How to get rid of FLeas?

Question

My dog itches and bites her tail a lot. I think she might have fleas. Is there a way to get rid of them, besides going and getting her groomed? I just know she probably is miserable and irritated.

Answer 1

You really should see your vet. They have a lot of good products to eliminate fleas or see whatever it might be.

Answer 2

This is the tried and tested, step by step, effective way to getting your pet and your house flea-free:

1) Get products from the vets, NOT a shop
2) You need a spot-on or spray for your pet, and a spray for the house
3) Treat your pet every 4-8 weeks (depends which product you use, check with your vet how often/read the instructions)
4) Spray your house, then vaccum a few hours later. Wait a few days, then repeat to get the flea eggs that have now hatched and the pupae that have matured.
5) Frontline, Advantage, Revolution, all good pet products. Indorex, Acclaim, Staykil, all good house sprays.

+ no Dawn dish soap! What's the point in washing fleas off if they're just going to reinfest when the animal is dry!
+ no garlic! can be dangerous, and pointless when there are more reliable methods available!

Yes, vet stuff is more expensive - because it works. No point trying cheaper pet shop stuff - you'll end up paying out more trying to find something that works!

Go to the vet to get some stuff, and take your dog with you so they can check it is fleas and not something else like dermatitis. Run a flea comb through your dog's hair and look at the hair on the comb - any black dots/flakes? These are flea dirts/poos and a sign that fleas are present - if they're on your dog, they're in your home too.

Chalice

Answer 3

Bathe her and get a topical insect repellant. Even though there is shampoo specifically designed for killing fleas, any soap or shampoo actually does the trick. Scrub her thoroughly for about 3-4 minutes, work the soap into a good lather, and let it sit for another 4 or 5 minutes before you rinse. After the bath, go to your vet and get a prescription for Frontline, Advantix, or Advantage - these are insect repellants that you apply to your dog's skin once a month. Advantix works really well for my dog.

Also - you should probably try to find the source of the fleas. If they're in your yard, you may want to consider letting your dog stay inside (if she doesn't already) and treating your lawn for insects.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Flea control requires a comprehensive approach to successfully arrest the problem. The previous answers do not fully address the problem of flea infestation. First, we now understand that fleas do not actually live on animals and our pets. They jump on, bite and feed, wander around and then jump off. Their temporary stay on the animal is about 15 minutes. For every flea you see on your pet there are literally hundreds in the immediate environment. If you have a flea infestation you must first address the problem of the immediate environment. This can be done either through professional pest control or do it yourself "bombs" and spraying. Second, bathing your pet with a high quality flea control shampoo. Third implementing a flea control maintenance regiment for your pet by applying products like Advantage, Frontline or Advantix every 3 to 4 weeks. If you live in an area of high flea concentration, you may need to regularly spray the immediate environment to prevent reinfestation. Good luck!

p.s. go to www.petmedclub.com for the best prices on all your pet needs. I use them all the time and have been pleased

Answer 5

You can get a flea spray that you spray in the carpet, and around the baseboards of each room, and across the door sills. However, your best bet is to get the flea medication that you put on the dog's back between their shoulders (like Frontline's Top Spot). It will eventually kill off all the fleas within the dog's normal territory (both inside and out), but you have to keep treating every month.

Answer 6

Products from the vet's work best. Go there and buy a shampoo (I buy Mycodex) and a flea repellent (I use Advantix), bathe your dog, and then applied the repellent as directed. To keep the fleas away, I generally bathe every month (every 2 months in winter to avoid dry skin), but regardless of how often you bathe your dog, remember to apply flea prevention every month! Make a note on your calendar to do it the same day every month (makes it easier to remember), and give the flea and heartworm prevention (your dog NEEDS this as well... as fleas are not the only parasites... heartworms are much more harmful ones) on the same day=)

Answer 7

NO GARLIC!!! Garlic and Onion contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia in dogs and cats.
Are you sure it's fleas? It could be allergies. There really is no easy to get rid of fleas after they have infested your dog. You want to go fast, before they infect your house. Give your dog a flea bath (with the good stuff). Put her on frontline, K9 advantix, Bio Spot ect) Next go to the store and buy BORAX. It should be in the laundry detergent isle and it is cheap. Sprinkle it all over your carpet, rugs, dog beds, furniture (basically anywhere fleas can hide). You sould make sure that it is fleas though, because if it is allergies then giving her a bath in chemicals is going to make her skin worse.
It would be way easier to go to the vet.

Answer 8

Buy Frontline or Advantage, one of the top topical flea control products. They are really the only effective method of controlling fleas. You need to be religious about using them monthly, but either one should do the trick. You don't need to go to the vet to get them - most pet stores carry them now. Not cheap but it really is the thing that actually works.

Some dogs are very allergic or have digestive sensitivities to garlic and it is not recommended. It is also not all that effective.

Answer 9

What I find that works best for fleas is washing them in medicated shampoo formulated to get rid of fleas and then treating with a top spot treatment like frontline. If you do not have much money you can get over the counter brands at your local pet supply place.

Also if your dog is itching just at the base of its tail, it may just be dry skin not fleas. You might want to get a fish oil supplement to put over you dogs food. You can find it at any pet supply place.

You may also want to take her to the vet for allergy testing. Many times dry skin in dogs triggered by enviromental allergies.

Answer 10

Bathe her in a good dog shampoo with aloe in it. Dry her completely. Brush her thoroughly and apply one tube of Advantix. Tube comes in different sizes depending on the weight of your dog. I buy mine from www.drfostersmith.com
This also helps eliminate ticks. You might want to check with the vet or comb her belly and tail right to the skin to see if you can see any fleas. You may have a skin allergent issue that a vet may need to prescribe you something for. Good Luck