Pet Flea Control

There are four important steps in getting rid of dog fleas and keeping them gone. The first in this list is to apply the medicine correctly to your pet. Secondly, it’s important that your pet is healthy so that the medication will go to work and do its job. Once you’ve satisfied those two aspects go to work to get rid of the existing fleas in your pet’s environment. And last apply preventive measures to keep the environment free of fleas.

Application

Some of the best flea prevention medications are the type that are applied to the pet between the shoulder blades, where the pet can’t reach with its mouth.

It’s important to apply the medication correctly and apply it to healthy skin.

Touch the applicator tip to the skin and empty it on the skin. You may have to hold the fur so that it resembles a part and draw the applicator along the exposed skin. Don’t bother to put the medication in the hair. The hair can’t absorb it but the skin can.

You may apply the medication to more than one spot, and this may be necessary on pets with very thick fur. However, the more often you lift the applicator tip and move to another location, the more likely you are to get product in the hair or on yourself.

Don’t rub the product in. Let the skin absorb it. Keep your fingers away from the applicator tip. Your pet needs the application, not you. Empty the tube so that the pet gets the full dose.

Apply the product to a healthy pet

Check your pet’s skin to make sure it’s healthy. It should be soft and flexible. If the skin is dry, appears thick and inflexible it may be unhealthy and will not absorb the medication as it should. You may have to supplement his diet with Omega 3 & Omega 6 fatty acids to improve his skin and coat. Also keep the coat groomed and washed to remove matted hair, feces, old dry skin, and debris.

Get rid of the current crop of bad company

If you find a flea infestation you need to treat the yard and house where 95-99% of the flea population lives. Only 1-5% of flea population lives on your pet. the remainder live in the house and yard. Remove fleas, flea eggs, and larvae from the house and yard by using flea medication treatments that kill adult dog fleas. Then, vacuum thoroughly and get rid of the bag immediately. It’s now a great incubator or baby ward for fleas! Vacuum the house twice a week. Pay attention to mop boards, sofa cushions, carpets, and pet beds.

Be sure to treat all shady areas in the yard, under fences, and in the dog house. Remove all leaf litter and material fleas can live in. If you mulch, use eucalyptus or cedar mulch to deter insects.

Treat all pets in the household with flea products. Use something like Frontline Plus©, K9 Advantix© or Advantage© topical medications or oral medications like Program© and Sentinel Rx©. Those products prevent adult fleas from producing eggs that can survive to adulthood. It’s a good idea to rotate flea control products to prevent resistance to any single product.

The ounce of prevention

Fleas go through 4 growth stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Flea treatments kill adult fleas and larvae, but no pet, house, or yard product kills fleas when they are in the pupal stage and wrapped in a cocoon. You can’t kill fleas then, but as soon as they hatch they’re susceptible to flea products.You haven’t failed, nor has the insecticide. Nature made the flea cocoon as safe as a bomb shelter.

The time required for pupal fleas to mature and emerge as adults varies over a wide span. They can emerge from the cocoon in as little as a couple weeks, or as long as several months-depending upon temperature, humidity, and the flea’s ability to sense a suitable host.

Plan to treat newly hatching adult fleas by applying a suitable indoor insecticide spray to your carpet and outdoor spray or granular product to the yard. The best time for reapplication is 1-2 weeks after the first treatment. Then, reapply in another 1-2 weeks.

When it’s cold, flea pupae may not hatch for weeks or months. Your carpet and yard treatments will have dissipated, and won’t have the kick to control the newly hatched fleas. Don’t let up; retreat the house and yard as soon as you find newly emerging dog fleas.