When your pet has fleas, the whole household has fleas, and it can be an incredibly frustrating experience to rid your home of these pests. Even so, with some patience and determined effort you can get rid of fleas as well as flea eggs. Anyone who has battled fleas is usually eager to prevent their pet from getting them in the future. However, if you find that your pet and home have fleas, the following tips will help you get rid of them.
Timing
Timing is important when treating your pet and home for fleas. Ideally, you should treat your home, pet, and backyard at the same time. While adult fleas are comfortable hanging out on your dog, flea larvae and eggs will be hanging out in other spots. By treating them all at the same time, you increase your chances of success. Otherwise, the fleas or flea eggs will survive in one of the other untreated areas.
Insecticide
Once fleas are rampant in your home, insecticide is generally a must. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend a preferred product. Your local pet store should also be able to advise you about the best products to use. Once you choose a product for the interior you should also pick one up for the yard or for the places where your pet is known to spend time. You will need to carefully read the instructions and follow them to the letter for optimum results. Don’t use these products, however, until you plan to treat your dog.
The Interior
You’ll want to perform a thorough preparation before using your insecticide. You need to store all food and remove your pet’s bowls of food and water. If you have a fish tank, you may need to cover fish tanks and remove any other pets you might have. Be sure to check and treat them for fleas too. All pet bedding will have to be washed in hot water or destroyed. Be sure to vacuum thoroughly–carpets, floors, and stairs. Vacuuming helps remove eggs and larvae. Don’t forget to get rid of the vacuum bag right after you finish. Then you can apply the insecticide.
Outside
Most of the fleas will likely be dealt with once you treat the house and your dog. Even so, it makes good sense to treat areas outdoors that are high-traffic areas for your dog. Some people may prefer to have professionals come out to spray, but many commercial products work well when applied by homeowners. The key, again, is to provide these various treatments in tandem.
Maintain cleanliness
Even after you treat your home, you’ll want to vacuum a couple times a day for several days and keep your floors clutter free so that you can easily vacuum. Also, don’t forget to keep your dog flea free in the future. Once you have to de-flea your home, you don’t want to have to go through that again. Plus, it’s no fun for your dog to suffer those flea bites!
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