Fleas and other parasites-how do the affect dogs coat

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Yes fleas will affect your dogs coat.  I have found K-9 Advantage works better on my dogs.  Also sounds like your dog needs a good shampoo, followed by a good moisturing application.  No need to tell you these dogs are fairly high maintence when it comes to grooming.  Good Luck

Fleas and ticks do affect dog's coat/fur. Instead of Frontline, why not make a homemade flea control spray? It's a lot safer to use. You can make that by mixing 600ml warm water, 2 drops of pure lavender and cedar wood essential oil.

It sounds like your dog may need to be wormed. This may be two different problems. The coat problem could very easly be cause by worms and this can be an easy fic with the purchase of a product called Tasty Paste. Small yellow tube with the weight line on the plunger so it is easy to set easy to give,by mouth. You also can give some Vit. E oil , or a little bacon grease in food two times a week. Just a teaspoon. The product I perfer for Fleas, ticks and  mosquito's( which helps to prevent heart worms) You would not be able to start until the other had been out of the system a month or you could overdose the dog. If you do you will know it the dog will throw-up and be drooling. Wash dog in lukwarm water severl times if this happens with dawn dish soap. If it does not help in an hour take to vet.You might just want to take to vet to have the vet worm the dog this firt time anyway to get all worms and then the medication must be given again two weeks later to kill all eggs that will rehatch. T. Canaday Emergency Livestock Manager Spencer OK

Many dogs also have flea allergies and that really affects their coat. 

Several things can affect your dogs coat and cause her to scratch. First you are on the right track with Frontline and another good product of the same nature would be BioSpot. Now that you have started remember that there are eggs that still are hatching in the enviorment. Next with the eggs you also will need to have your dog treated for worms and with this make sure on this track that your dog has had the yearly shots. (Rabies shots are required to be given by a lic. Vet. in most states and with good reason. Rabies kills, not just your pet but your family and can be brought into the home, not just by the farm dog, more and more in today's cities, with a no kill view, skunks which can carry rabies for years and pass on to young at birth live among our neighborhods and can come into contact with your beloved house dog.The reason for a vet. to give the shot is so that the shot is kept at the correct temp. when sold , and not left in the car or truck with dog food  or groceries for several hours. The seven and one shots can be purchased in many ways, however again I reccomend looking for a weekend clinic or getting to know your local vet. in case of an ememrgency with your pet.) I digress, your dog after doing all of the above if still itching may have an inner ear infection or ear mites again, best treated by a vet and not with over the counter meds. as they can cause the ear drum to eurupt. Last but not least the dog can be allergic to cleaners used on your carpet, air fresheners and basic sprays used to clean in your home. These can be absorbed thru the pads of the dogs feet, where the dog sleeps or in general thru the air which is a great warning to you as to what you may be breathing without you knowing. Your vet may percribe a mild form of Benadryl however, it is best to first check all of the above first as any of the above can become more severe.

ACO Officer Tonni Canaday/Oklahoma/Emercency Livestock Management

Definitely give her a good shampoo.  I'd also suggest taking her to the vet to make sure it is just the fleas and not being caused by something else.  You can add a little apple cider vinegar to her water for a natural flea repellant.  Also, a little brewers yeast with her food will help as well.  When you bath her, you can add in a little dawn dish soap to stun the fleas and use tweasers to remove and kill them.  Be sure to vacuum regularly and consider putting some flea traps around the house.

If your dog does not have any ticks, why don't you try one of the newer products on the market that is indicated for fleas only like Vectra (without the permethrin) or Comfortis - a once a month oral pill that kills fleas for a full 30 days and starts working within 30 minutes - has proven to be very safe since its launch 2 years ago.