Thursday, July 2, 2009

Getting Rid Of Dog Fleas

By Jane A Moore

Fleas have to be the most annoying thing that most pet owners inevitably deal with at one time or another. The hardest part of getting rid of fleas is that they seem to just keep coming back. Most often the reason that fleas "keep coming back" is that you never fully got rid of them in the first place. The second you notice your pet might have fleas, you have to start the flea control process immediately, as time is of the essence when it comes to stopping fleas from multiplying.

Getting rid of fleas is possible, although you need to be prepared for a fair amount of work. It's not enough just to give your dog a bath and think that the fleas will be gone. You have to clean and exterminate just about every place that your dog frequents, and maybe even keep your dog from going to the dog park at peak flea season in order to stop the spread of fleas.

There are a number of different ways to treat fleas on your dog. You can use commercially available flea products such as Frontline. This is often the most effective method of flea eradication. These products can easily be found in your local pet store. Some people don't like to use these products and would prefer a natural way of getting rid of fleas. You can try to get rid of fleas naturally using such things as talcum powder, garlic, and olive oil. Each of these methods id effective in getting rid of fleas.

To get rid of the fleas that have already escaped into your house may be a bit harder. Finding all the spots where your dog has been, and fleas may now be hiding or have laid their eggs will be tricky. Start by washing anything and everything that your dog may have come into contact with, and any clothes or portable items (IE stuffed toys) that are in areas that your dog frequents. Washing clothes, toys, linens and rugs in hot water, and then drying in the dryer or hanging them out to dry in the sun will get rid of any flea eggs that are on these items.

You need to vacuum all areas of your house and furniture, especially carpets, corners, closets, cracks in floor boards, under beds etc. If possible, steam cleaning your furniture and carpets will be even more effective. Don't forget to throw out your vacuum bag after vacuuming, and this means completely out of the house. Vacuuming should be repeated often (daily if possible) over the next while in order to catch any fleas or eggs etc that were missed the first time. This will be a huge help in avoiding a re-infestation.

Once fleas have moved into your house, regaining a flea free house is a tough job, but it is possible. You need to be very persistent and thorough with cleaning all areas of your house, and ridding your dog of fleas. Once you have gotten rid of all fleas, remember to keep up the cleaning and flea treatment, since you may see a re-infestation if you have missed some of the flea eggs and larvae. If you continue the cleaning cycle periodically after the first cleaning, you will be able to catch any fleas missed the first time around and end the cycle.

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