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Posts Tagged ‘dog fleas’

My dog loves going to the dog park. It has become a Saturday morning and Sunday morning ritual for us. After a quick stop at the local coffee shop to get a large coffee we head to the dog park. A visit to this park allows my dog to go off leash, gets loads of exercise and to socialize with other dogs. It also gives me a chance to catch up with my neighbors and get a good dose of local gossip.

We both enjoy our weekend routine – my dog gets lots of exercise and socialization, and I enjoy my coffee and do some socialization of my own. It’s a great break for both of us. Unfortunately there are several times during the year that it seems inevitable that my dog would come home with fleas. I wouldn’t really notice at the time, but through the week I’d notice some scratching, and think ‘oh no, fleas again’.

I can’t remember exactly when I made the decision to stop going to the dog park, but it was an unconscious decision over about a month I think, as I was just dreading having to go through the inevitable process of ridding fleas from my dog and my house. Well, after a few months, I began to rethink that decision. Yes, my dog got rid of the fleas, but we have both noticeably missed the dog park. I decided that maybe it was worth trying to re-establish the dog park routine.

There was a little trepidation that came with my decision to go back to the dog park, so I decided to try and figure out some sort of natural flea repellant so we would avoid picking up fleas at the park. I talked to my dogs groomer, and she had some great suggestions. Two of the best natural flea treatments are garlic and citronella. I decided to try them both to double up on my dogs flea resistant powers.

I started to feed my dog a wee bit of garlic with his wet food every morning. The groomer told me that in a matter of days the garlic will start to be emitted through my dogs skin and saliva. The smell is imperceptible to humans but acts as a significant flea deterrent. She was right. At least, I have not noticed any fleas after going to the dog park. As an added precaution, I dosed a bandanna in some citronella oil and tied it around my dog’s neck. My dog doesn’t seem to mind the smell and it helps to repel fleas.

Fleas can be a nuisance. If you are going to bring your dog to places where they can socialize with other dogs, fleas are going to be a problem. Fortunately getting rid of fleas naturally and all natural flea repellents are safe and easy to apply.

Have you ever been plagued by dog fleas? Or to be more precise, has your dog ever been plagued with dog fleas? Let me tell you, it’s no fun for either of you. There are a number of things that you must do in order to get rid of the fleas and keep them from coming back. Here’s a step-by-step method to getting rid of the pesky little critters.

Before you make a plan, it’s important to realize a couple of things. One, fleas on your dog are only about 5% of the total fleas in and around your house. Two, live fleas are also only part of the infestation – flea eggs, larvae and pupae will all be present, and even when all live fleas have been killed, those eggs, larvae and pupae will develop into more fleas over the next two weeks unless they are dealt with as well.

1 – Kill the fleas in your house – first put your dog outside so that fleas will not be infesting your house as you get rid of them. Pick up everything from the floors, like dog toys, blankets, beds, any of your clothing, etc. This means everywhere – under beds, inside your closets, behind curtains. Wash everything, make sure to use the hot cycle. Wash anything that your pet is in close contact with extra well, and hang items to dry in the sunlight.

Go through the entire house and vacuum as thoroughly as possible, making sure to get under all beds, as close to the walls as possible, under and behind furniture. Also vacuum any upholstered items in the areas your dog frequents. Once this is done, throw out the vacuum bag so fleas don’t re-emerge or hatch and re-emerge. Use soap and water to clean all hard surfaces, including closet floors, garage floors, and patio decks. Once everything has been thoroughly cleaned to get rid of obvious fleas, arrange to leave the house while you have a flea treatment. Make sure not to come back until the recommended time has passed and the treatment has been allowed to dry thoroughly.

2 – Rid your outdoor spaces of fleas – any fleas that are outside the home are a problem as well, since they will be brought back into the house again the first time you dog visits these areas. At the same time that you are having your house treated for fleas, it is a good idea to have your yard and any other outdoor space treated as well. Remember to pay special attention to dark humid places where fleas typically like to hide, such as corners, cracks, and underneath things like your patio deck.

3 – Get rid of fleas on your dog – now is the time to get rid of the adult fleas on your dog. Give your dog a bath with dog shampoo, and then thoroughly dry him. Once he is dry, double check that all fleas have been killed by going over your dog with a flea comb. It’s probably a good idea to throw your dog washing clothes in the laundry, just in case some fleas jumped to you for safety during the bath.

4 – Kill fleas for the next 2 weeks to prevent re-infection – 2 weeks after the initial treatment, any fleas in the larvae stage which were impervious to the chemical treatment will now hatch and reinfest your home. After the initial treatment, make sure to follow up with vacuuming, floor washing, laundering and pet bathing regularly over the next two weeks, and your chances of catching young fleas before they have a chance to re-infest will be greatly increased.