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Fleas!
My poor baby has been itching his butt like crazy the past few days, and until last night we didn't know why. I counted 4 fleas on him last night and he has these areas of black debris or scabbing, not sure which. There's about three of these areas around his tail. I also just found one flea on another of my dogs, and the third, our puppy, just started itching this morning.
I gave them some Benadryl in hopes to relieve some of that irritation, but what I'd like to know is what is the best treatment to put on them, and how do I make sure they are gone for good everywhere else in my home? They are locked in a room during the day, and though I haven't seen any fleas in there yet, it's probably just a matter of time.
Iwas going to vacuum when I get home today, as well as give them all baths, but what else can I do? TIA
Re: Fleas!
It takes a good 3 months of solid treatment to completely get rid of a flea infestation! I think pet owners have the hardest time understanding this because unfortunately it is not a problem that will just go away on it's own. Many of the 'at home' remedies don't work and you're going to end up spending way more on those so called remedies than you would with a trip to the vets office.
First things first, if the infestation is really bad then bathe your pets in blue dawn dish soap. This is going to kill any fleas that are currently on your pet. Flea collars are useless so don't even bother putting them on your pet. The only good thing they can be used for is if you cut them in half and place them into the bag of your vacuum. Again, not the most practical method so I'd just save the money if I were you.
You need to get a good house spray, one that specifically says it contains an IGR (insect growth regulator) and this is key to treating your house. Any of the topical or oral flea products out there (whether purchased at a vets office or store) will not kill all of the life cycles of the flea so you need something that is going to prevent the larva that is living in your carpets, furniture and bedding from maturing. Flea bombs are pointless because they go into the air then settle around everything. You need a spray that you can control exactly where it goes! Everything (and underneath everything) needs to be sprayed as well! Bedding, furniture, carpet, baseboards - basically anywhere that a flea can fit (which is pretty much every where) needs to be sprayed down. This isn't something either that you need to be gone all day for. You can spray one room at a time and it typically takes about 10 minutes for the product to dry so you don't need to be out of the house all day.
You also need to get a good flea product and the unfortunate thing with cats, is that there aren't a lot of products that are labeled for kitties since they are so sensitive to everything on the market. We have an office kitty that is allergic to frontline (all her hair falls out when it's applied) so obviously, we don't give it to her anymore just to clarify. Frontline is a good product and it is labeled for kitties, yay! Now, you can purchase this in the grocery store or at your vets office and of course you know where I'm going to suggest to purchase it but that's a whole other issue.... The thing with purchasing it at a vets office is that the product is than guaranteed. If you treat the animals for three months straight and are still having a problem Merial (the company that manufactors Frontline) will do one of three things:
1. Refund your money spent on their product
2. Send you more product to continue the treatment
3. Send an exterminator to your home
So there are some benefits from just purchasing it from a vets office plus there is a current promotion where if you buy 3 months worth of product, you get 1 month free!
Topical flea products are to be used once a month and because cats are so sensitive I wouldn't suggest anything more frequent than that. As long as you keep up with the spray and the monthly application you shouldn't have any problems. Just don't bathe the animals too often because it'll remove the product you've applied (wait at least 48 hours) and it can really dry out their skin especially the dish soap because it's made to remove grease (oil on skin).
This is the real kicker though - The problem is going to get worse before it gets better. I know this sucks to hear but its the truth. Just before fleas die they get really excited so often times you'll start seeing more fleas but what is really happening is that they are all dying (yay!!). Another little fun flea fact to help you sleep at night, one female flea can lay upwards of 100 eggs a day! And in most cases the larva have to become adults before you can kill them (that's why we need the IGR spray) which explains why the problem gets worse before it gets better.
OK, I know I have gone on and on but this isn't something that will go away after one treatment so stay on top of it and eventually the problem will be gone, it's just going to take some time. Even if you don't see any more fleas, still continue to treat for 3 months because it may just be that you've killed off all of the adult fleas but there are larva still lurking in your carpets.
You may also need to treat your yard for the little buggers. We typically suggest Seven Dust (which can be purchased at Home Depot or stores similar to that) and it's best to treat your yard before a rain so that way the product and soak into the ground.
Thank you so much! I'm going to get all that today so I can get started. I just feel so bad for my smallest dog because he's the most affected right now.
The good thing is that my house needed a deep clean anyways.
Luckily we only have carpet in the bedrooms and not all through the house.
So here's my shopping list, let me know if it's right:
-Blue Dawn Dish Soap (Does it have to be this brand?)
-IGR Spray
-Seven Dust
-Frontline