Keeping Fleas at Bay

As a professional groomer of 28 years it never ceases to amaze me that people still allow their dogs to have fleas. In this day and age there truly is no reason to have fleas if you take a few easy steps to a flea free life for the most part.

Keep your dogs groomed on a regular basis so you can see the little buggers. Roll your dog over and check the belly and genital area on a daily basis as this is where fleas can most easily be seen. Fleas prefer white dogs to darker colors when given a choice!

If you see a flea pick it off and kill it or flush it down the drain. if you see more than a flea or two bathe your dog immediately. Any shampoo is better than none at all. You can use a flea comb to drag through the wet coat if the hair is short to get the remaining dead fleas off.

Remember fleas will run up the nose, into the eyes and into the ear canal to stay alive if there is a heavy infestation. There is not body part part that is sacred to a flea or tick.

When you de-flea your dog whether you do it at home or at the groomer, you also need to fog your house. It is absolutely necessary to treat the house and yard the same time all the animals are done or they will return to a flea infested environment and have fleas again as soon as they walk in the door. There is a much safer way to keep fleas at bay with natural products which make the environment healthier for everyone, most importantly our dogs! it does take a while to move away from a chemical habitat to a natural one so don't expect miracles overnight.

Beneficial nematodes can be purchased at any organic nursery and some farm/feed stores. It takes about 6 weeks for them to get established in your soil and lawn, with regular watering for about 3 weeks. They last a couple years once established and eat fleas, ticks, and fire ants! I used to spread them every couple years, now I do it yearly. I would rather take all the precautions and use bugs to eat bugs than use chemicals on the yard. I haven't had to do that in
almost 20 years. The Beneficial Nematodes will take care of the bugs none of us want if you take care of them and keep them watered so they can live in this ferocious heat.

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is safe and nontoxic and destroys intestinal parasites physically by injuring them. The shell particles of the DE are sharp enough to cut the parasites but are not harmful to humans and animals. DE is a natural and safe way to kill parasites without chemicals.

Regular bathing, keeping your dogs coat shorter, using one of the topical flea treatments such as Frontline Plus if you are infested, along with keeping the yard flea free will ensure a happy, healthy summer for your dog and your family!

If you have fleas in the house, you will have to chemically fog every room in your house for about three weekends in a row to really kill them all. The cans of spray say they cover more square footage but in order to effectivly kill fleas and eggs, it has been my experience that it takes three applications in a row.

If you walk your dog or go to the dog park or lake you might snag a bottle of flea spray like Adams to use during the outing. This will kill fleas on your dog and leave enough of a residual while you are out to hopefully avoid any new hitchhikers from jumping on your dog. Avoid getting into the eyes or letting your dog inhale the fumes from the spray as this is a poison.
I prefer an organic or natural spray as preventative but in case of infestation and instant kill so y ou don't bring them home, chemical is ok. Just bathe the dog when you get home to get the dead fleas and chemicals off.

Once you have the fleas under control if you have to use chemicals it will take approx 3 months before you can use the BN's for your yard. I've had to do both but prefer an all natural form of bug free war fare for the safety and health of my dogs.

Its an all out war to keep fleas and ticks at bay during the hot months but if you follow these steps you should be able to prevent them as well as get rid of them while making a healthy chemical-free environment for you and your dogs!