Dog With Fleas?

Question

Just got a dog and it has fleas. It isn't too bad and he hasn't been in the house but 2 days. What is the best way to get rid of them? Do I have to bomb my house??? I don't want to have to do that. If I treat the dog and get it a collar, do I have to do anything particular to my house??? I live in WI if that matters... I know we don't have as big a problem here as in the more hot and humid states with fleas.

When I say not bad, I mean that we actually checked the dog for fleas because he was scratching and didn't find them! We did not know there were any until we found one jumping on our bed after the dog was on the bed so I know he doesn't have them bad, I just don't want to overdo it with treatments that are unnecessary...

Answer 1

If the fleas are really bad I'd suggest bathing the dog with dawn dish washing liquid first. Lather him up good and let it sit for a few minutes and that should kill any fleas he has on him. Then after he is dry I'd use frontline or advantage to prevent any more infestations on the poor doggy. If you think some of the fleas have gotten in your carpet and such, I like to use a product called Knockout. You should be able to get it from your vet. It's a lil bit pricey but prevents reinfestations for 7 months, so even if your dog gets fleas again they won't take up residence in your carpet, couch, etc. I follow these steps in my own home at the first flea sighting and we rarely have a problem. (Not always so easy to do with 3 dogs, 8 puppies, and 2 cats!!) Best of luck :D

Answer 2

Hi Stephanie,

The first thing...flea collars do not work. Instead go to a vet and purchase some Frontline Plus. This and other products like it work very well and the application is simple. It comes as a liquid in a one dose vial. You simply open the vial, part the dog's hair and squeeze it on the dog's skin, right between the shoulder
blades. This will take care of the fleas and ticks on the dog for at least a month...since your area is not flea ridden, even longer.

The fleas in the house.....try vacuum cleaning the house several days in a row and tossing the bag into the garbage each time. This way, you can pick up any eggs that might have fallen off the dog and on to the carpet.

Since you obviously want to use a more natural remedy, try setting up a water flea trap. All you need to do is fill a shallow dish such as a 11" X14" Pyrex baking dish with water and add a couple of drops of liquid dish washing detergent to the water to break the surface tension of the water. Then you place the dish of water under a bright light source. The fleas will jump in the dish and drown. Use this for a couple of weeks and you can at least see if you have a flea problem in the house by the number of drowning victims you see in the dish.

Good luck with you new dog and the fleas.

Answer 3

Fleas are the worst to get rid of because of their life cycle and constant reproduction. Vacuum everyday, everywhere even around the edges. Make sure you have a powerful one and the filter is still good. After your done, don't leave the vacuum in the house, if it's bagless empty it out every time and take it outside and burn it. If the dog isn't in the house the fleas will choose you. I have tried collars, sprays and those little pouches of liquid that you put on their backs. Do it all! Bathing the dog only helps for a little while. For the carpets and floors I would recommend sifting boric acid (in powder form) around and letting it set for a while then vacuuming. Be careful about breathing it in or walking around with bare feet and use it on a small area first to make sure it doesn't discolor your floor. Boric acid works the best you can find it at any Dollar store. If you look at any house flea repellent it usually always has boric acid in it. Try spraying outside if you live on an acreage. If you have fleas on a dog then you have a bigger infestation then you think. Good Luck!

Answer 4

okay, you need to have a vet treat the dog. Also recommend what to use on you furniture, rugs and the dogs bed. Everywhere the dog has been it is dropping eggs that will hatch. Fleas are what cause heart worm, there is no such thing as " isn't too bad" when it comes to those heart worm carrying fleas. Collars do not work and can definitely harm your dog.
Also, please don't give your dog garlic!
Feeding pets food that we enjoy is not only wrong, it can also be fatal. There are some foodstuffs that humans relish which cause illness and death if eaten by pets.

Chocolate, macadamia nuts and onions are good examples. Each of these foods contains chemicals which rarely cause problems for humans, but for dogs, these same chemicals can be deadly.

Chocolate toxicity
Onion and garlic poisoning
The danger of macadamia nuts
Other potential dangers
Related Products

http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?specie=Dogs&story_no=257

Answer 5

My puppy had fleas when I got her at 8 weeks of age. I used Frontline Top Spot on her (around $30 for 3 treatments/1X month). For her age, that's all I could use.

Wash any bedding, towels, etc. he's been on in hot water with apple cider vinegar. I also bought a couple flea collars that were for fleas AND their eggs. I cut them into pieces and put them in my vaccum cleaner bag. I vaccumed everyday and the fleas were gone within a week.

I don't allow my puppy on the furniture, but if you have, be sure to vaccum that good as well.

Answer 6

You need to put advantage or similar flea treatment. And if you have the fleas in you carpet or elsewhere you HAVE to bomb the house or the problem won't be fixed

Answer 7

i live in texas talk about fleas.i use frontline from the vet it's a bit pricy but worth it. no you will not get fleas in the house as long as you vaccume. then it takes one hell of a lot to get them anyway. use carpet fresh for dogs.that will also keep the possability of fleas in your house .a clean well groomed dog has few problems.

Answer 8

strongly recommend Advantage, go to www.advantageflea.com and a 6 month supply is only $25. We did that with our dog three summers ago and havn't had fleas since.

Answer 9

hi a good thing to give your dog which is good for flies and also good for the heart is garlic! put a glove of garlic in withthe dogs food , the garlic works the same ways as it does on humans it comes out the pours and the flies cant tollerate it ,,
good luck