Flea Control

Out of all of the letters and emails I receive from all over the world the topic of flea control is the topic most often asked about. It seems that people world wide struggle with getting rid of fleas. It is a worldwide common problem for pet owners and there isn't one simple flea remedy that is any better than others.

When discussing flea control it is important to identify whether you are taking about preventing fleas or getting rid of fleas. Of course, preventing fleas is the preferable course of action in dealing with fleas. However, both the prevention and eradication of fleas are separate but important components of flea control.

Some people ask about all natural flea control. Some of these people don't want to introduce chemicals into their homes while others may have environmental sensitivities to commercial flea remedies. Getting rid of fleas naturally is possible and there are a number of different strategies to employ. The one important thing to keep in mind when using a natural remedy is that you need to be diligent and through in the application. Natural remedies, whether for prevention or eradication, are slightly less potent than some of the commercial remedies so you need to be prepared to take the task seriously.

All natural flea prevention techniques include such things as natural flea collars. Fleas don't like lemon juice or citronella or some essential oils, including lavender. If you dose your dog's collar or a bandanna in one of these substances fleas seem to stay away. A twist on this is feeding your dog garlic. If you add a small bit of crushed garlic to the dog food or feed your dog a garlic supplement then fleas should stay away. Your dog will emit a garlicky smell through her skin and fleas will be repelled.

Another all natural flea prevention remedy is to add a Martin house to your backyard. Martins and some other types of birds are natural predators to fleas. These birds will happily eat any flea they come across and act like a sort of all natural flea vacuum.

For those of you that don't mind buying commercially available flea prevention products, you have much to choose from. Your local pet store will stock a number of different products to help prevent fleas. There are products aimed at flea control on dogs and flea control on cats. There are also different products that prevent fleas on puppies and kittens. These products include the ever popular Frontline flea control and Frontline Plus and Advantage for Dogs and Cats. All of these products provide safe flea control for your pets.

Frontline Plus flea control medication kills all adult fleas with 18 hours of application and kills all ticks within 48 hours of application. It also provides your pet with a full month of flea protection. Best yet, it is water proof so that your dog can swim to her hearts content and still have adequate flea prevention protection. Advantage flea control works similarly. Although Advantage claims to start working with minutes of application. Both of these above mentioned products are given on a monthly basis and provide 30 days of ongoing flea protection.

For those unfortunate pet owners that missed the prevention stages and now need to deal with a full blown case of dog fleas or cat fleas, there are still some all natural treatment options for fleas. There are also some very effective commercial flea treatment options available.

There are a number of ways of getting rid of fleas naturally, Likely the most wide spread technique involves the use of talcum powder. I first ran across this method while living in Central America,. I found a box of kittens that were badly infested with fleas. There was an American vet living in the same village as I and he recommended that I douse the kittens in baby powder. The talcum or baby powder effectively smothers the fleas. This technique is very effective and is only of the only flea remedies you should use on either puppies or kittens. I have since heard of people using baking powder instead of talcum powder. I have also heard of people employing this flea control technique with salt.

Some people give their flea infested pet a bath in olive oil. The olive oil is good for your pet's skin and drowns the fleas. Start at your pets neck and work the oil towards the tail. Make sure you pick off any fleas that might be on his face or muzzle. Make sure to give your oily pet a good shampoo before letting her wander around the house.

There are many different types of commercially available flea shampoos. Ask at your local pet store for some recommended brands. These particular shampoos can be used as long as your pet if suffering from fleas. However, once the fleas have been eradicated you should discontinue the use of flea shampoo. The active ingredients in flea control shampoos will last for more than 12 months so you can hang on the the remainder of the bottle for future use or give it away to friends or neighbors who might be experiencing flea problems.

As an aside, you should never allow your pet to visit with or play with another animal that has fleas. This is the easiest way for your dog to get re-infested.

Once you have cured your dog of fleas you should pay some careful attention to ridding your house of fleas. If you do not properly deal with the fleas in your house your pet will get re-infested in no time at all. Without proper attention to house cleaning the problem of fleas can become a vicious cycle.

The first step in ridding your house of fleas is to do a few loads of laundry. Wash everything you can think of including all sheets and blanket, all cushion covers and throw blankets and all clothing that spent some time on the ground. Wash everything in the hottest water allowable for the fabric. While doing the laundry take all of your small area rugs and mats outside. Give them a good shake and leave them outside until you have an opportunity to vacuum them. The meticulous vacuum all of the floors of your house. Try to cover every square inch. Also vacuum all of your sofas and upholstered chairs. Once you are done vacuuming make sure your remove the vacuum bag from the vacuum and immediately seal it and take it outside. It is possible for fleas to jump out of the vacuum and back on to your dog in no time at all. If possible rent a steam cleaner and steam clean all of your carpets and upholstered furniture. Set the steam cleaner on the hottest temperature possible without doing damage to your carpets. Look for special instructions for wool and silk carpets.

Dog fleas are a nuisance and every dog owners will have to deal with fleas at one point or another. However the fight against fleas does not have to be a losing battle. With some basic flea prevention techniques and the use of sound flea eradication techniques the battle against fleas can be won. There are all natural flea remedies and commercially available flea remedies. With a bit of discipline and planning flea control isn't so hard.