Fleas

hairyslug

Any advice on combating fleas, what needs to be done about bedding, the house itself and my dogs.

Graces7

Not sure if my newbies have fleas or just itchy... will be to Boots etc today checking eg spot on....

wexie

hairyslug wrote: »

what needs to be done about bedding, the house itself and my dogs.

Wash the bedding (on a hot setting) if you can, otherwise liberally spray (or ideally I'd do both), drops for the dogs, hoover and spray the house, pay special attention to spots where the dogs spend time eg. couches.

Do it all again in a few days, rinse lather, repeat.

It's an absolute pain but there's no point in doing it unless you're going to do it properly. Nothing worse than seeing the little jumpy bastards in your carpets

wexie

Graces7 wrote: »

Not sure if my newbies have fleas or just itchy... will be to Boots etc today checking eg spot on....

Boots? The pharmacy? For hoomans?

Might get some funny looks asking for flea treatments there :pac:

hairyslug

wexie wrote: »

Wash the bedding (on a hot setting) if you can, otherwise liberally spray (or ideally I'd do both), drops for the dogs, hoover and spray the house, pay special attention to spots where the dogs spend time eg. couches.

Do it all again in a few days, rinse lather, repeat.

It's an absolute pain but there's no point in doing it unless you're going to do it properly. Nothing worse than seeing the little jumpy bastards in your carpets

Cheers, is a bath for the dogs needed, any recommendations on drops and sprays.

wexie

hairyslug wrote: »

Cheers, is a bath for the dogs needed, any recommendations on drops and sprays.

No recommendations that I can think of, thankfully we haven't had to deal with them for a while. If I recall the spray we used was a big yellow and pink can but that's all I can remember. I'm not sure there's much of a difference between them to be honest. Nearest pet shop should be able to help you out (vet as well but I'd expect everything to be more expensive there).

With regards a bath I'd check what the drops (or whatever you use) says, perhaps not a bad idea to give them a bath and a good groom and then use the drops and then maybe a few days after again.

Zapperzy

Avoid the cheap drops that you'd buy off the shelf in supermarkets and pet shops. The likes of Bob Martin brand. You get what you pay for, there's been plenty of reactions to these, google it. I'd recommend something like frontline or stronghold, these can only be gotten in vets.

Something to keep in mind is empty your hoover regularly, no point hoovering the buggers up for them to have a massive party in your hoover. This is where I would buy a cheap flea collar from the supermarket or pet shop and throw it into the bag or cylinder.

looksee

I second Zapperzy's point. Go to the vet and get decent flea spray/whatever. Yes its expensive, but in the long run by the time you have bought several useless cans of supermarket stuff it will work out about the same.

Read up on the flea life-cycle so you know what you are aiming to do. You have to break the cycle and that means doing things a couple of times, and loadsa washing if they get into beds. Get the vet type flea drops for between whiles and stop the fleas before they start.

Graces7

wexie wrote: »

Boots? The pharmacy? For hoomans?

Might get some funny looks asking for flea treatments there :pac:

small town and they have a pet section .. Trust me! I know the shop

aonb

For anyone who is conscious of not using chemicals on their pets - and still trying to fit the flea/mite fight - check out Diatomaceous Earth - you can sprinkle it in their beds, in their food, in their coat etc - you could put under the cushions in your sofas/rugs - hoover up after the infestation has passed.... Its an interesting product

em_cat

aonb wrote: »

For anyone who is conscious of not using chemicals on their pets - and still trying to fit the flea/mite fight - check out Diatomaceous Earth - you can sprinkle it in their beds, in their food, in their coat etc - you could put under the cushions in your sofas/rugs - hoover up after the infestation has passed.... Its an interesting product

Just a warning though, inhaling the dust can lead to inflammation and scarring of the lungs so not suitable for pets like guinea pigs, pet rats, rabbits, rodent type pets. Also not suitable for indoor use especially if you’ve children.

Hi, hope someone can help or advise.

We have a puppy who has fleas, got advocate spot on today and applied it this evening.

It is meant to work completely in 20 mins but we still see fleas around the dogs eye area.

Could this mean it was unsuccessful?

aonb

I think 20 mins is highly optimistic.
Was the puppy very badly infested?
Wait until tomorrow and check again.
How old is the puppy - dont put a second dose on if the puppy is young, without checking first with your vet - strong chemicals.
Wash all the puppies bedding on a hot cycle to remove any flea eggs.
Fleas and ticks are a problem this year with the mild winter - keep up your flea treatments over the summer

aonb

aonb wrote: »

I think 20 mins is highly optimistic.
Was the puppy very badly infested?
Wait until tomorrow and check again.
How old is the puppy - dont put a second dose on if the puppy is young, without checking first with your vet - strong chemicals.
Wash all the puppies bedding on a hot cycle to remove any flea eggs.
Fleas and ticks are a problem this year with the mild winter - keep up your flea treatments over the summer

Thanks, thought 20 minutes sounded incredible tbh but that's what the leaflet says.

We got a vile of advocate from the vet. It's a new house and garden and he won't be in contact with other animals for a couple of weeks so, even though he was badly infected, hopefully that's it.

We're washing everything :-)

Knine

Yes 20.mins is too soon. Personally I don't treat my dogs for fleas when they don't have any! I have not used any flea treatments in years & they have no fleas.