I think my pit bull is allergic to flea bites… how can i tell?

If you have him on a good flea preventative, then it shouldn’t be fleas. Does he HAVE fleas? If so you may want to change his flea preventative. What kind of food do you feed him, it could be allergies. I would ask your vet, just to be sure. That can’t be comfortable for him, poor thing.

Get him to the Vet to stop any infection from the bits and get him the correct dosage of frontline from the Vet. over the counter doesn’t work and has caused death to some cats & dogs

First of all, how long has he been on the preventative?

If you just put him on the preventative very recently, it could be that the fleas are now gone, but the itchiness from the fleas hasn’t subsided yet. Think about mosquito bites in us humans – Even when the mosquito is gone, there is often still an annoyingly itchy bump for a few days. Some dogs also have what’s called flea bite dermatitis, where they’re actually allergic to the fleas’ saliva. In these cases, the dogs are very sensitive to the fleas, and even a few bites can cause severe itching. Your vet would be able to tell you if this is the case for your dog.

Now, if your dog has already been on the flea preventative for a week or more, something is wrong – The preventatives available from the vet are very effective. What kind was it? If it was a tablet (such as Sentinel), are you 100% sure that the dog swallowed the whole pill? They’re sometimes sneaky about “swallowing” it while you’re watching then spitting it out when you look away. A lot of the preventatives (although I can’t remember which ones exactly) are guaranteed. If your dog’s been on them for a while and you’re still seeing fleas, ask your vet about it, and they may be able to get it refunded or another free dose or something.

If you’re NOT actually seeing fleas, it could be another skin condition or allergy. Food allergies for example are reasonably common, and not too difficult to manage once you know what the problem is. There are also things like mange and many other skin conditions that can cause itchiness like your dog is experiencing.

Chances are, you’ll have to make a trip back to the vet. Either way, good luck, and I hope your canine friend is itch-free soon!