How to Get Rid of Fleas: A Comprehensive Guide

Do you dread flea season? Most of us do, because it’s a little being the ringmaster or juggler in a three ring “flea” circus! And, like any circus, if you don’t get your ticket and get in line early, you’re likely to miss some of the best acts! It’s the same with planning your strategy for the war on fleas. If you don’t start early, the “flea” circus will start without you! Getting rid of fleas is tough enough when you aren’t behind. Once you start seeing fleas, even one or two, you are already behind and looking at a long and arduous process to get ahead. If you live in a part of the country that has bitterly cold winters you may question whether you really need to treat your dog or cat with flea/tick medication throughout the winter. After all, birds fly south, bears hibernate and most living things that flourished outdoors are either dead, frozen or in hiding. But what about fleas and ticks?

The Four Life Stages of Fleas

To prevent a full blown flea infestation, fleas must be control at every stage of their life cycle. Understanding the life cycle of the flea will help you get rid of the fleas you have and prevent further infestation.

Stage 1: Flea Eggs

While female fleas can only reproduce for a month or two as adults, they can release over 2,000 eggs in this short time (up to 50 a day). As your dog moves around, flea eggs disperse into the surroundings including carpet, bedding, and the backyard.

Stage 2: Flea Larvae

Flea larvae hatch from the eggs in one to 10 days. They feed on organic debris, don’t like sunlight and live in moist, dark areas such as:

• in carpet
• under furniture
• under baseboards
• in bedding
• in shady areas of your yard

Stage 3: Flea Pupae

Larvae turn into pupae by enclosing themselves in a sticky, silk-like cocoon. They usually emerge as adult fleas one to two weeks later, but can stay in their cocoons for weeks or months waiting for a host, like your dog, to live on (like your dog). This is why many people experience flea infestations and flea bites after returning from vacation or moving into a house. If a flea cannot find a dog or cat to jump on, it is not uncommon for them to jump on and bite people.

Stage 4: Adult Fleas

Full-grown fleas are the ones you normally see, and they begin biting almost immediately after getting onto your dog. Contrary to popular belief, fleas do not jump from pet to pet or fly because they do not have wings. They stay on one pet biting, feeding, and laying eggs for up to several months.

How to Tell If Your Pet Has Fleas

Facing a flea infestation may make you feel like you’ve let them down. But fleas are stealthy, hitching a ride on your pet during neighborhood walks, play dates, backyard business, and even through human contact. Some telltale signs of a flea infestation on your dog include:

• increased scratching, biting, and licking
• loss of fur
• flea dirt in fur that resembles dark pepper or fine dirt
• brown parasites observed jumping or crawling in fur
• pale gums (a sign of anemia)
• red bumps or scabs
• behavior changes, such as anxiousness or nervousness

How to Get Rid of Fleas on Your Pet

Fighting a flea infestation on your pet can be emotional and a lot of work. It’s important to first treat the existing fleas. Fleas are annoying, stubborn, and determined to keep coming back. These simple actions on your part can help get rid of fleas on your animals and help reduce the risk of reinfestation:

• • treat with a fast-acting oral flea treatment — dead fleas are easier to wash away
  • use a flea comb — dip the comb in a mixture of dish soap and water to kill remaining fleas on the comb
  • bathe your pet with a specially-formulated flea shampoo
  • treat your pet with a flea spray
  • use a flea preventative year-round
  • continue to inspect and comb weekly to monitor a flea infestation

A critical component to help get rid of fleas – and even more importantly, discourage them from returning – is to use a flea preventative.

Here are three effective methods of flea prevention that can break the life cycle of the flea and help “tame” the flea circus.

• • 1. Flea Collars – Flea collars have improved greatly in recent years. Some flea collars are quite effective at preventing, but not curing, an infestation on your pet. The more recently developed long-lasting 8-month collars treat as well as prevent infestations. Repelling collars emit a gas that repels pests. Treating collars have medication that seeps into the fatty layer on your pets’ skin or have active ingredients that spread using the natural oils in your pets’ skin. When choosing a collar read the package carefully to ensure that you’re getting what you need.
    2. Topical Flea Treatments – Topical treatments come in liquid form and are applied to our pets, usually between the shoulder blades, at the base of the neck (for cats) or in several spots from the base of the neck to tail (for larger dogs), by parting the hair and applying to the skin. It’s important that the treatment is applied directly to the skin and not just on your pets hair. Once applied, the active ingredients are spread through the sebaceous glands, covering your pets body, not only where the product was applied. Most topical treatments protect your pet for 30 days.
    3. Oral Flea Products – Oral flea treatments – chewables or pills – are ingested by your pet, rather than applied to his body. Many of the oral flea treatment are prescription only. However two products are designed to be a fast-acting “quick kill” product that kills adult fleas in as little as an hour. These products (Advantus and Capstar) do not have long-term effect, so although they can be used daily, they’re an ideal option if you’re planning a visit to an area where you expect fleas to be present, such as a boarding kennel or dog park. Jeffers also offers Flea Away Chew Tabs, which are a natural flea, tick and mosquito repellent for dogs and cats. Used daily it’s a vitamin complex that causes your pet to develop a natural repellent, after being in your pet’s system for approximately 30 days.

Effective flea prevention can break the flea life cycle, be achieved through flea collars, topical flea treatments, or oral flea products, and can last anywhere from 30 days to eight months. Choose the prevention method that works best for you and your dog. Keep in mind that preventatives work best when used regularly year-round; simply applying for one or two months can leave your dog unprotected. If one pet has fleas, they may all have fleas. Apply preventives to every pet in your home – both indoor and outdoor pets – to help keep an infestation from spreading and help reduce the risk of fleas coming back.

How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Environment

If you have a flea infestation on your dog, there’s a good chance you will be fighting one in your home and yard. Take the few additional steps to treat your home and yard to help give you extra peace of mind. Start by cleaning – really cleaning – your home. We’re talking spring cleaning, fall cleaning, or in-laws-coming-to-visit cleaning! Baseboards, crevices, and upholstery are favorite hiding places for fleas and their eggs. Begin by vacuuming everything including the floors, carpets, area rugs, and furniture. Throw vacuum bags away (outside) or empty the vacuum canister outside in the trash. Wash all pet bedding in hot water, including covers and inserts. Wash your family’s bedding in hot water, and bathroom rugs and throws/blankets in hot water as well. Basically, cleanse any place your pet likes to sleep or lounge.

Remember adult fleas are only 5% of the flea population, and adults are the only ones that are visible. Use a spray labeled for home flea treatment on upholstery, furniture, and crevices. Fog your home, choosing a fogger that kills multiple flea life stages, and always follow label directions.

How to Know if the Fleas Are Gone

Your home is clean! But how can you tell if the fleas are truly gone? There may be no definitive answer, but you can monitor your pets for scratching, chewing, hair loss, and touch sensitivity as signs that fleas are back.

How to Keep an Infestation from Coming Back

Getting rid of fleas is hard enough, but keeping them from coming back is just as tough. During your initial efforts, you worked to get rid of fleas in your home, but the entire cycle can start over! Ongoing vigilance combined with flea protection and prevention is the key to success. It may take up to 3 months in a row to adequately clear out the flea infestation. Remember to vacuum thoroughly and regularly. Clean the interior of your car – you never know when fleas hitched a ride with you. Clean pet bedding every week. Treat your yard and all pets as directed by the product label. Be sure to set reminders to apply or administer treatment and prevention products, and follow the products’ recommended schedules. Be sure to check your pet for fleas weekly and look for new signs of itching and scratching.

We’ve addressed the “How” of getting rid of fleas, but now it’s time for the “Why”. Here are some cold hard facts on fleas:

• • • Did you know that fleas can live outdoors in temperatures as low as 33 degrees for up to five days?
    • Did you know that flea eggs can live year-round in protected areas such as crawl spaces or porches?
    • Although ticks are certainly more active in late summer and early fall, even in winter, if the temperature exceeds 40 degrees (which it can do in most places) ticks will become active again.
    • Did you know that even indoor pets can still get fleas?
    • Even if your pets don’t go outdoors, they may still have fleas. Fleas can hang on to shoes or clothing and when you return from a trip outdoors you can easily carry fleas into your home. Or perhaps you had boarded your pet while you were on vacation. Fleas or flea eggs and larvae could have attached to your pet’s fur and when you bring them home your house will become ground zero for an infestation. Fleas can cause a myriad of problems for your pet, some of the more common issues are listed below.

Common Flea-Related Ailments

Fleas and their bites can irritate your dog and not just in the “annoying” sense of the word. Fleas can spread diseases to dogs and affect the bond you share. After all, no one wants fleas inside their home and fleas can lead to a variety of health concerns.

• • 1. Flea Allergy Dermatitis – Many dogs suffer from flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), an allergic condition caused by flea bites. In fact, it is one of the most common reasons pet owners take their dogs to the veterinarian. When fleas bite, substances in their saliva can enter your dog’s skin and trigger an immune response. This can cause intense skin irritation and itchiness that extends well beyond the location of the bites, resulting in hair loss and skin infections that can make the problem even worse. Dogs with FAD will continue to experience these miserable symptoms until the fleas are controlled.
    2. Tapeworms – While chewing at skin irritated from flea bite, or even while licking a leg to remove dirt, dogs can swallow fleas. If those ingested fleas happen to be infected with tapeworms, there is a very good chance the dog will become infected as well. Once in the dog’s digestive system, the tapeworms will attach themselves to the intestinal lining using sharp, beak-like mouth parts. While tapeworms rarely cause noticeable signs of illness like vomiting, the thought of a tapeworm clinging to your dog’s insides is definitely unpleasant.
       If your dog is infected with tapeworms, you may see pieces of worms stuck around your dog’s anus. These pieces, which look like white grains of rice, are actually packets of tapeworm eggs. If you look closely, you might even see them moving. Once the outer casing of these packets dries out, eggs will be released into the environment where the cycle can be repeated.
    3. Bartonellosis – While thought to be a concern only for cats, there’s increasing evidence that dogs too can also be infected with a bacteria called Bartonella. While the source of infection is not as clear-cut as in the cat, infection with the Bartonella bacteria in dogs has been linked to fleas. Veterinarians are finding more instances of the bacteria in dogs, and the resulting effects are being reported more often, thanks to greater awareness and improved diagnostics. However, there are still a lot of unknowns (especially in dogs) about the related disease, called Bartonellosis. Affected dogs typically do not show any clinical signs. However, the bacteria has been linked to medical conditions associated with the heart, eyes, and liver.
    4. Anemia – Thinking about just one flea being on your dog is terrible, let alone thinking about hundreds. But that’s just what happens if your dog ever has the unlucky experience of being infested with fleas. If a large number of fleas bite and take blood meals (yes, fleas drink your dog’s blood), your dog can develop anemia. This is a very serious medical condition, especially in puppies, that must be promptly addressed through veterinary care. Symptoms include weakness, lethargy, rapid breathing, and potentially death if the fleas are not killed and the anemia condition corrected.

Treating for fleas and preventing a flea infestation are important practices in ensuring the health of your pets, your family members and you. To shop all flea and tick control products, click here. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Renee Jones, Jeffers’ Pet Specialist, by phone (1-800-533-3377) or by email rsjones@jefferspet.com.

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“How to Get Rid of Fleas in the House.” Bayer PetBasics. 06 April 2018.