How do you get rid of fleas?

Question

My dogs are just itching themselves CONSTANTLY!! It's driving me crazy! Although I do know how they feel because I always get bug bites during the summer (maybe some flea bites to.) I have for dogs which evedentally attracts them. Two of them are huskies, one border collie and a beagle. My one husky we tried to give a bath last night, be my parents don't listen when I say, "Only I can do these things!" We all know he hates the water, but they tried to get him in. I have another method of doing it. So we just put 'Hartz Advanced Care' on him from Wal-Mart. I gave my border collie a bath and cut her hair. We figured she shouldn't have the medicine since she just got a bath. My other husky got the same medicine we put on the first one. And my beagle has a flea collar. Please help. (We also found that vacuuming every day reduces fleas by 50%. Is that true?)

We didn't have time to go to the vet last night.

Answer 1

Try Boric Acid to treat the area (not directly on your pets). It will kill eggs as well as adults. Several websites exist that can tell you how to use it properly.

Answer 2

You're going to have to treat everything! Not just the dogs. Call your vet and get the proper med to be applied on their skin these meds work best plus there is an oral one now too. Use seven dust in the yard. Ask your vet to advise you as to what to treat their sleeping areas and your carpets with. You can use seven dust in these areas also and then vacuum really well. Remember, there are fleas in your vacuum cleaner bag/cup if your pets have fleas so it's a good Idea not to empty your vacuum in the house and leave the bag/cup in the garbage where they can jump out and onto you or your pets!

Your vet can also provide your dogs with tick collars that work very well if ticks are a problem in your area. Also if you have ticks get Lyme Disease shots for your doggies.

All these parasitic pests carry diseases and can cause more then an annoyance to you and your pets. The best defense is prevention. Flea, tick and worm meds should be given ALL YEAR because of weather fluctuations and contact with people or other pets that may have them.

Answer 3

We had a flea problem with our cats that drove us nuts. We ended up using a flea treatment that worked like a charm. It is called Front-line. Place the drops at the base of the neck and within 2 day we could tell a world of difference. The cats had fleas but we never saw them or got bit. Our cats are main coons and have very thick coats. After multiple baths and vacuuming everyday it didn't do the trick. The cats were miserable and I felt sorry for them. I would highly suggest this treatment and not mess around with sprays and shampoos. You will save money in the long run.

Answer 4

My mom had a very small flea problem and simply used Advantage on her cat. I had a bit bigger problem with my two cats. The crap at Walmart didn't do a very good job so I wouldn't recommend it over stuff you can get from the vet. I even wasted money on flea bombs. I got rid of our fleas eventually by combing the cats all the time, and using a lights over a pans of soapy water. Also did vacuuming but you have to have a decent vac and you have to get rid of the stuff right away outside. I would empty the dirt into a bag while outside, seal the bag and throw it away.

Since you have dogs, that will go outside, I'd say you definitely need the stuff you get from the vet. (can also get cheap on eBay)

Answer 5

Think of it like this....fleas only stay on long enough to feed, then they jump off. So to get rid of fleas effectively, you're going to have to treat all areas where the dog lives. If this is also a house dog, then you'll need to treat for fleas in the house, and yard. Be very aggressive when you fight fleas, they breed so quickly that it's easy for them to build up an resistance to the insecticide. If this happens, then you'll need to change your insecticide to a different one. Just compare your active ingredients, and you'll learn what I"m talking about. I would recommend a paramite dip.....made by a company called Vet Kem. You can also have a vet do it too. Wash your dog, then dip them. The dip has residual effect, so it'll last a week. So you're going to need to treat your house as well as your dogs and yard. Several foggers should work for the inside of your house, and you'll need to spray the outside in your yard. A flea shampoo only kills fleas that are on the dog, but it has no residual effect. In fact, a regular shampoo kills fleas, they'll drown easily. If you need more advice, go and talk to a vet. He can really show you what items work and how to apply them. Just remember, be very aggressive when you start to combat these fleas, or it'll only get worse. Best of luck to you.................

Answer 6

You can call a vet and they will recommend a good spray product for the house. The best way to keep your pet from getting fleas is to never let them out. Use a good pesticide in the yard and around the perimeter of the house. You will have to do this at least twice in a three month period to make sure you get any eggs that hatch from the fleas.

Answer 7

Can buy some advantage from the vet (kinda expensive), there are powders you can out on the floor to vacuum up and all sorts of flea shampoos. Also, my sister is a vet tech, and she told me when you bathe the dog, use Dawn (dishwashing detergent) and soap them up really good, then leave it for about 10 minutes. It apparently suffocates the fleas. Worked for my pups, and we had a horrible infestation.

Answer 8

Well you can buy spray bombs, powders, spend a load of money and in about 30 days do it all over again and 30 days after that do it again...the fleas lay eggs in carpet, bedding etc. so they keep hatching after the treatments which do work temporarily. or just go out and buy some rats at you pet store or in your alley depends on where you live..put them in a small cage and let them do all the work... fleas will get on rat....rat will eat fleas and you can fill up a rat they are always hunger..sounds dumb but it works..oh and for the dogs Frontline flea and tick spray works wonders on your dogs just a squirt down there backs works for about 3 months..easier than wrestling them in the back tub.

Answer 9

I put skin so soft my dogs bath water..for some reason the fleas don't like it...sometimes i use lemon joy on them that works too..I had to go to an extermanater for answers about the fleas in my carpet they told me when you vacuum you need to empty your sweeper everytime because the vibrations of the vacuum makes the eggs hatch faster then usual...and i know some people who put baby powder on their carpets and let it set for a couple hours and then they sweep it up..now,,that i don't know if it works or not...

Answer 10

Bath with boutox liquid. Its poten and 100% cure. Spray in the house 2 times a week for a months and the problem gone for a year.