FLEAS!!!!!

[Jaxisacutie1]

I just took in two abandoned kittens who were infested with fleas and I was curious about my flyer getting fleas himself. Even if he doesnt harbor any fleas, cant they still bite or irritate him since he has material in his cage?

[Rhapsody]

Yes, the fleas could get on him...... I would suggest you wash the kittens in Dawn dish soap to get rid of the fleas - ASAP!!

[skippy]

Capstar from your vet or feed store would kill those fleas in seconds. I rescued a 4 week old kitten that was dying from flea anemia. I bathed it right away. So many fleas it was disgusting. His gums were white. The bath took care of a bunch but he was too weak and went into shock. Took him to the vet the following day and they gave him a capstar pill which I've seen elsewhere for so much cheaper but had no need to buy multiple quantities. Anyway, it killed off all the remaining fleas and of course there is a cycle of worms they will get from them.
I see many rehabbers have used Dawn successfully but at the time I didn't know about it. I had to treat him for dehydration etc. just like a squirrel that night but he made it.
Good Luck and it's awesome that you saved 2 little lives. Hope they find a nice home if you aren't keeping them.

[Rhapsody]

Please keep in mind that when we have white gums it means their blood sugar is low and putting a some syrup on your finger and rubbing it on the gums with help get sugar into their system fast and possibly save a life.

[skippy]

Yes. Karo syrup too is a lifesaver. The vet said his problem was caused by "flea anemia" which was new to me. I was afraid it could have been FLV as that too will cause white gums. He was found by my friend in an alley lying on his dead sibling. The entire family was humanely trapped and turned over to a local animal no kill shelter but the ones that survived as this little one were severely infested and so sick and weak from the fleas. When I placed him in the sink of water the fleas were flying onto me as they were abandoning ship. Nasty.

[treeman]

Capstar is some fabulous stuff! Dawn will kill them too and is a great quick fix. Use Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth (available at Lowes, Home Depot, or local landscape supplier) as a chemical free and very safe way to kill eggs and larvae in soft fabrics, floors, bedding. Kill the adult fleas on the kitty with chemical flea treatment and then dust the squirrel and everything else with DE. That should get 'em!

Link from a holistic pet store explaining what DE is and uses:
http://www.alliswellpet.com/de

[skippy]

Hi Treeman,
I didn't know about using Dawn when I rescued the kitten but now know how widely used it is for the animals. Have you seen their new commercial with the oil coated birds they cleaned and set free?
I used the DE before for ants. I had read, if I remember correctly that it is fine sharp edged material that cuts the outer layer of the ants that crawl through it and causes them to lose the abilty to retain their bodily fluids and they die? I would be concerned about using it on the animals with their eyes and nose getting close to it for that reason. Do you think it's really safe for the animals? I'll have to check that out. I'd much rather use a natural solution over chemicals any day. Thanks for sharing.

[treeman]

Dawn works great and get rid of 95% of the adult fleas on the spot to my experience. It's a good line of first defense. However, for best results it needs to be followed up with a long acting flea treatment such as Capstar or spot treatments. Environment needs treatment as well to break the flea cycle.

I've used the DE for light adult-flea infestations and egg/larvae treatment with great success on baby squirrels and my raccoon. It doesn't work as well for bad adult flea problems and is best for a secondary-environment treatment (as opposed to chemical sprays/fogging). As with any dust, one should limit exposure to the eyes or airways. For babies, I put it on my finger and rub it into the fur. I have only had to use one treatment.

Food-Grade DE is FDA safe for human consumption (lots of people eat it as a supplement) so it's about as safe as you can get in my book. It was my understanding that the dehydration properties were attributed to molecular reaction but I won't swear to it.

[skippy]

I'm dumping my kitten flea powder and using the DE instead. I hate chemicals and cringe whenever I have had to use the flea powder with the squirrels. Fortunately, it's only been a few times as we live at a high elevation and don't get too many in with them unless they were rescued in the valley.
Thanks for sharing.:)