Pet Prattle and Products

Dog fleas are a pervasive problem that many pets and pet owners are plagued with.  Getting rid of fleas isn’t easy, but it can be done by being diligent in following the steps below.

In order to rid your house of fleas and prevent them from coming back, you need to understand that the adult fleas on your dog make up only about 5% of the flea infestation – the other 95% in various stages are living in your house and yard. Therefore it is very important to do a total treatment (at the same time!) of all possible flea locations, and get rid of the fleas, flea eggs, larvae and pupae.

1 -Rid your house of fleas – first, take your dog outside so that he won’t be spreading fleas back to the areas that you have just cleaned. Second, pick up anything and everything that is on the floor in all of your living spaces, including bedrooms, bathrooms, closets - everywhere your dog has access fleas will exist. Wash EVERYTHING – launder your clothes, sheets, dog toys, dog bedding, blankets etc. Anything that can’t be dried, hang up to dry outside in the sunlight.

Go through the entire house and vacuum as thoroughly as possible, making sure to get under all beds, as close to the walls as possible, under and behind furniture. Also vacuum any upholstered items in the areas your dog frequents. Once this is done, throw out the vacuum bag so fleas don’t re-emerge or hatch and re-emerge. Use soap and water to clean all hard surfaces, including closet floors, garage floors, and patio decks. Once everything has been thoroughly cleaned to get rid of obvious fleas, arrange to leave the house while you have a flea treatment. Make sure not to come back until the recommended time has passed and the treatment has been allowed to dry thoroughly.

2 – Rid your outdoor spaces of fleas – any fleas that are outside the home are a problem as well, since they will be brought back into the house again the first time you dog visits these areas. At the same time that you are having your house treated for fleas, it is a good idea to have your yard and any other outdoor space treated as well. Remember to pay special attention to dark humid places where fleas typically like to hide, such as corners, cracks, and underneath things like your patio deck.

3 – Rid your dog of fleas – while your house and your yard are being treated, find a good place to give your dog a bath to kill the fleas that are actively on his coat. Give him a thorough bath with dog shampoo, making sure to start at the head and work backwards so that fleas don’t simply migrate towards the head where they won’t be submerged and killed. After your dog dries, make sure that all fleas have been killed by double checking with a flea comb. Now is a good time to wash the clothes you wore to wash your dog, in case any fleas were transferred during the flea killing bath.

4 – Get rid of fleas for the next two weeks – this step is as important as the first three steps combined. There will be a number of flea eggs, larvae and pupae that were not caught by the initial treatment, so it is important to continue vacuuming (remember to dispose of the vacuum bag each time) and washing items that may contain these pre adult fleas over the next two weeks. If you don’t do this follow-up to keep fleas at bay, you will simply have an entirely new batch of fleas to deal with in one or two weeks time.

Till next time …