Fleas.

[soulstice]

My dog has fleas! What shall I do? I have a Dyson vacuum that is very powerful at lifting hair off of the carpet, will it be enough to suck out all the larvae and eggs? I also have a flea shampoo that I washed my dog with yesterday and she doesn't seem to have any more, but fleas can live in carpets and latch on to her again. If I hoover and clean everywhere thoroughly, spray flea spray and wash my dog with flea shampoo again will it work? Also, if they're in carpet, how do I get them out? My friend told me that salt always works on hers. Is this true? I only found the fleas on my dog two days ago, could there be an infestation already? I walked around with white socks and I didn't see any fleas. Help!

[cat woman]

Sorry to hear about your uninvited guests, I have always had cats and to keep them free of fleas I use Frontline from the vets which is excellent and I'm sure you can get it for dogs too. To keep my home free of unwanted residents I use a product called "ZODIAC", It comes in a white 400ml spray tin it not only kills the stray fleas it also kills the larvae & the eggs. I've used it for along time and have never been disappointed with the effectiveness of it.  I buy it from Focus DIY but I would think you could get from a well stocked pet shop. I have seen flea collars & flea powder in the same product but have never used them as my cats wear safety collars hence the Frontline.

Good luck, and I wish you well in having a flea free home & dog.   Just another fact about ZODIAC it lasts up to 11wks with one good old spray.  :-) 

[PurplePixie]

My can of 'Zodiac' household flea spray tells me it lasts for 12 months (just spraying the entire house once)

The main thing to remember with fleas is that the majority of them are not fully developed fleas, most are in your carpets & soft furnishings in various stages of their lifecycle. What you've got to do is to break the cycle with something like 'Zodiac' in order to stop these little blighters from taking over. The eggs are very sticky, so very easy to transfer them to other places...washing on a hot wash with sort out all the bedding & your clothes etc...

The way I do the house spray is as follows. I get a mask to wear (DIY shop)  then I do one room at a time...shutting the animals out while I do it. You must spray all the corners, curtains, bedding & especially anywhere that your animals spend time. shut the windows & door of that room & leave for about an hour. Then do the same for every room.

They are not that hard to get rid of if you are thorough. Their little trick is that the eggs can remain dormant in the carpet for a long time & only hatch when the conditions are right. I usually do my whole house every 9 months or so & I get all sorts of animal fleabags in here & still manage to keep the house fleafree..so it can be done. Good luck, go get 'em!!

[Sammy Snake]

You need stuff from the vets.  This is from the Advantix website although most most flea applications from vets work in the same way (the ones from Pet Shops are not as strong)

"Stops fleas from biting in less than 5 minutes.
Kills adult fleas before they lay eggs.
Kills 98%-100% of fleas within 12 hours of initial application and keeps working for a month.
Kills flea larvae in the pet�s surroundings before they develop into more biting fleas.
Gentle enough for puppies as young as 7 weeks of age.
It�s water resistant � so it continues to work after your dog goes swimming or is bathed.
Apply monthly for optimal control.."

So even if you kill all the fleas your dog has now,  some lying dormant in the carpet will hatch later and jump straight back onto Fido, as you know, or he could go outside and get them again.  I had some spray from the pet shop but fleas are crafty little blighters and can get into the smallest cracks and most inaccessible places so I would definately recommend flea treatment from the vets.

[FP]

As Cat Woman has suggested, Frontline, available from vets is an excellent product.  It might seem more expensive than things you can buy in the pet shops, etc. but it really works and is easy to use.  Just a small phial of liquid that you apply between the shoulder blades of the dog will keep him free for one month at least.  It will cost you about �5.00 per month, but is well worth it.

That is the first step - then it's a good idea to use something like Zodiak for the house.  Once you have got rid of the house fleas, if you treat your dog regularly with Frontline, you won't have to do it again.  I have three cats and 2 dogs, all of whom are flea free using this procedure.

Good luck.

[woofgang]

Yup, frontline is the stuff, soulstice, don't panic. When I, not my dog, brought fleas into the house (long story, don't ask) I got a can of stuff from my vet that did a large four bedroom house and 2 cars for 11 quid. Then you keep the pets covered by using frontline regularly. Best to trat your carpets and drapes before hoovering as fleas can hatch in the vacuum and dont forget to treat the insides of wardrobes and the airing cupboard too.

[Marvin84]

Bit of a query on this topic - are you able to purchase flea bombs over there???? We used to use these things in and under the house - where the dog used to like to be...

They were great because you set it, and leave it for about 3-4hrs come back and vacuum.... that with the Frontline worked a treat....

:-)

[FP]

I have used Bob Martin Flea Bombs.  I haven't seen them on sale for a while.  I asked in my local Pet Supply Warehouse and they said they could not get hold of them.  I have just looked and still got one in the cupboard from about 2 years ago.

[Marvin84]

FP - that's funny because over here there's several different types.... one's for fleas, cockroaches, etc.... and they're all in the supermarket.....

Maybe soulstice could see if they're available online or something.... :-)