Keep Fleas Out Of The House

Question
Hi Dr Gotthelf,

I have had a terrible flea infestation in my rental home in the past which cost me hours headache and physical labor.  I swore I would never let another pet inside.  The problem was not only the adult fleas that somehow got into the house, but the eggs they laid that seemed to keep creating the same problem over again year after year.  It was a seasonal thing.  Every spring I would get a flea infestation.  This went on until I finally treated every single carpeted room with fleaRX powder.

Now I am lucky enough to have the situation under control.  However, one of my tenants want to bring in a dog.  My first inclination is to say "no".  But he is a responsible person and has promised to treat the dog with a flea treatment every month (like Bayer Advantage, for example).  According to the manufacturer, the treatment kills 98% to 100% of fleas within 12 hours.

But here is my question:
If the dog is walked outside regularly, is there any chance that fleas could jump onto the dog long enough to be carried inside without dying?  What if they jump onto the dog and fall or jump off before the medicine takes effect?  In other words, I am not worried about the dog catching fleas as much as the dog bringing them inside.  Once inside, they could potentially lay eggs on the carpet and bite people living in the house.  Does that make sense?

My tenant seems to think no flea would stay alive after jumping on the dog, or that the treatment would affect the fleas as soon as they touch the skin of the animal.  What do you think?  Is the treatment so effective that every single square inch of a dog's skin is protected up to the tip of the tail?

Well there is a lot at stake...



Thanks!
Paul

Answer
Fleas do not live very long off of the dog.  They need blood.  But the eggs, larvae, and cocoons can stay in the house a long time.  Advantage is OK.  Frontline is better.  And Comfortis tablets are even better. They all diffuse throughout the skin equally.   For the flea eggs that fall off into the carpeting, spray the carpets with something called PRECOR or METHOPRENE.  That is a juvenille insect growth regulator and will prevent flea larvae from developing into adult fleas.  It will last of 6-9 months in the carpeting.