How long does it take to kill fleas?

Question

How long is it going to take Advantage to kill the fleas on my dog, and then how long does it take after that for his major flea allergic reaction to die down after he's not recieving flea bites? Also, does it just kill the adults, or the larva, pupa, and eggs too? I read that it kills them when they bite... But I can't have my dog get bitten at all or he'll break into reaction again. There's is no way to completely kill the fleas in the invironment, because he goes on walks and such, but is there something that completely discourages them from even jumping on him, or does Advantage do that too? He can't take any baths, because it will get rid of the oils in his skin which he really really needs atm, and I can't use harsh chemicals(such as bombing) because there are two toddlers in the house,along with pocket pets that I can't really remove from the household. I'm just really also looking for any other products(besides spot-ons) that've worked miracles for people.

Well, not people but for people's pets. And I know I already asked a few flea questions, I just want to find out as much as I can.

Answer 1

Advantage takes 24 hours to spread through the skin and be fully effective. You're right about not bathing, that would be worse.

Advantage does not kill eggs and pupae, the only spot-ons that do that are Advocate and Frontline Plus - since your dog has a flea allergy you might want to consider switching to one of these as they are more complete cover. You need to come at this from all angles - you could also try Program tablets, which sterilise any remaining fleas.

I suggest getting Skoosh flea spray for the house because it's pesticide free and it kills the eggs and larvae as well. Only downside is it only lasts for 6 weeks so you really need to use a treatment on your pet that's going stop the house becoming reinfested i.e Frontline Plus or Advocate. So long as your house and pet is fully treated, any fleas that come inside should not last. If your vet does not stock Skoosh, they should be able to order it in.

Lastly, do make sure that Advantage, or whatever spot-on you use, gets on the dog's skin, not his fur.

Chalice

Answer 2

It can take a VERY LONG time for the itching to stop. In some dogs and cats even up to 2 weeks. Advantage kills fleas in hours, but you have to use something for the house. There are many safe products out there. I know of Siphotrol by VetKem. It does not evaporate into the air, and is safe enought to use around children. Simply spray the house, take them out for a stroll for 15 minutes while the windows are open to air out the house, and you should be fine.
Advantage will not control the home situation. This means that if the flea cannot find a suitable host in your pet, it will start biting the kids and yourself. And as soon as the advantage is finished, your dog will contract fleas from the environment, because they can live for months without much to nibble on. Another spot on called Revolution is better in controlling the flea population on the pet, and in the environment. I don't know just how effective it is in the home...but is it safe and amazing on pets. Ask your vet about revolution!

Answer 3

I am not aware of any flea spray that is safe to use on a cat. The flea spray would be used to treat your area. Cats are best treated with the typical topical applications like Frontline Plus. Frontline Plus will kill fleas normally within 24 hours, and the extra ingredient stops eggs from hatching. However, new fleas can still jump on the cat, if the cat goes to areas that have fleas. And any new fleas that jump on will then be killed, again in about 24 hours or less.

Answer 4

Advantage usually takes 24 hours. I wouldn't suggest using harsh chemicals either. I'm glad you are thinking of your children. There are some other 24 hour treatments out there. This isn't to say that fleas won't come back. Dogs need ot take baths. He'll get those oils back by being in the sun and just basically running around outside. A bath will help soothe the itching. You can buy some bath products that have oils to go into the skin. But like I said 24 hours.

Answer 5

Our dog, who is an inside dog is very allergic to fleas also...we found this out when she had 9 puppies and she had gotten fleas, which in turn gave the puppies fleas...so 10 animals with fleas...then our dog started losing her hair and getting these sores all over her...our vet gave her advantage to be treated once a month, BUT he also gave her a pill that would kill the fleas on her instantly...he said the best way to treat the house was to let her walk around it because the flea eggs don't hatch or whatever without movement, so her walking around would make them hatch and they would jump on her and die instantly...we also had to treat her for worms because ingested fleas can cause worms, so to be safe we did this also. I don't remember the name of the pill, but it was a wonder drug for her...and just doing those things was all we did to treat the house...also I know it can get costly, but until you know they're all gone in the house, I would change the vacuum bag after each use.

Answer 6

Frontline is a good product (but cannot be used if Advantage was used that month).

You can contact local groomers to see if they offer flea dips, which would do wonders to help the fleas die. Thing is, if there's fleas in the house, there'll alway be chance that your dog will be bit by one. Look for pet-safe (and child-safe) flea powders for the carpets, to help protect the home from fleas, as well.

Answer 7

getting rid of fleas is a THREE STEP process.

1. FIRST bathe the animals w/a VERY good flea shampoo, then treat w/the Advantage *should start working in a day or two*.


2. Have the yard and house sprayed. you can do your best killing off the fleas on the animals but you will NEVER get rid of them completely unless you have someone spray your house and yard w/something that will kill adult fleas AND eggs.
they DO make a spray that should be safe for animals and children to be around, but i would spend the night at someone elses house the day of the spray.

3. Clean ALL cloth in the wash! Fleas will lay eggs on ANYTHING, so you will need to wash ALL bedding, clothing, rugs etc. and any hard surfaces need to be cleaned w/bleach or 409.

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How long does it take to kill fleas?
How long is it going to take Advantage to kill the fleas on my dog, and then how long does it take after that for his major flea allergic reaction to die down after he's not recieving flea bites? Also, does it just kill the adults, or the larva, pupa, and eggs too? I read that it kills them...

Answer 9

Ok it takes 8 to 10 days to break the haching cycle of fleas and no it doesnt kill the eggs but no mom flea and dad flea no baby fleas just b patient

Answer 10

24 hrs. It works by killing after bites... but the less fleas there are.. the ess they bite.. Only harsh sprays really repel them... like OFF! brand... I only spray that on my dogs' paws when we're hiking in the woods. You may want to try natural citronella products... they may help repel the fleas before a bite occurs. Also.. sounds like dry skinon your dog.. try switching to a better brand of food.. like innova, canidae, or california naturals. If you're feeding iams, science diet, pedigree, purina, or any other "grocery store" brands, you may actually be causing your dog's allergies.. Are you sure he's allergic to fleas? or is it the wheat and corn in his food?