How To Get Rid Of Fleas In Your Home

Jean Morgan asked:


Fleas are pesky critters that can transmit a variety of diseases and illnesses and make life miserable for your pet as well. Getting rid of these pests is essential for a healthy, happy home for all of its two-legged and four-legged inhabitants. Here are seven easy ways to prevent and control the flea population around your house.

Prevention is Key

The best method in the fight against fleas is preventing an infestation in the first place. Since they thrive in heat and humidity, be sure to check your pet frequently during the hotter months as well as in the fall or autumn. Another critical preventative measure is keeping your yard trimmed and free of weeds and to keep the foliage pruned as much as possible. It’s also wise to wash the pet’s bedding in very hot, soapy water on a weekly basis as this is the most likely site for flea eggs and larvae.

Keep an Eye on Your Pet

It should go without saying that it’s necessary to watch your pet for commons signs and symptoms of a flea infestation. Keep an eye out for excessive biting and scratching, particularly around the tail and lower back areas. Watch for raw patches of skin where your dog or cat may have been scratching at fleas for some time. Another bit of evidence is “flea debris,” specks of dried blood that are black in color.

Ask for a Professional

Consult with your pet’s veterinarian for their thoughts on flea control. They can recommend a few treatment options for you to decide which would be best for your particular situation.

Flea Collars and Powders

If you have caught the problem relatively early, it may be possible to eliminate fleas by simply using flea collars and powders. There are several brands and types to choose from, and many contain a special comb with fine teeth that is designed to remove fleas from fur.

Flea Baths

It’s helpful to bathe your pet frequently using a specially formulated soap or treatment. It’s necessary to take into consideration the type of fur or coat your pet has when bathing. This is particularly true for dogs as some breeds have essential oils that shouldn’t be washed away with soap and water more than once or twice a year. If bathing in a flea bath isn’t an option for your pet, consult your vet for other alternatives.

Monthly Medication

There are pills available for your pet to take on a monthly basis that will prevent fleas from reproducing, but they do not kill the ones that have already reached adulthood. There are also multi-purpose medications and products available that are designed to prevent fleas from reproducing as well as controlling heartworm, hookworms, whipworms and roundworms.

An Unconventional Method

This simple home remedy is touted by many as a sure cure for a house infested with fleas. At nighttime, simply fill a few bowls of plain water and place them underneath a lit flashlight. It is said that the fleas will be attracted to the light, jump into the water and drown.

Paul Kramer asked:


In spring, fleas and ticks usually do the most damage; therefore you should guard yourself using the common flea facts you should know that could help save your pets from a possible infestation. Of course, acquiring this knowledge would not only help you treat any form of infection acquired by your pet, but it also helps you get to the root of the problem so next time you can guard yourself against it.

Fleas are parasitic insects that feed off the blood of birds and mammals it infest. Some of our pet dogs and cats are allergic to the flea’s saliva which could later on cause rashes or loss of fur. And while they thrive during warmer temperature, they are capable of reproducing all year-round, which means that we have to constantly guard our environment and pets against them.

Aside from causing itching or allergies to your pets, fleas may also become carriers of certain diseases like tapeworm or Lyme disease. Tapeworm is transmitted to an animal since fleas often carry with them tapeworm eggs that could stay in the animal’s fur. So, when your pet starts itching or when they bite off the fur, they can ingest the tapeworm eggs that reside in the fur and cause tapeworm infection.

The life cycle of a flea can cause them to develop over a 2-week period or longer, depending on various outside factors like environment, humidity, temperature, and availability of food. As already stated above, they thrive best during hot weather so during summer months, you should be extra cautious of them.

One other reason why you cannot take the case of fleas lightly is that they spread very easily. Therefore, once a flea infestation has started, you have to find immediate relief. They are often distributed all over the body of your pet such as the lower back, base of tail, abdomen, flanks, and neck. However, in severe cases, flea infestation has managed to spread all over the animal’s body. You cannot let this happen! So when your pet shows signs of itching or scratching, better take them to the vet right away for proper examination.

And as fleas spread very easily, when you have multiple pets at home and one gets infected with fleas, you have to assume that the others have fleas as well. Then, that’s when you start looking for ways to treat and stop any further infestation. For home remedies, an effective way to get rid of fleas in your pet’s body is by spraying them with insecticide. The insecticide is able to penetrate your pet’s skin where fleas hide and are not normally seen. Once hit with the insecticide, the flea can die within a matter of minutes only.

Treating adult fleas can be done pretty quickly, however developing fleas are hard to control. Therefore, you have to continue applying your entire house with insecticide to completely eradicate any existing fleas within your house, as well as prevent those developing ones from continuing to reproduce.

Applying treatment on your pet alone works only when you were able to detect flea infestation while still at its early stage. But when it has been widely spread, it is best to have your entire house undergo complete flea control procedures. Fighting off fleas isn’t really difficult as long as you educate yourself with these flea facts that you should know to get rid of them completely.

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


The fleas and some other parasites must be given top priority by all the dog owners and lovers. Common incidences of these flea bite allergy in many case of the dogs must cause a lot of worries to these dog owners. These flea bites cause allergic reactions in some of the concerned area which bitten. Therefore, affected area appears like a hairless area and hence the animal starts to scratch.

Sometimes fleas can cause dermatitis in the dogs along with severe flea infestation problems. Mostly, flea bites cause some allergic reactions in your dog. In most occasions, these dogs experience very bad discomforts owing to allergic reactions. Some medicated collars are being sold to prevent and treat infestation of external parasites like fleas or ticks.

Some other parasites like lice or ticks in addition to all these internal parasites like the round worms or hook worms or whip worms can create infections in the animal. Like for example, if any hookworm infects the dog, mostly , the dog gets anemia. Anemic signs get more prominent and depend on degree of infection.

These hookworm larvae pass directly via the skin and can cause problems in affected ones. Those dogs may get lesions pertaining to dermatitis in the feet area and also in skin area. These skin rashes are seen frequently in those cases and hence the affected dog passes very loose stool, that is often red tinged and also mixed with blood.

If round worms are present in more numbers, these infected puppies will have a potbelly situation that is very easily recognized by dog owners. In this case Piperazine salts are given via oral route to treat this problem. But however, some broad-spectrum anthelmintics like the pyrantel pamoate and the fenbendazole etc. are also given to treat this situations

Now many drugs have entered the market in order to treat fleas and also other parasites. A medical agent known as ivermectin is preferred by most dog owners for treating flea problem and also other parasites present. These drugs are available in the injection form or even oral form. This drug is got for external application too.

John asked:


Frontline Plus Flea Control is a topical preventive drug which is used in flea and tick prevention. The drug is strong, as it kills the fleas with in 48 hours and the growth stages of the flea. Frontline Plus Flea Control is highly recommended by doctors for the sole purpose of the protection of the pet in order to maintain the desired level of health.

Frontline Plus possesses an insect growth regulator which checks the growth of the flea and kills the flea eggs and larvae. There are many advantages of using the Frontline Plus Flea Control which include the following:

1. Frontline Plus kills all fleas within 18 hours of the application.

2. After the application of Frontline Plus, there usually are no concerns for a period of one month with regards to the health of the pet.

3. As the Frontline Plus is waterproof, it is all the more recommended for pets that swim underwater.

4. The use of Frontline Plus is dual as it kills ticks of all types.

The process of its functioning is quite simple. It affects the nervous system of the flea and creates an environment that keeps the pet protected. The use of the medicine is not complicated, and there are not many precautions which need to be followed. However, at certain times, some pets may develop itching on the point of application and red spots. There is nothing to worry about as it is quite normal. If the symptoms persist, then consult the veterinary doctor to get advice, because the pet might be allergic to the composition of the drug. In such a case, there are different drug forms that can be used, such as Frontline Plus sprays. They are present in the market and are used for the same purpose. They generally contain less irritable substances. The drug is quite popular, and the users are increasing with each passing day. The drug is one of the best on the market and has established its name.

The drug can be stored at normal room temperature in any container which is clean. The use of the drug should be clear, and an over dose can prove to be dangerous and in certain cases can lead to loosing the pet. It is also important to note that the drug should not be placed in the reach of the children and pets, and this will prevent many accidents and safety problems.

The use of Frontline Plus is all external, and it is advised to clean the pet with soap and water in order to maintain the required standard of health for the pet. Lastly, the use of the drug should be done according to the advice of the doctor.

Sharon Hopkins asked:


Home Remedies for Fleas

Keep your house clean by regular vacuuming as well as cleaning and bathing your pets to avoid any circulation of these parasites.

One of the most natural repellents which we have come across to fight fleas is the eucalyptus leaves. Somehow the smell is a major turn off for them.

You can use borax, which works great against the fleas. Spread it across your house; let it sit for some days and later vacuum your house to remove those fleas.

Spreading cedar chips along your fence line or in your room can keep the fleas at bay. You can also have a tansy plant outside your dogs’ pen to keep the fleas away.

Make garlic an important part of pets’ food. Mix it, crush it, mince it, powder it and use it in any form to keep the pest away from the pets.

Adding yeast pills in your dog’s diet also gets rid of the fleas. These yeast pills can be easily found in any of the medical stores.

Try diatomaceous earth, is one of the most natural ways to get rid of fleas. It can used be in your house, around the house and on your dog.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.