I just adopted an 8 month old aussie mix from a private owner and she's rather infested with fleas and some large ticks. I'll be keeping her on a regular maintenance schedule, but would like to get her cleaned up before we start that. Does anyone have experience with petsmart? What about other vets in the area? What are the general costs for say a flea dip or bath, and regular grooming? ANY info would be great!!

Also, gotta get the lil lady spayed soon, any suggestions for that?


Thanks! pics soon once I get them uploaded.

6/26/2006 10:06:04 PM

just my opinion:

Give her a normal bath either yourself or at a vets office. if you live in Cary, you can bathe the dog yourself for $15 at the Furry Feet Retreat. 2 days after the bath, put frontline on the dog. Or you can put Frontline on her now and wait 2 days to give her a bath. If you can live with her smell then I would do the 2nd option.

As far as vets go, I really like Dr. Monce at Petsound Animal Hospital in Cary. He is cheaper than most vets, is very good with the animals, and the employees are great! Parkway Animal Hospital in Cary is good too. They are more expensive but their level of medicine is awesome!

If she really is an aussie mix, then I would get her into obedience classes as soon as you can. I recommend Teamworks Dog Training. Aussies are very smart dogs and need a job. Without it, they end up in shelters.

Good luck!

6/26/2006 10:16:08 PM

I might try the Furry Feet Retreat, I'll google that later on.

Will the frontline make the current ticks fall off? I've pulled off a few I knew I could get the whole ones, but i'm scared to try a few of them b/c I don't want their heads to stay stuck.

She is already extremely obedient, and has learned tons of things, the lady I adopted her from kinda does her own personal rescue at her farm (the county she lives in has a high kill rate at the shelter in VA). So she was just making room for new doggies. I definitely will be spending time with her, and she'll probably come with me to work most days to have something to do. This will be my second aussie mix (first one died a few years ago at the good old age of 16!).


Also, she's a bit depressed right now, do you think she is just homesick? I'm gonna give it a few days, but any suggestions for that are welcome as well!

Now let me see if I can try this whole picture idea.. hopefully it'll work.


Miss Ellie

not interested in taking pictures...

6/26/2006 10:24:24 PM

Petsmart does not do flea dips and they will refuse the dog if it is a bad infestation of ticks.

6/26/2006 11:53:18 PM

frontline will kill the ticks that are on her now. when some dogs get adopted or rehomed they can be depressed. give her a few days to realize that she isn't going anywhere and her new place is going to be fine. good luck with her!

6/27/2006 7:34:29 AM

*thinks* Can't you buy shampoo for home use that will kill fleas? If so, I'd do that and bathe her either outside or at that place Odie suggested. I would NOT recommend bathing an infested dog in your own bathroom.

Oh, and get some of those flea night lights to protect your house.

[Edited on June 27, 2006 at 7:59 AM. Reason : meh]

6/27/2006 7:58:47 AM

adams is a great spray to use...they also have dips and shampoos...my aunt had a dog infested with ticks once (he got out in the woods and she couldn't find him for like a month...when he came home, he was covered)...she sprayed him with adams and it killed all the fleas and ticks...it also repels for some time too...not a permanent solution, but it would help you get a handle on the situation.

6/27/2006 10:46:50 AM

I recommend taking her to a groomer. In my experience with flea dipping on my own it's nothing but a headache, and they'll get right back on her once dry. If you've let her in the house, you have them in there too. Take her to the groomer and leave her, go to somewhere like Tractor Supply and buy some home flea killer in a spray bottle. There's some that I've used that worked wonderfully but I forget the name of it. It's some that you can spray all over everything, carpet, furniture, beds, everything, and leave it until it dries. Leave it for a day and vaccuum everything and wash your bed sheets and comforter to be sure you get all the eggs.
When she gets home, Frontline her for a month's protection.

6/27/2006 11:08:13 AM

rather than start a new thread, wheres a good place to get a cat groomed? how expensive is it? I bathe my cats regularly (at least once a month or so), but i know a professional could do a better job.

6/27/2006 11:10:00 AM

^Girl, I've been bathing my kitten every week or two because she gets dirty fast, and it shows. I want her to like it, but she don't.

6/27/2006 11:25:10 AM

yeah my cats dont like it either. I have 3 and one of them has long hair, so I really want him to get professionally groomed...I brush him and all, but it'd be nice to get someone to fluff him up once .

6/27/2006 11:52:33 AM

The PetsMarts in Apex and on Capitol Blvd will groom cats. I believe baths are $30 and depending on length of hair... a shave could cost anywhere from $50-60.


Cats are a bitch to groom.... I know - I 've done it before. Good luck!

6/27/2006 4:58:55 PM

Raven at Mayfair Animal Hospital is great with cats

6/27/2006 7:11:19 PM

I know Petsmart does a good job on dogs...anyone ever had personal experience with them grooming one of your cats? Do they do a good job?

6/28/2006 5:03:31 PM

Thanks everyone! We're going with the frontline treatment, cleaning everything, and letting her just chill out. She's improving drastically each day. She already follows me all over the house.

6/28/2006 8:03:40 PM