How to Kill Fleas in your house and on your dog or puppy

Getting rid of fleas on your dog alone does not treat the overall flea problem. During the flea cycle only about 5% of fleas are actually living on your dog or cat. The other 95% of fleas are living in your house or yard. That is why it is so important to get rid of the fleas and in your house and on your dog at the same time.

For example: You wash your dog in a flea rinse today and you kill 20 fleas that are living on your dog. That means that there are still approximately 380 fleas in the egg, larvae and pupae stage, developing in your house waiting to hop back on your dog. (See the flea cycle chart at the bottom of this page)

How do I get rid of fleas?- Treating the Flea Problem
Set aside a couple of hours to tackle the problem as it's not a five minute quick fix job. You will be treating your pet and your pet's environment for fleas.

It is important to treat all of your pets and your home on the same day. It is pointless to treat your home and not your pets, and it is also pointless to treat you pet and not your home as each one will re-infest the other if not treated simultaneously.
 

What you need to get started

 Step 1 - Get rid of the flea infestation in the house

The first step is to vacuum. It has already been mentioned that only 5% of the fleas are living on your pet and that the other 95% are living in your house or yard. If you have dogs that live inside or regularly come inside the house you need to get rid of the vast majority of the fleas quickly and easily. You can achieve this by vacuuming them up.

This is what you are vacuuming up

EGGS

Fleas that are living on your dog lay eggs.
The eggs drop off your pet and land on your carpet or floor.

LARVAE

The eggs hatch and become larvae.
These little worm like creatures have hair structures which act like legs and enable them to move around.

PUPAE

After a while the larvae pupate. This means that they spin a cocoon around themselves and begin a change. In the cocoon they are changing into adult fleas. It is just like a caterpillar which spins a cocoon and then emerges as a butterfly.

*Important Fact*

While the flea is in the pupal stage (above) it is impervious to insecticides. The cocoon is waterproof and no insecticides can get in to kill the developing flea. This is the reason you must vacuum up as many of these pupae as possible. The vibrations from vacuuming also stimulates the fleas to emerge from their cocoons and they will be exposed to the insecticide that will be used.

Where to Vacuum

Flea eggs fall randomly wherever your dog or cat goes, but once the eggs hatch they become larvae and have hair like bristles on the outside of their body that enable them to move around. This allows them to move to places they feel most comfortable in. They like to get out of the light and into crevices, so when you vacuum pay lots of attention to places such as near base boards, cracks in floorboards and under furniture, beds and rugs.

Step 2 - Spraying Insecticide

The next step in getting rid of fleas is to spray with the insecticide of your choice. Spray all carpets, rugs and places your pet sleeps with a flea surface spray, flea bomb or fogger that kills flea eggs, larvae and emerging adult fleas. Check the label for for active ingredients. You must use one that contains IGR. (Insect Growth Regulator) Make sure you get into every nook and cranny and pay special attention around base boards and under rugs, beds and furniture. Precor 2000 Plus is a hand held flea fogger. It has both a knockdown agent and a long lasting insect growth regulator. The fog can be directed under furniture and appliances.

Most people will find insecticides in aerosol form easier to apply than liquids unless you have a pressure sprayer.

Don't forget to remove or cover any fish or reptiles that are in the house.

After spraying the insecticide try not to vacuum for about a week if possible as the IGR component will have a residual effect.

What is IGR? 

IGR is short for Insect Growth Regulator. IGR acts as Birth Control for Fleas. It is a protein that works on the developing flea eggs and larvae and stops fleas from developing to maturity so they cannot reproduce.

The older generation of flea control products (Flea powders, flea collars and dips) are now completely obsolete. The latest treatments are top-spots, which are much safer for both pets and humans. These are applied to the skin, usually between the shoulder blades and the chemicals disperse through the skin’s oils. Usually applied monthly they include Advantage, Frontline and Revolution. Most top-spot flea treatments can be used on puppies from 8 weeks of age.

 

Flea Treatments For your Dog A top spot flea treatment is required

Have a chat to your vet or vet nurse to find out which Top Spot product would be most suitable for your dog. You may think that top spot treatments are expensive but I have found it false economy to use anything else. Most of the top spot  products advise that you use them monthly but I have found that once you have broken the flea cycle in your home you will be able to use them less often. I rarely have the need to use them more than once a year. Of course keep in mind that a visiting dog or a neighbor's cat in your yard can start the flea cycle all over again.

How to kill fleas on very young puppies Get rid of puppy fleas

How can fleas harm my dog?
Fleas feed on your pet's blood and make your dog uncomfortable A heavy infestation can cause it to become anaemic and unwell. Flea infestations have been known to kill puppies. Some individual animals are allergic to flea saliva and this causes the pet abject misery with constant scratching and self mutilation. The most common allergy dermatitis in cats and dogs is a flea allergy. Fleas also spread tapeworm from one animal to another.

Still having flea problems after two weeks?

You may still see a few survivors up to two weeks after treatment, especially if the flea infestation was particularly heavy. The reason you may see these fleas is because at the initial treatment the fleas in the pupal stage have not been killed because of their insecticide proof cocoon.

If after two weeks you still have a lot of fleas you will need to repeat the treatment again in your house and on your dog.

For maintenance... Keep an eye out for tell tale scratching and act quickly if you suspect even a single flea. Re-apply the top spot or flea product your vet has recommended. Fleas breed very quickly and two fleas can soon turn into hundreds.

Remember, your vacuum cleaner is your best friend.  Vacuum well any area your pet goes. Wash bedding and toys often. Keep an eye out for tell tale scratching and re-apply the top spot or product your vet has recommended.

 

What is the flea cycle? The flea population of any given area comprises of 50% eggs 35% larvae 10% pupae and only 5% biting adults. Fleas lay their eggs after a blood feed on the animal but these eggs quickly drop off on to the carpet, floor, bedding and outside areas. In fact anywhere your pet goes becomes a battle zone. The life cycle of the flea depends on temperature, humidity and source of food. The life cycle of the flea from egg to adulthood can vary from two weeks to eight months. An adult female flea can lay up to 600 eggs in its life time. Eggs can hatch anywhere between two days and two weeks. After the eggs hatch they become larvae. These are little worm like insects that get deep into carpet fibres, in cracks between floor boards, under beds, furniture and rugs and around skirting boards. They also thrive in sand and gravel. They feed on dead skin cells, organic material and the blood rich faeces of adult fleas. Although they don’t have legs they can move around and make their way to corners and crevices The little worm like larvae develop over a period of one to three weeks going through four moulting stages then spin themselves a silken cocoon, just like a caterpillar. This is called the pupal stage. They can remain in their little cocoons for several months but will hatch if conditions are right. Vibrations can trigger them to hatch and this is the reason why you can be suddenly covered by fleas after a house has been left unoccupied for a long period of time. It is important to note that while the fleas are in their cosy little cocoon they are not harmed by insecticides. The cocoons are watertight and protect the developing flea. This is why you may think you have killed all the fleas and larvae in your home but two weeks later a new outbreak will occur.

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