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Why does my dog still have fleas, itchy skin, and open sores?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 14 years and 3 months old | 8 lbs

Our dogs have had fleas, still have the very small kind. They've had lots of treatments. Now they have dry almost dead/flaky wrinkled skin on their underside. They itch even after treatments or flea baths. One dog is getting so bad she has open sores. What do we do?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 8th, 2017

The pictures you provided appear to be signs of chronic inflammation. Some flea preventatives are more effective than others. Flea baths or shampoos are only good to get off the fleas that are on the pet at the time of the bath. They may repel fleas for a couple days, but not very long. Flea medications like Frontline and Advantage, or products containing the active ingredient Fipronil do not seem to work well as controlling fleas. I recommend Seresto collar or an oral flea preventative prescribed by your vet. I recommend that you take your pups to the vet to evaluate their skin. Often they need antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatories while we work to control the fleas. It can take several months to kill all of the fleas in the environment. Treating all pets (including cats) in the house is only the first step. You often need to treat the house and yard to gain control over a flea infestation. Here is some more information: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 15th, 2019

    Poor Winnie! Some dogs are allergic to fleas and will be very itchy. Once a dog gets fleas, there will be fleas in the environment and it will take 6 months to get rid of them. All pets must be treated with a reputable flea product for the entire 6 months. Flea baths only last 24 hours and so pets do not get protection. For dogs, I recommend Simparica or Nexgard. Winnie should also be examined by her veterinarian who may give her medications to stop the itch and to heal those lesions quickly. Secondary bacterial infections are very common as a result of flea bites. Pets who don't respond to appropriate treatment for fleas may also have other underlying allergies or hypothyroidism. I hope she feels better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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