If your pet scratches excessively, sheds tufts of fur, or has scabs and rashes on their body, they may be infested with fleas. If these insects are on your furry friend, chances are they are also in the house, in the garden, and maybe even on your own body. Fortunately, you can remedy this by using chemicals or natural products, both of which protect your pet and allow you to get rid of these pesky parasites. Read on to learn more.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Treating the Animal
Step 1. Start with a nice bath
Bathe your dog or cat using a mild shampoo or lemon-based liquid dish soap. If you wish, you can also purchase a specific flea product. The fleas will not be able to attach themselves to the hair shaft, so they will fall into the water and drown.
- At the end of the bath, comb the animal with a flea comb. You can use this tool whenever you need to subject your four-legged friend to pest infestation treatment.
- Ask a groomer to trim or shave the pet's coat before doing other treatments. This way, the insecticide product you use can reach the skin, where the fleas settle, and the whole process will be more effective.
- Ask your vet what sprays or powder products you can apply to the pet's skin.
Step 2. Treat all of your pets using topical or oral products
You should administer oral medications, such as Program or Sentinel, as well as topical remedies such as Frontline.
- Make sure you use the correct dosage specific to your pet, otherwise he may have a severe overdose reaction. Never use a dog-specific flea product on cats, as their delicate nervous system only tolerates flea preventive products designed for felines.
- For maximum results, give your pet a preventative treatment on the same day you get rid of fleas in your home and garden.
Step 3. Wash your paw friend's bed, as well as any laundry that's left on the floor
By washing these elements you drastically reduce the number of eggs, larvae and make the action of the flea product more effective.
- The wash cycle does not kill parasites, but it can eliminate some of the eggs via the washing machine drain. In addition, a tumble dryer cycle at normal temperature for more than 30 minutes kills the eggs and any other fleas left on the fabrics.
- Do all of these at the same time, removing everything at once and wrapping the fabrics in a bundle of sheets. Keep the washed items wrapped in a clean sheet for up to 12 hours after treating the house and pet, to prevent fleas from infesting these as well.
Step 4. Let the pet roam freely around the house after the pest control procedure
The residual fleas will smell your four-legged friend, will climb on his fur, but will be killed as soon as they bite his skin.
Step 5. Try to keep the pet indoors for as long as possible for the next 30 days
If you want to go outside, avoid getting close to tall grass, fallen leaves from trees, gravel patches, or piles of sand.
- If you have a dog and need to walk it, try to stay on the sidewalks for the first month. Although the dog or cat is toxic to fleas after treatment, you are still trying to eliminate this annoying infestation, so you must avoid introducing new parasites while trying to kill the previous ones.
- If you can, keep your pet indoors during the winter months, especially if it is a cat. Keeping it away from the risk of infestations saves you money, as once you get rid of the problem, you won't have to proceed with further treatment until you notice new fleas.
Step 6. Continue using preventative flea products every month
If your pet stays indoors, you can stop treatment after four months. However, if it goes outside, you will have to proceed again.
Part 2 of 3: Using Chemicals in the Home, Garden and on Yourself
Step 1. Apply a DEET-based mosquito spray to your socks, ankles and cuffs every day as a preventative measure
- If you have treated your pet, fleas will die when they come in contact with its blood. However, if you haven't taken preventative measures on yourself, you could be their next "meal". Fleas only need to suck blood once to lay many eggs, so you need to prevent this from happening.
- After 30 days, you can probably stop applying the insecticide to your ankles. If you haven't seen any new fleas for a while, you've probably eradicated the infestation for good. However, if you still notice their presence or they bit you on the ankle, you will need to keep spraying the repellent product.
Step 2. Thoroughly clean the floors
This means washing both smooth and carpeted surfaces.
- Vacuum all carpets, blankets and upholstery. Put an entire flea collar (in several pieces) into the bag of the appliance. With this procedure, you not only suck up fleas, eggs and larvae, but thanks to the vibrating action of the device, many eggs can hatch prematurely. Since the insecticidal product is unable to kill fleas when they are in the pupal stage, by causing many of them to exit the larval stage prematurely, you are more likely to get rid of a greater amount of parasites. When finished, throw the vacuum cleaner bag into an outside garbage can. Finally, turn the vacuum cleaner upside down and spray the broom and rotating head with a lithic spray product.
- Wash the floors. Use a degreasing cleaner or undiluted apple cider vinegar to get fleas out of cracks and crevices so they are exposed to the air when you use a spray or mist to kill them.
Step 3. Purchase a flea spray or nebulizer, read the instructions carefully, and make sure you get enough of it based on the total area of all the rooms you need to treat
You need to be sure that the product kills the eggs, so check that it contains one of these ingredients: s-Methoprene, fenoxycarb or pyriproxyphen.
- Spray the insecticide on rugs, carpets, furniture, baseboards, walls and even on your pet's bed.
- Do not forget the edges of the doors, the corners of the rooms, the cracks on the floors, under the furniture and the cushions of the sofas. Flea larvae tend to hide in dark areas, even if your pet is too big to sneak under furniture.
- If you use a nebulizer product, you must also use a spray for those areas that are not reached by the nebulizer.
Step 4. If your pet spends more than 5% of the day outdoors, treat the garden as well
- Before proceeding, remove all plant residues such as fallen leaves, grass clippings or other organic components present. Also be sure to cut the grass before spraying the insecticide.
- Make sure you reach all shaded or partially shaded areas as well. This includes the inside of the dog's kennel, under trees, shrubs, bushes, as well as under the porch or veranda.
Step 5. Spray the product at home once more two weeks after the first treatment
Many fleas in your home may still be in their cocoons or pupal stage and the insecticide is unable to eliminate them. By spraying the product a second time, you are sure to kill even those parasites that were in the larval stage during the first treatment.
Part 3 of 3: Using Natural Remedies to Eliminate Fleas
Step 1. Keep the house temperature as low as possible when you are not around
Fleas do not survive in cold environments. By maintaining low temperatures, fleas are encouraged to climb onto the animal's fur, where they will die as a result of the anti-flea.
- Buy an electronic thermostat that allows you to adjust the temperature when you go to work or to sleep.
- Leave the windows open when you are away from home as much as possible.
Step 2. Put covers on the furniture after the pest control
In this way, the parasites will not be able to hide inside the upholstery, under the pillows, or between the blankets.
Step 3. Scrub the dog's coat with citrus fruits, but don't use this method on cats
Squeeze the juice of an orange or lemon and rub the rest of the fruit all over your furry friend. In this way the animal will have a good scent and will not become intoxicated if it licks its fur.
Step 4. Put a natural predator in the garden
You can purchase "good" nematodes at pet stores, garden supply stores, or hardware stores; these insects are particularly suitable for the care of organic lawns. These are worms that feed on flea larvae, so spreading them in the garden avoids the birth of a new generation of parasites that can infest the house. Don't worry, though - these aren't the nematodes that can transmit heartworm disease to your furry friend.
Step 5. Use plain table salt
Spread it liberally on rugs and carpets; the fleas will die within a few days. Three days later he activates the vacuum cleaner; after three weeks reapply the salt and, after another three days, use the appliance again. Salt works efficiently and is safe for your puppy's coat.
Step 6. Use apple cider vinegar
Add a teaspoon for every quart of water in the dog's bowl. When he drinks the water, the vinegar will enter his system and his blood will absorb some of it and take on an unpleasant taste to fleas. The animal will need to drink 2 or 3 bowls of water before any results can be seen, but this is a very effective remedy once the vinegar has entered the animal's body.
Advice
- If your dog has thick or curly fur, oral treatment is likely to be more effective because topical medications cannot cover all of the skin thoroughly.
- Always work with your vet if the infestation is extensive. He will give you all the detailed instructions and point out the best products for the treatment of the animal, the house and the garden.
- Apply a generous amount of menthol to your ankles before entering the house. This discourages fleas from biting your feet and lower leg area.
Warnings
- Some dog pesticides contain permethrin, which can cause seizures and even death in cats. So don't use dog medications on cats!
- If your pet begins to have seizures due to the wrong dosage of flea product, contact your veterinarian immediately.
- If your four-legged friend has pale gums, is listless and his body is cold, it means that the fleas have caused severe blood loss or that the animal is suffering from a life-threatening disease called parasitic anemia. This pathology is particularly dangerous for small animals and puppies, in this case you must contact your veterinarian promptly.
- Do not insist on insecticides such as Frontline or others containing fipronil if the fleas appear to have developed resistance to these chemicals.
- An oral nitenpyram treatment (such as Capstar) is capable of killing adult fleas on your pet within 30 minutes of taking. You can then proceed with this effective treatment.
