Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Getting Rid of Fleas for Good

Getting rid of fleas for good is the ultimate goal. Despite the inevitable set backs it is an achievable goal. However, getting rid of fleas for once and for all requires a multi-pronged attack and diligence on behalf of the pet owner. The pet owner may also want to discuss flea remedy strategies with their vet.

Your vet can provide you with some flea ointment that is very effective in ridding your dog of fleas. This flea ointment is applied to the lower portion of back of your pets neck. As your pet licks and scratches himself the ointment will be spread to other parts of your pets body. The ointment is completely safe for your pet but lethal for fleas. Within a few days of applying this ointment you should notice that your pet is less itchy and more comfortable. When you start to notice that your dog is no longer constantly scratching himself then you know the fleas are gone.

Getting rid of fleas on your dog is just the first step in the process. If your dog had fleas that means that you will definitely have fleas in your house. Fleas and flea eggs will be EVERY WHERE your dog has been. Without completely cleaning your home your dog will get re-infested with fleas within a few days. Every single blanket, pillow, chair, rug, etc that your dog has slept on needs to be thoroughly washed. This task sounds ominous but it really isn't too bad. Depending on the size of your house (and the capacity of your washing machine) it should take less than a half day. After a few loads of laundry and a few hours with a vacuum or steam cleaner your house should be rid of fleas.

Clean everything in hot water. If necessary send out your quilts and duvets to the dry cleaner. Taking short cuts when you try to get rid of fleas in your home is a bad idea. If your vacuum doesn't have a steam cleaning function, then you should consider renting a steam cleaner. Most local grocery stores have steam cleaners available for rent at a reasonable cost. If you don't want to do the steam cleaning yourself, consider hiring a carpet cleaning company to clean your carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture.

Once you are certain that you have rid your dog of fleas and have rid your house of fleas, you need to think about flea prevention. An ounce of flea prevention will save you a lot of work in the future. There are a number of different ways to prevent fleas. There are all natural flea prevention strategies as well as flea prevention strategies from your vet. The manner in which you choose to prevent fleas will be up to you.

It is possible to get rid of fleas for good. It is also possible to lower the risk of a flea infestation. Don't despair. Dog fleas are a hassle and a health problem for your dog but getting rid of fleas is fairly easy and a relatively quick process.