Brush it in their fur thoroughly. DE is a great, natural solution to getting rid of ticks, fleas and even GI worms when ingested. We give our Layla a monthly application of K9 Advantix II and it's done a great job of keeping fleas and ticks at bay, but if we're ever outdoors and suspect she may have picked something up I apply DE to her fur and bedding as a backup. Even if your pup is already infested, Advantix II should kill whatever fleas are already on his body, and the flea bath will do the same as well, so I don't think you will have to worry about further infestation and illness. DE will help kill off whatever may be left over.

As for the diarrhea, it could be a coincidence or a side-effect of the Advantix. Keep a close eye on it and if it lasts a day or two and it seems like he's not getting enough fluids and if he seems drowsy, languid, etc., it's time to go to the vet. If it was just that one time, I'd chalk it up to puppyhood. Sometimes puppies just get the runs from time to time. If the diarrhea continues and appears mucus-like or black and tarry, that would also be a key indicator that you need to go to the vet sooner rather than later.

Hope this helps!

I took my boy to the 24hr vet last night. I couldn't take it anymore. I gave him the Advantage II flea fluid at 3pm on Saturday Dec 20…and besides being even more lazy/lethargic yesterday (21st) ..he rejected dinner and then vomited shortly after that. It was his little snack from a few hours earlier. It looked and smelled just like his food and even some of the kibble was still in tact. I was NOT going to wait to see blood on his stool or vomit. So I was like oh hell no lets go boy! Thankfully theres a 24hr place 12 minutes from home.
I told them that I think its a reaction to the Advantage II flea fluid but the vet doesn't believe it was that and never told me a reason as to why he's like that. I beg to differ.
They kept asking me if he got something from outside but nope. I've been carrying him everywhere and keeping him safely inclosed in the house in his gated area and I only let him walk in his area on clean towels and potty pads I change continually. He hasn't put a foot down on the floor on the outside world for almost three weeks now.
Well anyway he had a Cerenia injection and I was given a powder to sprinkle on his food and a tablet to put in the food.
I know maybe I overreacted by taking him to the vet but I'm not taking any chances and wait another night and sleep since I almost lost him to Parvo.
Last time he was rejecting food, had diarrhea, very lethargic, and vomiting it was Parvo so I think I have a right to freak out lol
Would any of you do the same?

He did happily eat breakfast today. So thats a positive!

I've had my Shiba for 5 1/2 years and have used K9 Advantix II from 8 weeks old without incident. Did the vet take bloodwork?

For future reference, there's an "emergency" flea med I've used in the past, Captstar. It's not a preventative but is used to kill existing fleas. Followed up with a bath and applying Advantix worked well. Despite having a monthly event in her phone's calendar, my ex was infamous for giving me a blank star when asked "Kai is scratching... Did you give him his flea med?"

Naa the vet never brought up bloodwork. I would've been open to it but, I'm gonna give him the pill and the powder and see how he does until tomorrow. Then depending on how he looks I might or might not taking to his actual vet. He hasn't pooped today yet but he is eating. I'm giving him little portions every 2-3 hours. He still seems lethargic but not as much as yesterday. \

Having to rush Kai to the vet because ex girlfriends' insisted, I'd say calm down. Slightly. Advantix / Advantage is topical, not ingested. I'd rash expect a skin rash long before anything else. Keep your dog hydrated, no heavy exercise and watch anything near her mouth. If you have a good vet, they'll tell you when it's time to worry.

The big thing for Kai is if he doesn't drink. He actually self regulates his diet so I KNOW he'll eat when he needs it. But dogs always have to drink. When a dog doesn't drink it's time to worry in my experience

Yeah my boy had been drinking water more than usual the past two days. And he was licking his paws more than usual too. So my fear was that he got that stuff on his paws and licked it. I put the fluid on the one exact spot where they told me to. He's been eating his small portions happily. Still runny but not as much as the other days. He hasn't pooped today yet, I can't wait lol

You got some great advice above.
It is understandable after a parvo scare to be well scared.
I would still watch carefully and if you can consult your own vet over the phone as a way to update them. Make sure he does not dehydrated while having runs.
It the put him on powder and pills I assume they are treating the runs as a parasite/bugs/bacterial.
Keep in mind if he did not eat for a bit he is going to have the squeaks from the liquid diet. The runs should dissipate soon. My vet has always said you should not have the runs more than 24 hours after the anti runs treatment.
He could be lethargic from the meds too. So do not panic just keep a close eye on him. And good luck.

Thanks everyone for reading our situation. These are the reasons I joined this forum. To not feel alone in my siberian husky adventure. It's about to be bed time and he's been eating great all day today. I've been feeding him in small increments. He seems to be back to himself but still has the runs. The only thing he needs is that excellent stool he already had a few days ago!
I did get a call from the vet today for an update on how my boy is doing and she said he's doing good and to keep having a close eye on him. I went to Mylo's real regular vet clinic this morning just to buy him some more soft canned food and I told the vet what had happened and she also does not believe it was the flea fluid.

A week on his powder on the food and pill has passed. I'm glad to say he's back and these past three days his stool has looking great (most of the time) too! I've been paying very close attention to his poop all this time. So much that I've even been taking pictures too lol
I have noticed that he will poop nicely in the morning hours and then he will be a bit runny (not nasty diarrhea) in the afternoon.
At this point I'm feeding him 90% kibble and 10% wet canned food. I will gladly keep it that way because now he's used to it. Sometimes he wants nothing to do with the kibble if theres no wet food involved lol

Kuroshio wrote:

Having to rush Kai to the vet because  ex girlfriends' insisted, I'd say calm down. Slightly. Advantix / Advantage is topical, not ingested. I'd rash expect a skin rash long before anything else. Keep your dog hydrated, no heavy exercise and watch anything near her mouth. If you have a good vet, they'll tell you when it's time to worry.

The big thing for Kai is if he doesn't drink. He actually self regulates his diet so I KNOW he'll eat when he needs it. But dogs always have to drink. When a dog doesn't drink it's time to worry in my experience

I have to disagree with this statement about seeing a rash before anything else. I have a dog who is sensitive to flea topicals. She will vomit before anything else.

I don't use flea topicals. I refuse them and I think they are just bad news bears. We use essential oils, and have comfortis on hand for emergencies.

I won't ever be using flea topicals again. I'm looking in to oils because I'm in Houston and I'm sure I'll need something eventually. It's been nice and cold at the moment