Do I have to use a flee spray in my home?

Question

My 4.5 month old puppy has flees. She is on, and has been on, Sentinel since she was 8 weeks old. The vet gave her capstar and a de wormer 2 days ago. I have never actually seen flees on her or in my home, only flee "dirt" on my dog. I have 3 chinchillas living in my home with my one dog and don't really want to use flee spray in my home. Do I really need to if the capstar kills adult flees and the sentinel has made the females sterile.?

This is what I have done in my home so far:
I live in a small 1 bdrm apartment with all hardwood flooring or tile flooring. I sealed all the gaps between the baseboards and floor with silicone last year so I'm pretty sure no fleas in there. My sofa is basically a big foam block with cushions on top that goes all the way to the floor. I vacuumed every square inch of my sofa/cushions, bed, and floors (including behind the fridge & stove. I also washed my dog's beds. Through all of this I saw NO signs of flees.

Answer 1

You could try something more active, like Advantage or Frontline... Advantage's active ingredient is imidacloprid and Frontline's is fipronil... Both kill fleas on the animal, they don't just sterilize. I believe you can use advantage on dogs over 7 weeks old as well http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1463&articleid=1370

Check out this website (it's from the Univ of California, Davis) about getting rid of fleas! I'm horribly allergic to fleas I think, so I feel your pain.
http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7419.html

It just occurred to me that you might want to wash your puppy and see if the flea dirt comes back... You might be seeing old flea dirt...

Answer 2

What is Sentinel anyway? Is is from a store?

Just get some proper treatment like Frontline or Advantage or Revolution from a vets. Sealing gaps won't keep fleas out, presumably you open doors and windows on occasion, so they can get in. I still think you need to spray, and get proper flea treatment for your dog. Capstar kills fleas, but only the ones currently present, it doesn't prevent them.

Chalice

Answer 3

Just make sure you vaccum well at least twice a week and wash all of the bedding (the dogs and your bedding). If you see any flea dirt/feces, get a pesticide company to come spray your apartment- it's not expensive at all and works great.
Your dog may be on the medication; however, it only kills the fleas on the dog- not the ones living around your house.

Answer 4

Chinchillas can not get fleas but for but for your dogs I would get Advantix

http://k9advantix.petparents.com

K9 Advantix® (imidacloprid + permethrin) is a convenient, once-a-month flea, tick, and mosquito control for dogs and puppies seven weeks of age and older. K9 Advantix stops biting fleas within three to five minutes1 and repels and kills ticks and mosquitoes. Imidacloprid, one of the active ingredients in K9 Advantix, also kills 98 - 100 percent of fleas within 12 hours.

For your house, I would not spray anything , I would try these ...I use them and they do great for fleas as well ...we never have any and I have a dog that goes outside daily and 4 cats that never go outside. We also spray our yard outside a few times a year with an Ortho bug killer that also works on fleas just as an extra preventative



http://www.hotshotbrand.com/ProductCategories/IndoorInsecticides/NoPestStrip/

Answer 5

The OTC flea collars, sprays, powders, and see-on's are exceptionally poisonous and intensely risky on your cat. there have been many cats who had seizures or maybe died after being dealt with with those products. i'm uncertain how they shop the stuff on the industry. the only secure, helpful flea treatment is one you will get from the vet. Frontline, benefit, or Revolution are extra costly yet once you think approximately the fee of having your cat dealt with for seizures or maybe costing him his existence, that is rather genuinely worth the money. For suited now, you may grant the cat a shower in break of day dish liquid. Afterwards, use a flea comb to do away with eggs and larvae. this could be a undertaking, as cats do in comparison to having baths. that is rather not a preventative so which you will nonetheless ought to get a month-to-month treatment from the vet. you additionally can ask the vet for Capstar. this could be a tablet that kills person fleas in a count of minutes. It costs approximately $4 a dose on the vet. returned, it is not a preventative yet will tide you over till you may handle to pay for flea treatment. genuinely, you ought to purchase a single dose of Frontline or benefit for roughly $15 and it final a month. Cats get tapeworm from eating fleas as they groom, so which you ought to have the cat checked and dealt with for tapeworm besides. call the SPCA or Humane Society close to you for records on low fee vet clinics and spay/neuter classes.

Answer 6

Try using a flea comb to see if you actually have fleas. Maybe it's actually real tiny pieces of dirt?
If there are fleas you should be able to find at least a couple of real live fleas with the comb.

Answer 7

Thier is a flee spray that is not poisonous to you dogs, it is in a spray bottle, you will need to spray before you treat your dog, otherwise the fleas will jump off and wait for the dog shampoo to wear off,So yes you need to spray or have you house sprayed before you treat your dog or you will be wasting time and money

Answer 8

If you dont want to spray your home I would recommend vacuuming everyday for a while....throw the vaccum bag outside right after you done. Those buggers are stubborn.