How long after flea treatment will my dog stop scratching?

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for your question.

Advantix is a good product and you really should find that it does a good job to get rid of the fleas.

There's probably no advantage to putting another dose on now though. The scratching is likely because of the flea bites and not because of new live fleas on her.

Think of when you get a mosquito bite. You are still itchy for several days after the bite happens even though the mosquito is long gone.

It's possible though that the fleas have caused a secondary problem such as some allergy symptoms or infection. If you are seeing any crusty red areas then this can be a sign that there is skin infection there. If this is the case then Molly is going to need antibiotics prescribed by the vet.

Where is she the most itchy? If you find that she is itchy on her feet and ears then fleas may not be the only issue. This time of year a lot of dogs have seasonal allergies. I have found that in most cases seasonal allergies need to be treated with steroids such as prednisone.

I usually find that it takes about a week to 10 days for itchiness to stop after being treated for fleas. So, if Molly is still itchy after the weekend then I think that she should probably see the vet to make sure that there is nothing else going on.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.


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