We can’t seem to get rid of the fleas no matter what we do. We’ve tried gels, a flea dip, spray on all the carpet and furniture, flea collars, flea shampoo . . . the list goes on. They’ll seem to disappear for a couple days, but they keep coming back. Does anyone have something that works? If so, what’s the brand name and where did you get it?
revolution. fleas are really bad where i live and it seems to work wonders on all my pets. try to stay away from flea collars they dont do much but cause irritation.
in the ho use i put a small bowl of water under a night light and they jump into and drown because they go where the light is. out side we spray our yard with deisel and bleach water then we put a light over a pan of water out in their pen. hope this helps.we have flees really bad here we live cl ose to a national park and they are bad.
My dog takes Sentinel monthly for fleas & heartworms. However, she ended up with fleas a few weeks ago. I called the vet and the sent out a pill made by Sentinel for her to take. It was a single dosage and it worked within 24hrs. She only weighs 13lbs, so it might take longer for a larger dog. I also had to treat my yard twice to make sure the fleas were gone. Good luck!
Advantage — from the vet. Some people like frontline, but I have excellent results for several years, 2 dogs and 2 cats, with advantage. You can also order it on line from petmeds.
Wash your pet’s bedding in hot water. But more importantly, leave them in soapy for at least 15 minutes. That will break down their waxy coating and they will dehydrate and die.
Wash all other bedding (including yours), couch covers, carpet, and any clothes that were out in the open (where fleas could have gotten into or onto them).
Purchase vermiculite at your local hardware store or pet store. Sprinkle on your carpet, then vaccum up. Be sure to vacuum very thoroughly. Fleas love dark warm places like behind doors and under furniture.
Buy a good quality flea control product. Frontline Plus and Advantage are good topical products. Program is an alternative to pesticides; it prevents the fleas from forming chitin.
Give your pet a bath using flea shampoo. Read the instructions for how long the shampoo should stay on the animal before rinsing (if you have no flea shampoo, regular or baby shampoo will do the trick).
Keeping everything cleaned and washed will help prevent fleas. If you do, the fleas won’t have the time or space necessary to live and breed.
If your pet likes to sleep or sit somewhere that doesn’t have a washable bed or blanket on it, put one there. This way you can wash it more often.
Remember that “all natural” products from the pet store can be toxic to pets. “All natural” doesn’t mean safe; arsenic and nightshade are all natural!
Don’t use Hartz, especially on dogs when you have cats. The dog version can lead to seizures in cats.
Many flea shampoos have age limits, meaning some puppies and kittens can’t use them. Make sure to rinse, too — you don’t want your pet to be uncomfortable because of soap residue.
There are products you can buy to treat lawns for fleas, so they won’t continue to re-infest your pets and home. Most important is to use an Insect Growth Regulator that stops the fleas from developing. Insecticides only kill the adult fleas. Fleas only spend 15% of their lives as adults. The other 85% is just waiting to hatch out into biting adults. Stop them before they do.
Fleas carry tapeworms. Watch your animals carefully after an infestation. They may have picked up stomach parasites as well. There are finally over the counter tapeworm pills that are the generic form of Droncit that was prescribed by vets.
Consider rubbing apple cider vinegar all over your pet. It should stop itching.
If your pet develops a rash or any other type of allergic reaction, and is still scratching after about two weeks, call your veterinarian.
revolution, frontline, sentinel. If you buy that OTC crap you should not own a pet.
This is the method I used in San Diego. Every time I moved into a new place, I had to fight horrid flea infestations. I don’t do fleas. They like to munch me as much or more than the dogs.
Ideally, you should treat all pets, the whole house and the yard at the same time. Something like Advantage or Revolution works wonderfully on the pet. Use a product like Zodiac Premise spray in the house. You should be able to find it at most pet supply stores. Wash all bedding (people and pet) and throw rugs in hot water (unless washing directions specify cold.) Vacuum the house. Make sure there is no fur buildup in the corners. Vacuum the furniture, under the cushions, under the furniture. The warmth and vibrations of the vacuum will make the pupae that are ready to become adults emerge for their first meals (you and your pets.) If your vacuum has a bag, throw it (for bagless, the contents of the “cup”) in the trash outside. If you have fish tanks, cover them temporarily with a sheet to keep any spray from contamination their water. Same with any reptile enclosures. Move birds, cats, dogs, etc… out of the house while you spray. Turn off fans (they interfere in where the spray goes.) Spray all carpeted areas, making sure to get under furniture. Spray all fabric furniture, making sure to get all sides of the cushions and all sides of the furniture. Use a yard spray outside. Be sure to keep the lawn mowed and don’t allow overgrowth areas. Pay attention to underneath bushes. Once the Premise spray is dry inside, it’s ok for the pets to come back in and you can uncover tanks. Don’t vacuum again for at least a couple of days. Walking on the carpet will allow the encapsulated formula of the spray to settle down into the fibers of the carpet. You’ll need to repeat the vacuum and spray process again every few weeks for a couple of months to get any pupae that have matured. After that, once a month is sufficient. I recommend Zodiac Premise spray because it has in IGR (insect growth regulator) in it. It affects the female flea and basically renders her infertile. The eggs are afected in that the developing flea tries to skip stages in it’s life cycle (that doesn’t work well for the developing flea.) It does the same to the larva. Nothing will affect the pupae (hence the reason for re-treating several times.) The Advantage, etc… should keep your dog from being reinfected. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, be sure to treat them also with a product like Revolution. That should minimize their bringing fleas back home.
God luck.
BTW…flea collars don’t work and flea bombs are more work than effective.
try k-9 advantix and frontline also try petco or petsmart
Have you tried frontline or advantix? I have had different experiences with each one – i have two dogs and have to use one kind on one dog and then the other on my second dog. They are both very good products. Also, another good thing to use is skin so soft from avon. Just use it moderately but it will kill the fleas. You may want to consider using a flea bomb for your house, if the dog stays inside. It’s very hard to combat fleas when an animal comes in and out, but you can get sprays for your yard that work well also. Good luck!
i heard that laying something white like a napkin, papertowel/plate, bowl or something attracts fleas-basically the color white. i’ve heard of people putting solutions like vinegar in a white bowl. i don’t know if it works, but it’s worth a try. just don’t let the dog get into it.
The best thing that will immediately get rid of fleas is to soak them in the tub in Dawn dish washing liquid for at least 10 minutes and them once the pet is completely dry apply Frontline Plus!
If the fleas are gone for a few days, but come back, then whatever you’re doing is only killing the adult fleas and not the eggs.
This time of year is going to make it difficult to get rid of them, since this is prime flea season. There is hope, but it takes more than one step.
The Dog: spend the money to have the dog professionally dipped and groomed, followed IMMEDIATELY by a flea treatment
The Inside: while you and doggie are away, you need to have the inside fo the house treated for the fleas and the eggs. You can get a flea bomb for your home at any pet supply store. Be sure to wash your pet’s bedding and any toy that is fleecy or similar.
The Outside: you’ll need to treat your yard too. You can get items from the pet supply store, or you can hire a professional. It will depend on the effort and money you want to spend, as well as available resources.
The Car: don’t forget that poochie dear has to ride in the car to get to and from the vet – you can either flea bomb it or have it detailed.
Once all of this is done, you should have gotten all of the areas the dog normally resides and be able to start from square one. Just be sure to maintain a flea prevention regimine (I have cats as well, so I use Advantage once a month – talk to your vet about using it once every three weeks if your area has a bad outbreak of fleas).
Keep in mind that all of the products that you use need to kills the eggs as well as the adults.
I heard my mom tell somebody that Frontline is the best and most effective. You get it at the vet’s office, and it usually lasts about a month. They’ll give you additional information at the vet.