flees

Question
Thanks for volunteering.  I have two large dogs and two cats.... all indoor pets.  Unfourtunately they all have flees!  We tried a treatment from Wal-Mart where you apply it to the back of their necks in order to make the blood toxic to flees....it did not work.  What brands, or treatment to you reccommend.  We would like to have an inexpensive, but complete remidy.  Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Don!

You have discovered, much to your dismay, that your beloved Fido or Fluffy has fleas. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if Fido or Fluffy are indoor pets, your house will have them too. And while it would be very difficult to give your entire house a bath, there are things that you can do to remove those unwanted pests from your house. Its kind of time consuming, but if you want to remove them completely, there is no other way.


The first thing you will need to do is figure out the total square feet of your home. Then you will need to go to a hardware store or grocery store and buy several flea bombs. Read the directions carefully. They will tell you the total square feet that will be covered by that one particular bomb. Once you figure out how many you will need for each room, purchase three times that number. Yes thats right, you will need to do each room a minimum of three times over a span of three months.


The next step is figuring out a good time to do this project. You and your family, two and four footed, will need to vacate the premises for at least several hours. The directions will tell you the minimum amount of time that will be needed to fumigate your house. Keep your four footed friend in the garage or in the yard while the house is being fumigated. Just be sure that he has plenty of shade and water. You will want to turn off the water circulation to any fish tanks and cover them with some old sheets. You dont want any of the chemicals to settle on the water. It could kill your fish. You can keep the air pumps going. In fact you will want to be sure to keep them going. Air pumps are a closed system. Which means that no outside air is drawn in and circulated through the air tubing. You may also want to cover the furniture with sheets.


Once you have figured out what day you will bomb your house, covered the furniture, closed the windows and turned off the heat/air conditioning, place the bombs on a level surface with papers underneath the can. Start the bombs, close all the doors to all the rooms and leave the premises. When you return, wrap up the can in a plastic bag and throw it in the garbage. Open the windows, and turn on the fans to circulate the air out of the house.


Now comes the hard part. Giving your Fido or Fluffy a much needed flea bath. Go out and purchase some flea shampoo specially made for dogs or cats and a flea collar. You also might want to consider spraying your yard too. If you decide to go that route you will need to spray your yard once a month through out the entire spring until the first hard frost. If your cat is the problem, you may want to turn him into an indoor cat.


Set up the bathroom with all the supplies you will need. Flea shampoo, brushes, combs and lots of towels. Fill the tub about a quarter of the way full with warm water. Read the directions on the shampoo bottle. Some tell you to leave the soap on a certain length on time and others tell you to rinse and repeat. Keep the flea shampoo in a handy spot so you dont have to reach too far while you are bathing your pet. You might want to brush your pets coat outside. That way any fleas that are removed with the brushing and combing will stay outside and not be brought in with the pet.


Bring your pet into the bathroom and close the door firmly. Place your pet in the tub and get him thoroughly soaked. Pour some shampoo all over your pets body.. Starting at the head, work the shampoo into a lather. Work your way down your pets body. Pay special attention to your pets arm pits ( I know, arm pits on a pet?) where their legs connect to their body and the belly. Dont forget the tail. Take care not to get any shampoo in the ears or eyes. As you are working you should be able to see little black flea bodies floating in the soapy water. Rinse your pet completely. If your pet has a heavy infestation of fleas, you may want to repeat the shampooing. Rinse again. Wrap your pet in a large towel and dry him as best you can. He will try to help you by shaking himself repeatedly. Place the flea collar on him at this time. You may want to put him in a separate room free from drafts until his coat is completely dry.


Drain the tub and play taps for the poor dead fleas. Unfortunately, after all this effort your job is not yet done. Every three weeks you will need to bomb your house again. The bombs will kill the adult fleas, but will do nothing for the eggs or larva. Flea eggs take three weeks to hatch and it will take an additional three weeks for the larva to pupate into adults. So once a month for the next three months you will have to vacate the premises and bomb your residence. However, with the flea collar on your pet and limiting the amount of time he spends outside, your infestation should be under control.
 
I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best of luck!Please keep me posted and give those Doggies and Kitty Cat millions of kisses for me!Sending wagging tails your way!
Nicole