Dog Fleas - Oh No...
Not On My Spoiled Dog!

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Dog fleas - aargh. They are a menace for both pets and people and once they check in, they are hard to check out. Left untreated, dog fleas cause irritating skin conditions for your dog, including dermatitis. They also carry the tapeworm, which can be transferred to your dog if he successfully bites into a flea.

Fleas have been around for millions of years - if you have a dog, spoiled or otherwise, sooner or later you will encounter them. I could go into detail about their lifestyle, but it's not a pretty picture and besides that's not what you came to read about. So I'll just say that dog fleas are strong survivors and you have to be very diligent to control them.

Signs That Your Dog May Have Fleas:

Well the most obvious sign is that you see a flea jump on or off your dog. Here are some other signs:

• Sudden increase in scratching and chewing
• Patches of dry skin
• Dandruff
• Patches of hair loss
• Flea Dirt on the skin
• Flea eggs on the skin

Finding The Dreaded Dog Fleas

You've heard the expression breeding like rabbits. Well that should more aptly be changed to fleas. The rabbits have nothing on them in the breeding department. Just a drop in the bucket - which, by the way, is where the fleas and eggs should go after you have combed them out of your dog's coat - a bucket of soapy water that is.

Tip - Dip your fine-toothed flea comb in the water first, then the fleas won't be able to escape while you comb them out and dunk into the water to drown.

To "find" the flea dirt (I'll politely call it flea waste), run a dry flea comb through your dog's coat, especially on the lower back and belly. Do this over some white paper so that you can easily see any black grains that fall out. If you do, squish them and if they turn brownish-red, that's flea dirt.

How To Get Rid of Dog Fleas

A flea will produce up to 25,000 eggs in a month and they can live a long time without food. Multiply that number for even a small population of adult fleas and the results are staggering. So you've got to interrupt the cycle and kill both the fleas and the eggs. So let's get to the dog flea remedies!

If your dog has been attacked by fleas, then they are in your home also. Fleas tend to live in the carpets and warm corners of your home, coming out to find a host when they need a meal. This means you need to treat your dog and your home to solve the problem. So send your dog off to the groomer for the day to get bathed with a "vet recommended" natural shampoo for dog fleas, while you work on the house.

• Wash dog bedding in hot soapy water
• Buy the best vacuum you can afford and run it through every nook and cranny paying special attention to your dog's favorite spots
• Wrap vacuum bag or canister contents into a separate plastic bag, seal and discard to outside garbage container. Don't want those critters getting back in.
• Apply an all-natural flea control product everywhere around the house.

There are numerous flea control products available, but my preference is for natural dog flea products, that do not contain harmful ingredients or pesticides.

While you are treating the dog and the house, don't forget yourself. The following oils are repellent to fleas due to their strong aroma: citronella, tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, or cedar wood. So choose one of them to rub on your arms and legs for protection.

Keeping Rover flea free....

Flea prevention for dogs - recommendations to consider:

• Boost your dog's immune system with a premier supplement like Missing Link so that he has better defense against flea attacks.
• Perform regular combing (outside) using the soapy water method described above
• Use natural flea protection shampoo for dogs
• Apply an all-natural flea control product
• Buy washable bedding and launder often in hot water
• Keep outdoor areas treated with natural flea control products
• Consider getting some dog bedding containing cedar fill, known for its flea-repellent properties. Also, a cedar dog house.
• Look for signs of tapeworms - rice-like grains in your dog's feces

Note: Regular outdoor treatment is especially important to combat any unwanted fleas that may be left by visiting neighbor dogs.

Tip - For a periodic flea check on the inside of your home: Put out a pan of hot soapy water at night with a light about six inches above it - use one of those lamps with a flexible neck. The fleas will be drawn to the heat and the light and jump toward it, ending up in the water to drown. You'll get the jump on them so to speak and be able to attack the problem before it gets worse.

Fleabusters


Whatever products you may choose to use on your pet for flea control, please keep an eye on your dog for any allergic or adverse reaction. Even dog flea products that are regarded as very safe for most dogs, may cause an unwanted reaction in a few of our best friends.


A last word about "spot on" type flea products which we didn't discuss above. Following is an excerpt from The Whole Dog Journal which did an in-depth study on them:

"All pesticides pose some degree of health risk to humans and animals. Despite advertising claims to the contrary, both over-the-counter and veterinarian-prescribed flea-killing topical treatments are pesticides that enter our companions’ internal organs (livers, kidneys), move into their intestinal tracts, and are eventually eliminated in their feces and urine.”

This kind of information leads us to the opinion that the natural approach to parasite invasion is the best first line of defense and that use of spot flea products would be the last option only for extreme cases.

All Natural Flea Control for Your Dog And Your Home

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