Rid Fleas From Your Dogs & Cats
We all know that fleas are one of the most common parasites affecting pet dogs. when you have a dog, at some point you will have fleas in the house as well. It is at this point that people seriously want to take steps to rid fleas.
The fleas themselves are very small and brown. These little insects move very quickly and can be hard to kill. That, however is simply the beginning of the many problems surrounding a flea infestation. Here we will find out a little more about fleas and how you can rid fleas from your dog.
Fleas feed on blood, yours, your dog’s blood, and any other animals in the house.The life cycle of a flea is four stages from eggs to the flea itself and can progress rapidly in the right circumstances. When you consider that an adult flea lays hundreds of eggs each day and those eggs rapidly develop into egg-layers as well Then you can see how just one flea can become a big problem very quickly!
So how can we tell if our dogs have fleas?
If a dog has fleas it wll scratch and bite iself excessively, especially in these places: the ears, the base of the tail, the belly, and the the skin between its leg and belly.
It’s actually the saliva of the flea that causes the irritation, not the bite itself, Occassionally dogs are allergic to the fleas saliva and with these dogs the bite can cause more severe irritation which will make the dog bite & scratch more causing bald spots, skin brekages and infectionsTo check for fleas, groom your dog with a fine toothed flea comb (available from vets, petstores or pharmacies). While you are combing his fur you may notice flea droppings – like tiny black pepper grounds. This can be confirmed by wiping the comb onto some white paper. The spoor should look red when smeared on the paper.
Even if your dog shows no eveidence of having fleas, you should prevent an infestation instead. If you are reading this article out of curiosity and there are not fleas on your dog, then heres what you should do: Create a scheduled flea prevention program for your pet. Use prescribed treatment products according to a calendar and stick to the schedule. A vet will inform you of the most effective treatment for your particular dog, given his size, age and weight.
OK, so maybe its a little late for that and you have identified that the dog has a flea problem. Well, actually, you have a household problem that you will need to deal with but the important thing is not to panic just work through the steps methodically and you will rid fleas from your life. Also remember there is no shame in getting a flea infestation, it can happen to anyone with a pet.
You will need to treat your dog and his bedding. You will also need to treat all of the house – your carpets, bedding as well as fleas will be present throughout the house and yard.
After taking the necessary action to rid fleas from your pets and house, check your dog again by grooming to see if the problem is gone. Then start on the preventative treatments mentioned earlier.
There are one or two things to remember:
Flea treatments can be quite toxic, make sure that you have the right treatment for the size & age of your dog and do not use more than one type of treatment at any one time.
If there are other animals like cats in the house, they will have to be treated too
Be consistent. If you get halfway through getting rid of the fleas and stop, then they will be back in full force again soon.
The war against fleas is win-able but you need to get the best possible
advice. At Poochdogs, there is a comprehensive how-to guide to rid fleas from your pets, your house, your life! Click on the highlighted text to get it today.
There is also a FREE e-book called ‘5 Myths of Dog Training’ available for you to download and keep at poochdogs.com which gets you started obedience training dogs
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