Keeping your pet and home free of fleas is important for your pet’s health. Flea populations explode in the spring. Chances are good that if you have a pet, you will be dealing with fleas this time of year. Even if your pet never goes outside, fleas can jump on your shoes or clothing and hitch a ride into the house. Once inside, they will find places to hide and multiply. Most people don’t realize that fleas generally don’t live on the animals they feed on. Usually, they just jump on the animal to feed, and then jump off and hide in dark, out of the way places. Some of their favorite spots are underneath of furniture and in carpets and upholstery.
3 Easy Steps to Keep Your Pet and Home Free of Fleas
If you want to keep your pet and home flea free, a three-sided approach is required.
1. Monitor your pets closely for signs of fleas. For dogs, I recommend a weekly bath. Any dog shampoo that you like will do. Simply apply the shampoo to your dog, paying special attention to areas where fleas like to hide. This includes the tummy area, armpits, pads of the feed, and inside the ear flaps. Allow your dog to soak in the shampoo for 5-10 minutes. Any fleas will drown and die, and you can simply rinse them off. For cats, comb through the fur every week with a flea comb, again paying close attention to the areas where the fleas like to hide. If you find a flea or two, you can drown it in a little dish of water. When you are grooming your pet, be on the lookout for little black specks that look like pepper(flea excrement). Also, look for little black specks that have legs and crawl or jump(fleas). When you are monitoring your pet closely like this, you will notice a few fleas before they become a full-blown infestation.
2. Treat your yard with a flea control product, or have a pest control company come and do it for you. Your yard should be treated monthly during the spring and summer. There are a lot of products on the market that work great for controlling fleas in the yard. I personally like and use Sevin Dust.
3. Treat your house with a perimeter spray. This type of spray is applied to the baseboards and underneath the furniture. Frequent vacuuming will also help if you have carpet. You should also wash your pet’s bedding and vacuum upholstered furniture well.
The key to getting rid of a flea infestation is to treat the yard, the home, and the pet all at the same time and then repeat often until the fleas are gone. Also, if your pet goes for rides in the car, don’t forget to vacuum and spray in there, too. A monthly flea control product from your vet is also a good idea if you take your pet visiting places that may not have been treated for fleas.
Are fleas a problem where you live? What do you do to keep your pet, home and yard flea free? Share your tips below or on my Facebook page!
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