Flea-Proof Your Pets
How to keep your dog, cat and house free from these oh-so-common pests.
If you have pets, fleas are a fact of life. Nearly half of all dogs and cats become infested with them at some point—despite the over $1 billion Americans spend annually on products to control the pesky critters. Once your pet has them (those that play outdoors are especially susceptible), you’ll find that fleas can rapidly take over your house. They can also cause your animal serious illness, including hair loss, dermatitis, and tapeworms (because they’re hosts to the worms’ eggs). Fleas may even carry bacteria that are contagious to humans. But you can keep fleas at bay—or prevent them in the first place—with these three easy steps:
Prevent an infestation
Save yourself a lot of trouble by using a topical prescription preventative such as Advantix or Frontline Plus every 30 days (but especially during warm-weather months). Both are liquids that are applied between a cat or dog’s shoulder blades and keep infant fleas from developing into full-blown adults. If you have a dog, you can also opt for pills that have the same effect (like Comfortis or Program); they are usually given once a month and may even come combined with heartworm medication (like Sentinel). These products are safe. They are also more effective than OTC home and lawn sprays, flea collars, bug bombs, shampoos, and dips, which are potentially toxic to you and your pet when used inappropriately or inproperly.
Spot them—and destroy them—fast
Sometimes an infestation occurs despite your best efforts, so if you notice early symptoms (such as your pet’s excessive scratching or small, itchy flea bites on you, the owner!), here’s what to look for: The pesky critters are the size of the tip of a pencil, so if you separate your animal’s hair to look for them, they’re visible to the naked eye. They most commonly hide on or around your pet’s lower back, tail, belly, inner thighs, and neck. A flea comb, which has fine teeth, will snag both the bugs and flea dirt: small, black specks of dried blood that turn red when you sprinkle them on a wet paper towel.
Get rid of them for good
If you find evidence of an infestation, move to a vet-recommended topical product that will rid your pet of adult fleas once and for all. Unfortunately, the fleas have to bite your pet for the pesticides to take effect—but it’s the easiest, safest, and most effective way of eliminating them. Your pet gets relief in 5 minutes and could be flea-free in as little as 12 hours.
Get rid of fleas hopping around your home by vacuuming frequently to suck up adults and eggs lying on the carpet, furniture, and pet beds. Throw away the vacuum bag away immediately, or fleas will crawl back out, re-infesting your house.
Parasitically yours,
Dr. Justine Lee
Biography:
Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the author of It’s a Cat’s World… You Just Live in It and It’s a Dog’s Life… but It’s Your
If you have pets, fleas are a fact of life. Nearly half of all dogs and cats become infested with them at some point—despite the over $1 billion Americans spend annually on products to control the pesky critters. Once your pet has them (those that play outdoors are especially susceptible), you’ll find that fleas can rapidly take over your house. They can also cause your animal serious illness, including hair loss, dermatitis, and tapeworms (because they’re hosts to the worms’ eggs). Fleas may even carry bacteria that are contagious to humans. But you can keep fleas at bay—or prevent them in the first place—with these three easy steps:
Prevent an infestation
Save yourself a lot of trouble by using a topical prescription preventative such as Advantix or Frontline Plus every 30 days (but especially during warm-weather months). Both are liquids that are applied between a cat or dog’s shoulder blades and keep infant fleas from developing into full-blown adults. If you have a dog, you can also opt for pills that have the same effect (like Comfortis or Program); they are usually given once a month and may even come combined with heartworm medication (like Sentinel). These products are safe. They are also more effective than OTC home and lawn sprays, flea collars, bug bombs, shampoos, and dips, which are potentially toxic to you and your pet when used inappropriately or inproperly.
Spot them—and destroy them—fast
Sometimes an infestation occurs despite your best efforts, so if you notice early symptoms (such as your pet’s excessive scratching or small, itchy flea bites on you, the owner!), here’s what to look for: The pesky critters are the size of the tip of a pencil, so if you separate your animal’s hair to look for them, they’re visible to the naked eye. They most commonly hide on or around your pet’s lower back, tail, belly, inner thighs, and neck. A flea comb, which has fine teeth, will snag both the bugs and flea dirt: small, black specks of dried blood that turn red when you sprinkle them on a wet paper towel.
Get rid of them for good
If you find evidence of an infestation, move to a vet-recommended topical product that will rid your pet of adult fleas once and for all. Unfortunately, the fleas have to bite your pet for the pesticides to take effect—but it’s the easiest, safest, and most effective way of eliminating them. Your pet gets relief in 5 minutes and could be flea-free in as little as 12 hours.
Get rid of fleas hopping around your home by vacuuming frequently to suck up adults and eggs lying on the carpet, furniture, and pet beds. Throw away the vacuum bag away immediately, or fleas will crawl back out, re-infesting your house.
Parasitically yours,
Dr. Justine Lee
Biography:
Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the author of It’s a Cat’s World… You Just Live in It and It’s a Dog’s Life… but It’s Your
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