# Help me battle dull coat + fleas problem



## orestis (Aug 26, 2013)

So Mucho is now 2 years old, he's the best dog ever!

However his coat has taken a beating - and it's the second time today I find fleas on him, so I need your help.

First, the fleas - the first time I thought he had allergies or skin issues because of the scratching fits - I dismissed fleas completely because he'd be getting monthly Vectra 3D "pipettes" and that should cover him. However after reading an article about dog owners usually not believing their precious dog has fleas, I suggested that to the vet, and lo and behold, we found fleas.

The fleas went away with another Vectra 3D pipette (it was the time of the month anyway). 

However, this time I found fleas only 2 weeks after his treatment, which is nuts. I applied a Frontline to relieve him, but I really don't want to apply those things twice a month. I'm afraid of the cumulative effect plus the no-bath-period is going to be very inconvenient.

I suspect the reason for fleas is that there's a *huge* amount of stray cats in the neighborhood (you've seen in the Athens calendars  - and I'm certain no-one bothers to treat them, so fleas are everywhere else and it's a matter of time before they climb aboard.

I've read about some new pills that you give once a month or once every three months. Does anyone have any experience with those?


Now, about the coat: at the neck area Mucho is 100% black but as you go backwards, he starts to get a few white hairs here and there, and at the base of the tail they are really obvious and give his coat a "graying" look. Not quite "salt-and-pepper" but a general hue. Anyway, the quality of the coat also changes with the gray - the black is straight and shiny, the gray is more ragged and dull. I tried adding salmon oil to his kibble but to not much effect. I'm not using any special shampoo or conditioner.

Also, he still gets a lot mats and tangles. The groomer says he has some undercoat which is the cause of that, apparently some havanese have double coat?

Can you give me suggestions on feeding, grooming and any other tips for making his coat shiny again? If the shampoo could work for the flea problem it would be great!


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## Keanu (Aug 12, 2014)

Do you mean by the new pills "Bravecto".iI gave this to Keanu for the first time, its easy to give it looks like a treat and taste nice.
He didnt had fleas at that moment but didnt also get them it was summer and very warm.
So my experience was good.

I dont know if you can by that in Greece but the year before i had Seresto its like a collar you put in on for 8 months and it worked perfect on my Keanu.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I have had good results with Revolution. I have been giving my two each a Nordic Natural Omega 3 capsule daily. Scout has a lot of coat and a undercoat. We have found that Pure Paws Silk Basic shampoo, conditioner and Silk Cream for deep conditioning are best for him. The groomer lightly sprays Code Secret Glossing Spray Platinum after grooming. It makes their coat soft and silky.


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