Complete Flea Care

You need to take a multilayer approach to control fleas on your pet.  The simple option is to start with prevention.  However, if you did not choose prevention or your prevention failed then you are in control mode.  Just getting rid of the fleas on your cat or dog is not enough.  You have to stop them from coming back.  That means treating your pet, your home, your yard and even your car.

1.  Treat your pet. 

You can use dips, sprays, spot on treatment or pills.  I am not a fan of collars or powders, but they are available.  There are two important things to keep in mind.  First, Never give a cat flea control labeled for a dog.  This is very dangerous.  Cats are far more sensitive and need chemicals approved for them.  Second, Do not overdose your pet.  You can not double up of various methods of direct application.  If you use a spot on treatment do not add a collar.  If you use a dip, you must wait before applying a spot on treatment.  If your pet is too young for flea control products, spray the flea control on a towel and wrap the towel around the puppy or kitten for a few minutes.  Flea combs can be benificial.  If you have any doubts, consult your vet.

2.  Treat your home.

Cleaning up your pet is a start, but you will have a longer and tougher battle unless your clean up your home, too.  You can spray or you can fog and spray.  When applying products to your home, take all pets out of the house and unplug fish tanks until the chemicals have dried and the house is has been flushed with fresh air.  Start by vaccuming the house.  Heat from the vaccume helps hatch the fleas from their cacoon.  No chemicals can penitrate the cacoon.  Spray the entire house, including hard floors.  Spray around baseboards, behind curtains, under tables and sofas, etc.  If you are using a fogger you still have to spray under things.  The mist in the fogger goes straight up and straight down so a chair blocks the floor under from the mist.  One week later vaccume and spray again.  This is to collect the fleas that were hiding in the cacoon the first time around. 

3.  Treat your yard.

Wildlife traveling through your yard is constantly leaving a trail of fleas behind for you.  Even if you have an inside cat you should spray your yard and bushes.  You may be carrying fleas in to your pet on your shoes and pant legs.  Spray lawn and landscape with indoor/outdoor spray.  You will also get rid of Japanese Beetles, mosquitoes and other pests as a bonus.  Keep your pet away from the area until the spray is dry.

4.  Treat your car.

Even if you never take your pet in your car, you may have transfered fleas from your carpet to your shoes to your car.  It only takes a minute and very little spray for this extra step of prevention.

I am so sorry if you have had to go through this process.  The whole experience can be very trying.  Be sure to watch for alergic reations to flea bites.  When outdoors use Flys Off repellent to protect your dog from annoying bites.  Best of luck and enjoy your summer.