NBFR... Fleas!

SimpleJane · September 2013

I was just sitting on the couch and found a flea jumping on my shirt! Gross!

I gave our dog a bath on Sunday and didn't see any fleas on her but obviously she has them. We had been giving her Frontline once a month as a flea and tick preventative but I got lazy/forgetful and skipped this month.

How do I begin to get rid of these nasty little things? I had a coworker who had her house completely infested last year so I'm super paranoid. Do I treat my rugs and furniture or just the cat and dog? Help!

ambrvan · September 2013

I would go ahead and give your Frontline or Comfortis or whatever flea product you use to your animals. Remember if it is a topical product that should be dry 48hrs before and after application.

If you think you may have fleas in your house now, go ahead and find a good flea carpet sprinkle or spray or something for the courts and furniture. Frontline, Adams, Ovitrol, Black Flag, and Seven Dust make great products for your environment (home, yard, etc).

If you are pretty sure that the problem has not progressed enough to invest your home and is just limited to your animals at this time, then put your prevention on your animals and wash any bedding or throw away any straw or wood chips they may have in a dog house. Keep up with this frequently to avoid gathering little critters. Keep on top of your monthly prevention consistently.

If you have an infestation, it takes approximately three months to fully get on top of it. Consistency in an aggressive approach is key to wrong or an infestation.

I may not be able to catch the mouse in my kitchen, but for all your flea and tick questions, I can write you a book.

Also, instead of using flea dips and shampoos when you bathe, use dawn dish soap. It kills fleas and ticks and is safe for all ages without the risks that certain flea shampoos and dips pose. But still keep up with your prevention every month.

ambrvan · September 2013

Also, flea susceptibility varies regionally. If you are still having a problem call your very for advice. Some techniques and products work better than others in certain regions.

redheeler · September 2013

ambrvan said:
I would go ahead and give your Frontline or Comfortis or whatever flea product you use to your animals. Remember if it is a topical product that should be dry 48hrs before and after application.

If you think you may have fleas in your house now, go ahead and find a good flea carpet sprinkle or spray or something for the courts and furniture. Frontline, Adams, Ovitrol, Black Flag, and Seven Dust make great products for your environment (home, yard, etc).

If you are pretty sure that the problem has not progressed enough to invest your home and is just limited to your animals at this time, then put your prevention on your animals and wash any bedding or throw away any straw or wood chips they may have in a dog house. Keep up with this frequently to avoid gathering little critters. Keep on top of your monthly prevention consistently.

If you have an infestation, it takes approximately three months to fully get on top of it. Consistency in an aggressive approach is key to wrong or an infestation.

I may not be able to catch the mouse in my kitchen, but for all your flea and tick questions, I can write you a book.

Also, instead of using flea dips and shampoos when you bathe, use dawn dish soap. It kills fleas and ticks and is safe for all ages without the risks that certain flea shampoos and dips pose. But still keep up with your prevention every month.

This, also in addition to frontline, a mix of lavender and tea tree oil, mixed with a small amount of apple cider vinegar watered down in a spray bottle, spray this anywhere you think there may be fleas, lounge, carpets, pets bedding (after washing it) and consistently do this and vacuum a couple hours after.

xmaryrickx · September 2013

May I also suggest sprinkling your yard with diatomaceous earth. Food grade only! I swear that stuff is a miracle. Our old yard became so flea infested it literally looked like it was moving. One application and POOF no more fleas!

Ilumine · September 2013

We live in FL. We did not have a good freeze last winter. We had 4 weeks of rain, therefore no yard bug killer has worked. We can literally see the fleas jumping in our yard.

While most topical flea products kill the fleas on contact with the pet, if you have a dog with longer or thick fur, the medicine may not make it all the way to the ends of the hair follicle. Therefore, if a flea comes into the house on the dog and then jumps off right away...bam you have fleas.

Or if the product you are using has become obsolete with your area's flea and tick population (Frontline does not work in our area), then bam you have fleas.

Our poor Westie has horrible allergies to the grasses down here to begin with. Tack on a flea bite and she will literally pull out all of her hair and end up a big bleeding/oozing mess. So we take fleas very very very very seriously.

This is what we do

1) Every Sunday is wash day.

a) dogs get bathed with Dawn dish soap and the cat gets wiped down with a wet washcloth

b) all of the bedding and slipcovers get washed with Borax

c) I sprinkle Boric Acid* on the carpets and sofas. I leave the BA on everything overnight and then vacuum it all up first thing in the morning. I then sprinkle a very light coating of the BA on the sofas before I put the slipcovers back on.

2) Every Tuesday, and Thursday I give the dogs and cat a Capstar. Now Capstar IS NOT a flea deterrent. It kills the adult fleas within 30 minutes of ingesting but only lasts maybe 24 hours. I LOVE THIS STUFF, but it is so gross because the dead fleas just start falling off the animals. I have to lock them outside on the florida porch for a good hour before I give them a quick brush and let them in.

3) Finally, I just started spraying the dogs down with distilled vinegar, water and lavender oil every time they leave the house. My backyard has gotten SO OVERGROWN (between the rain and the heat, AND my laziness I have not weeded and the dogs like to go into the weeds) that they cannot help to get more on them. THe ONLY issue is when Penny has a hot spot.

*(I bought a 5lb bucket online not only for the fleas, but the palmetto bugs that were fleeing the flood waters to our garage.

dannie2011 · September 2013

The blue dawn is good, if your area is not immune to the frontline that will solve a lot of the flea problem inside. I also use a flea collar doesn't matter what brand as its not going on the dog. You cut a piece and put it in your vacuum bag/canister that way you are not spraying your house or dumping all sorts of crap on your furniture. The flea collar in the bag/canister will kill the fleas that you suck up instead of them just getting right back out.

SimpleJane · September 2013

Thank you ladies for the advice! I don't think our area is immune to the Frontline because it had worked up until this point thankfully. I have heard about the vinegar and lavender oil before, so after the Frontline has been on a few days I'm going to do that. I had never thought about treating the yard too.

Ugh. Our poor pup itched all night.

ambrvan · September 2013

What Illumine said about her area being immune to Frontline is exactly why I suggested calling your vet for recommendations. Actually I think my post said "very" but I meant to say "vet." Frontline Plus does not work in our area as well, but their new Frontline Tritak is good here. From what I have read in journals at work, Advantage Multi(topical) and Trifexis(pill) are great flea products across the US, not so much on ticks. They prevent heartworms, fleas, and intestinal parasites all in one, so you must have a current heartworm test negative to begin using these products.

Do not waste your time on pet store or farm supply store flea "prevention." You can get environmental treatment products here, but go to your vet for your prevention needs.

donna388 · September 2013

Watch using Lavender Oil around the cat. It can be toxic!

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