Telling a puppys age and alternative flea control

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi to everyone :) . As a new dog owner I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help me with. Firstly, does anyone know of a reasonably accurate method for telling a puppies age? My pup Apollo (Boxer/Kelpie cross) was bought from a pet store ( I know, not the best way to get a dog, but I saw him and he was so cute and friendly I couldnt help myself :D ) so I'm not quite sure of his age. And secondly, does anyone know of any alternative and preferably natural treatments for getting rid of fleas? I dont like the idea of flea collars and such.

Thanks in advance,
Joshstar*

[Hobbit]

You can tell by looking as his teeth.

[mcobbin]

welcome to the forum JS*...if you're really aversed to any form of popular flea repellant, i'm not sure what i can tell you, except DON'T USE THE DROPS!!! (see topic Someone please help save this dog!!! (((URGENT))) in the "dogs in need" forum...i put some links there to websites that empirically link them to pet death and paralysis. you can get a tablet from your vet that your dog can take by mouth, and he/she should have some other forms of treatment. if you choose your vet carefully, talk to REPUTABLE breeders to get a good vet referral, etc. you should be o.k. and he/she should work with you to find something you can both be comfortable with.

one thing i CAN say is that a good quality cedar bed is great for repelling fleas, (if you can get him to SLEEP on it :lol: ) Cedar beds also do the following:

--Cedar is a natural flea & tick repellant.
--Cedar chips naturally encourage a healthy coat in your dog.
--The beds are fully machine-washable (both inner lining and slip cover).
--They are made with a velcro encloser, leaving no zipper for dogs to chew.
-Even a few minutes on a Cedar Bed will help your pet.
i got this off of a website by the way..so if it sounds like i'm trying to sell you something, now you know why :D

another thing you can use is essential oils. Some Essential Oils that have shown effectiveness in repelling insects are: cedar, citronella, pennyroyal, lemongrass, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lavender. you can get these in a lot of healthfood stores, and sometimes at stores like petco...or you can just use a the keywords "fleas and essential oils" to order them online! just make sure you dilute it with water and just spray it on them..don't put it driectly on the skin, as they could have an allergy.

[alicat613]

A good diet and overall health help repel fleas. My dog has yet to need any flea control.

I had a kitten who came home with fleas (ooh lucky me). He was too young for any flea treatments, even the frontline, etc. So we looked for herbal remedies. There is one method we found where you boil down citrus fruits into a sludge, strain it, and soak your pet in the liquid, then roll the pet in brewer's yeast. DO NOT DO THIS!! It is such a waste of time and messy and you'll have a very sticky and messy pet!! LOL

Garlic and brewer's yeast in the diet are supposed to be helpful, but honestly I have not seen the results myself.

If your pet already has fleas, bathing drowns a good part of the flea population. Just make sure you really suds him up and get him to sit in there for a bit to drown them, and use a flea comb in the bath.

I have also heard that steeping some lemon (with rind) and rosemary in some water makes a nice anti-flea rinse.

Of course, fleas are a whole house problem. Boric acid, diatomaceous earth and salt are all things you can sprinkle in your carpets and vaccuum up to kill fleas. It helps to put a flea collar in your vaccuum bag or else that becomes a flea motel too.

Good luck! If you do need to go with a more chemical product, stay away from the drugstore stuff it is very toxic. I prefer the topical monthly products like Frontline or Advantage over the internal products like the pill mentioned above, but that's a personal choice. You can discuss the pros and cons with your vet and see what works best for your dog.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Hobbit']You can tell by looking as his teeth.[/quote]

[size=1]I can see your blood boiling, Hobbit.[/size]

[Cheetah]

[quote name='Hobbit']You can tell by looking as his teeth.[/quote]

Umm...how? Sounds a little difficult for the common person to determine (unless there's an easy method to figuring it out) I would think it would be easier in this case to have the vet look at the dog's teeth and estimate how old the dog is (you can have him do this while you're asking the vet about the best flea treatment for your dog :) ).
When I got Roxie, the shelter said she was 3 months old (although even I thought she looked a little older) When we took her to the vet for vaccinations, the vet looked at her teeth and estimated 4-5 months! He just kinda glanced in her mouth, so I guess it really isn't a very difficult thing for a vet to determine!

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks guys,
I'm not totally adverse to using commercial flea control products, its just that some of the warnings on the packets kinda freaked me out. Also all of the products I've looked at (so far) require your dog to be at least three months of age and as I'm not sure exactly how old Apollo is I'm sure you can see my problem. I'll take up your suggestions and ask my vet how old he thinks Apollo is. If he says he's about three months old I'll probably wait a few weeks before treating him just to be completely sure he's old enough. What do you guys think?

[Daisysmom]

Yes, you can tell a puppy's age by their teeth. My vet told me that my puppy was only 12 wks old, instead of 14 wks by looking at her teeth. I think it is by the amount of baby teeth they have left.

Congrats on the new puppy!! :wink:

[gooeydog]

Advantage is safe for dogs even 6 weeks old, I'm not sure about frontline and revolution though.

[Guest Anonymous]

Didn't the pet store tell you how old the dog was? I realize it's a mixed breed bought from a miller or broker by the pet store, but they are required by law to keep some sort of records and that would include date of birth.

This is not to chastise you because you love your pup and what's done is done, but do you realize the reason that you bought your pup is exactly is just what the millers, brokers and petstore hope to accomplish to make their living and buying from them only perpetuates the horrors that the whelping bitches live daily, just breed, birth, nurse, feet never feeling the touch of grass nor the outside of a cage while waiting to be bred again when they come in season?

[Guest Anonymous]

No Guestpat I didnt realize that -- as you can tell I'm pretty new to all of this. What you described sounds horrible. I bet most people dont really realize that things like that go on. I'll make sure I keep that in mind in the future. Its amazing how you learn new things every day! Thanks for the info.
Joshstar*

[alicat613]

Wow Josh, great answer. I'm glad that didn't make you defensive, because it's a mistake I think many people make, because they don't know. My standard poodle came from a backyard breeder, and wow did we luck out. 5 of the other 6 died young, only ours was healthy and long lived. As you get more involved in the "dog world" you will learn a lot about where all these puppies come from, it's very sad. Anyways, I know you love your pup and will take great care of him!

Anyways, I noted you are in Australia so I'm not sure if the Advantage and Frontline products are available there. They are much safer than the grocery brands. Best of luck!

[Guest Anonymous]

You can tell by looking at their teeth but unless you have looked at several different dogs and pups teeth of several different ages it would be hard for you to tell. Vet's are not always100% accurate all they can do is make an estimate. I had one dog that had just barely turned on year he had been kept on a chain(I know) but I knew for a fact that he was only a year.I rehomed him and their vet said he was 3 years old but it just was not true because I had seen when the dog was born and knew the people who previousely owned him.
As for holistic remedies they usually do work I use the mastitas nosodes if my girls get mastitas and I have used the Grapefruit seed extract cleaner for a yeast infection in an ear( a rescue). So they do work. Is there a holistic animal care store in your area? You might want to look in your phone book.They are very reasonably priced compared to all the people on the net.

[Ickle]

Giving your puppy garlic (can be in tablet or capsule form ) will help keep the fleas away and I am told it also helps with worm problems & is good for coughs & tummy upsets
Ps raw crushed garlic can be given in their food if they will take that way
Ickle

[Hobbit]

[quote name='gigishiba'][quote name='Hobbit']You can tell by looking as his teeth.[/quote]

[size=1]I can see your blood boiling, Hobbit.[/size][/quote]


:lol: :o

[Hobbit]

[quote name='Cheetah'][quote name='Hobbit']You can tell by looking as his teeth.[/quote]

Umm...how? Sounds a little difficult for the common person to determine (unless there's an easy method to figuring it out) I would think it would be easier in this case to have the vet look at the dog's teeth and estimate how old the dog is (you can have him do this while you're asking the vet about the best flea treatment for your dog :) ).
When I got Roxie, the shelter said she was 3 months old (although even I thought she looked a little older) When we took her to the vet for vaccinations, the vet looked at her teeth and estimated 4-5 months! He just kinda glanced in her mouth, so I guess it really isn't a very difficult thing for a vet to determine![/quote]

Cheetah, you are right. I've just seen lots of teeth so, I can guess pretty accurately, most of the time. A lot depends on nutrition, injury and wear. Some dogs wear their teeth down faster than others.

You're right, just take him to the vet and ask about the flea stuff and work in ...."Um...while you're at it Doc, how old is he?"

Good advice!

[Luka-pop]

I'm a bit late, but about Cheetah's post about determining a dog's age by teeth, I might be able to help. I've been riding/working with horses for 4.5 years, so I learned quite a bit about age and teeth. A horse's teeth will start to change coloring as it grows older. It will also become worn down and flatter, so the crevices of the teeth will almost disappear. The jaw's shape will also change, so the alignment and angle of the teeth will change. This is in a horse, ofcourse, and I'm not sure if it's the same thing with a dog, but I'm pretty sure it relates. I volunteer at a shelter, and there, an old dog's breath will usually smell worse than a young dog's, and it's gums will be speckled with brown. The teeth will be yellowish with dark tartar build-up. Sorry I'm not really help, but I've only owned a dog for 1 week (I've researched/read on them for years). I know a lot about horses though, but I guess that doesn't really help, cuz this is a dog site. Sorry... :oops:

[Guest Anonymous]

To figure a pups age by it's teeth the general rule of thumb is: The incisors (little teeth across the front) fall out at about 4 months of age. At 3 months the teeth spread out, you will notice the space between them. The canine teeth (fangs) fall out around 5 1/2 months of age on a large breed and 6-7 months on a small breed dog. Some toy breed dogs have a double row of teeth( retain baby teeth) that can ruin the mouth if one row isn't pulled. The older dog is tougher as environment takes it's tole. Usually heavy tarter and wear tells the tale.