June | 2014 | Animal Care/ Fashion/ Grooming/

Fleas… I want you to start thinking of them as Animal lice. Why? Because if you or your child had lice you would take direct and immediate action to rectify the problem. Which is exactly the same mindset you need to have when fleas erupt on your pet. They can cause major discomfort and in extreme cases severe health problems.

Identifying Fleas on your pet.

The signs of fleas are often easy to spot. Try turning your pet over and looking on the stomach for fleas, often fleas will crawl away from light making them easier to spot . Also, look for blackish brown deposits of “dirt” on your pet’s belly, the base of the tail, and the top of the head. These things coupled with excessive scratching are almost 100% sure signs that your pet has fleas. Purchasing a “Flea comb” from your local pet store and gently combing over these areas is an effective method as well.

Yes, my pet has fleas. WHAT NOW OMG OMG OMG!!!

First, be concerned, but do not panic. We now live in a time where fleas can be controlled safely and effectively through a number of methods. First call your veterinarian and make an appointment. If this is your first experience with fleas you will need to have a tapeworm test performed to ensure that your pet is worm free. Yes, fleas cause tapeworms not only in pets but in humans as well. That’s right I said HUMANS. Ok Ok…it’s rare that you will develop tapeworms as they come from ingesting an infected flea…but it’s just another great reason to begin flea control as soon as a problem is detected. Your Vet will have many options available to you at the time of your appointment.
While you are waiting to see your Vet starting the house cleaning part of the battle is a good idea. Be sure to vacuum all pet areas and bedding thoroughly. Wash all linens and bedding that your pet has come into contact with using hot water and a hot dryer cycle.

I can’t get to/afford a veterinarian visit. WHAT NOW?

Let me preface this next section by saying that I am not a veterinarian, I am a Groomer. While I have over 15 years experience with pets and fleas nothing in this blog is a substitute for a veterinarian’s experience and knowledge.

A good bath.

Bathing can work wonders on a small flea infestation. Before you run out and spend Ten Dollars on some expensive, overpriced flea shampoo check your kitchen sink first. Do you use Dawn to wash your dishes? Blue Dawn is one of the most effective flea killers out there. Surprised? I was too when I discovered this fact years ago. It’s a little known secret. Worried that it’s not safe for animals? Think back to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. What was it they used on all the oil covered wildlife? YES DAWN! Soap in general is a mild insecticide but Blue Dawn seems to be the most effective on fleas overall. Not Palmolive, Not Dawn with Olay…BLUE Dawn.
Be sure to bathe your pet in luke warm water and scrub the Dawn to a rich lather (STAY AWAY FROM THE EYES!), let it sit on your pet for roughly 10 minutes. Rinsing is probably the most important step here it is imperative to get all of the soap out of your pet’s coat. Any soap left on can cause skin irritation (this is true of any soap). After rinsing a light conditioning might be in order. Try using conditioner for color treated hair. While Dawn kills fleas it also strips the oil in your pets coat and can make their skin dry. The conditioner will help to combat that. Again, rinse thoroughly.

OTC (over the counter) Treatments

Do you feel like your flea infestation is a bit out of control? Good News, Advantage and Frontline are now available without a veterinarian prescription and can be purchased at large retail stores (WalMart Petco Petsmart ect). These topical treatments are applied to the base of the neck and sometimes at the base of the tail . Appropriate for both dogs and cats, they interact with the oils in the animal’s skin making them a walking flea extermination device. Treatments such as this need to be applied monthly. Also, special precautions need to be taken if you are going to bathe your pet in between applications. Using a “soap free” dog shampoo is your best bet waiting three days before or after application. Using anything harsher will wash the product off making it open season for fleas and wasting your hard-earned money. If you have your pet bathed at a groomer be sure to specify that you only want soap free or hypoallergenic shampoo used on your pet. If your pet is an excessive swimmer the product can also wash off. They are water-resistant not water proof.Advantage uses adulticide (imidacloprid) and an insect growth regulator (pyriproxyfen). Frontline utilizes fipronil and (S)-methoprene. Frontline’s formula is more effective on ticks. Some of the pitfalls of this type of control are, oily residue on your pet sometimes hours after application and they can rub it off on your furniture, carpet, kids ect. Irritation at the application sight. Discontinue use and seek veterinarian advice. Easily rendered useless by bathing. Not bathing for a month is a good rule of thumb. Sometimes even following all of the directions these OTC treatments just don’t work (suspicion of Flea immunity).

Prescription Treatments

In this section we are going to discuss the main treatments available from your Vet. These are the more expensive options. Flea control is like anything else you certainly get what you pay for.

Dogs

Comfortis(fleas Dogs and cats) and Trifexis (fleas + heartworms DOGS ONLY) are oral medications only available by prescription at this time. These are also once a month treatments and let me tell you they work like gang busters. I’ve never seen anything like it honestly. Major flea infestations eradicated within hours or days. It’s pretty amazing (no they aren’t paying me to say this lol). All without the need to regulate your pet’s bathing/grooming/swimming. The Active flea ingredient in both of these medications is spinosad. From the information I have looked at they are antiparasitic enzymes derived from soil. They attack the nervous system of the flea killing them before they can lay eggs. So you may still see fleas occasionally but they are just new fleas that have not died yet. After a few months of repeated use the environment will be flea free.
As with anything good there is always the bad. These medications can sometimes have side-effects, vomiting is the most common and some pets just can’t keep them down. Also there is the cat issue(Comfortis). Ever tried making a cat do anything it doesn’t want to do? Yeah I hope you own a shark bite suit (lol). These medicines do not protect against ticks. Also the price, roughly $100 dollars plus vet fees for Trifexis (it does protect against heartworms too eliminating the need for Heartguard) and $80 plus Vet fees for Comfortis. Check with your vet to see if these are availiable in monthly doses the prices discussed above are for 6 month doses.

Cats

As I mentioned above Comfortis can be administered to cats as well but if you can’t manage to get your cat to ingest it, a topical method will have to be pursued. I would suggest either Advantage, Frontline, Or new products from the makers of Comfortis and Trifexis, Cheristen (Comfortis) or Assurity (Trifexis). The later both use the new spinosad.

Homeopathic Flea control

The truth: Unless you are willing to put in copious amounts of time in this method it will not work for long-term.
Pyrethrum: This is a natural flea control derived from the heads of painted daisies or old world chrysanthemums. This ingredient can be found in many flea shampoos and dips. It works well for short-term flea control but unless you are willing to bathe your pet in excess it isn’t really a viable long-term option. This is also available in a powder or liquid form from local garden centers or pest control stores.
d limonene: This is a citrus based insecticide often smelling of grapefruit or oranges. It is also available in a wide range of flea shampoos powders and liquids.
diatomaceous earth: This is a chalk like dust that utilizes algae. The powder lodges on the flea’s body causing it to dehydrate and suffocate. While you can’t put this directly on your pet it is a good idea to put it in the pet’s bedding and carpets. You can use a broom to work it into the fabric. This is an all around good product to use in conjunction with something else. Again available from gardening or pest control stores.

To Recap