If dog fleas are ruining your life, and no doubt ruining the life of your dog, you need a plan to get rid of them and keep them from coming back. Flea infestations have to be one of the most stubborn and frustrating things to deal with, but it is possible to rid your home and dog of these annoying little animals. To get your plan off to a good start, lets talk about the steps you will need to perform to be effective in killing fleas.

Before you even start, it's a good idea to get an idea of the scope of problem you are dealing with. Most people don't realize that the fleas living on and biting your dog (and you), are only about 5% of the total population of fleas in their various life stages that are in your dogs living space. This living space includes all areas that he normally frequents, including your yard, patio, basement, garage, car etc. If you fail to rid fleas in these other areas, or in the other life stages, then you are going to fail at getting rid of the fleas.

1 -Rid your house of fleas - first, take your dog outside so that he won't be spreading fleas back to the areas that you have just cleaned. Second, pick up anything and everything that is on the floor in all of your living spaces, including bedrooms, bathrooms, closets ? everywhere your dog has access to fleas will exist. Wash EVERYTHING - launder your clothes, sheets, dog toys, dog bedding, blankets etc. Anything that can't be dried, hang up to dry outside in the sunlight.

Go through the entire house and vacuum as thoroughly as possible, making sure to get under all beds, as close to the walls as possible, under and behind furniture. Also vacuum any upholstered items in the areas your dog frequents. Once this is done, throw out the vacuum bag so fleas don't re-emerge or hatch and re-emerge. Use soap and water to clean all hard surfaces, including closet floors, garage floors, and patio decks. Once everything has been thoroughly cleaned to get rid of obvious fleas, arrange to leave the house while you have a flea treatment. Make sure not to come back until the recommended time has passed and the treatment has been allowed to dry thoroughly.

2 - Rid your outdoor spaces of fleas - any fleas that are outside the home are a problem as well, since they will be brought back into the house again the first time you dog visits these areas. At the same time that you are having your house treated for fleas, it is a good idea to have your yard and any other outdoor space treated as well. Remember to pay special attention to dark humid places where fleas typically like to hide, such as corners, cracks, and underneath things like your patio deck.

3 - Get rid of fleas on your dog - now is the time to get rid of the adult fleas on your dog. Give your dog a bath with dog shampoo, and then thoroughly dry him. Once he is dry, double check that all fleas have been killed by going over your dog with a flea comb. It's probably a good idea to throw your dog washing clothes in the laundry, just in case some fleas jumped to you for safety during the bath.

4 - Kill fleas for the next 2 weeks to prevent re-infection - 2 weeks after the initial treatment, any fleas in the larvae stage which were impervious to the chemical treatment will now hatch and reinfest your home. After the initial treatment, make sure to follow up with vacuuming, floor washing, laundering and pet bathing regularly over the next two weeks, and your chances of catching young fleas before they have a chance to re-infest will be greatly increased.

Please visit this Getting Rid Of Fleas site, or find more information by clicking here.

categories: dog fleas,fleas,fleas and ticks,animal health,pet medication,dog medication,animal medication,animal medicine,dog health,pet health,dogs,pets,animals,home

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Pet owners everywhere are at one time or another faced with the issue of how to get rid of fleas! When your pet gets infested with fleas it can be a terribly frustrating experience for both the owner and pet. Our local pet food store sells an assortment of flea collars, flea powders and flea shampoo including Frontline for fleas. Even though the staff are helpful, it is pretty hard to know which product to use and almost impossible to know all of the active ingredients of these dog flea products. There can be some hazardous side-effects of those well known but potentially highly harmful dog flea products. The chemicals used in some of the household name products and major national popular brands on the market may be poisoning our pets and marginalizing our own family?s health at the same time. So the question is, how to get rid of fleas safely?

More often these days, pet owners are seeking natural or homeopathic alternatives to the issue of dog fleas. Some of the most commonly used natural dog flea remedies are outlined below:

1. Household salt. Sprinkle it all over the house and let it sit for a week or more. Apparently fleas don?t seem to like salt. Your dog will lay on the carpet and the salt will get on his coat. A short time thereafter the fleas are gone.

2. Talcum powder to treat dog fleas. Cover your dog or cat with baby powder and this will smother the fleas. This remedy is often recommended for puppies or kittens who are too young to be treated with any flea chemical. You can also use baking soda.

3. For the dog fleas on adult dogs, you could try an olive oil bath. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the fleas just drown in it and fall out. Start from the dog?s head and work your way back so the fleas don't move to the face where it's really hard to pluck them off. Then you just shampoo the oil out and the dog fleas will wash down the drain.

4. The Garlic solution. Some people swear that garlic is the best all-natural dog fleas remedy. Some people use a garlic pill supplement while others use freshly chopped garlic and mix it into the dog food. The fleas don?t like the scent emitted through the skin of the dog after he ingests garlic.

It would appear that there are many natural alternatives to treating dog fleas. These treatments will likely work best at the point of initial infestation. For a really bad cases of fleas you might need to try a stronger dog flea remedy such as Frontline. In figuring out how to get rid of fleas its best to do your research. However, with all matters pertaining to the health of our dogs and cats, please check with your doctor about potential side effects.

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Written by Ryan Williams using tags: dog fleas, dog health, Dogs, fleas, fleas and ticks, itching, pet health, pet skin care, Pets

My dog and I have a great weekend schedule. First thing each weekend morning we get up, have a snack, grab a latte at the coffee shop on the way, and end up at the dog park. I just love bringing my dog to the park, since it's pretty obvious that this is one of the highlights of his week.

At the dog park, my dog gets to have loads of exercise and socialize with other dogs. I, on the other hand get to sit on a bench, enjoy my coffee, chat with my friends or leaf through a newspaper. We both like the dog park. However, the dog park does have one distinct drawback. My dog has been known to get a good dose of dog fleas after a morning of playing at the dog park.

I can't remember exactly when I made the decision to stop going to the dog park, but it was an unconscious decision over about a month I think, as I was just dreading having to go through the inevitable process of ridding fleas from my dog and my house. Well, after a few months, I began to rethink that decision. Yes, my dog got rid of the fleas, but we have both noticeably missed the dog park. I decided that maybe it was worth trying to re-establish the dog park routine.

I called my dog groomer for advice. How could we enjoy our weekend trips to the dog park and avoid getting fleas? The dog groomer was full of good ideas. She knew that I was a believer in non toxic and organic living so I needed an all natural flea prevention solution. Thankfully, those solutions are pretty common and easy to apply.

I started to feed my dog a wee bit of garlic with his wet food every morning. The groomer told me that in a matter of days the garlic will start to be emitted through my dogs skin and saliva. The smell is imperceptible to humans but acts as a significant flea deterrent. She was right. At least, I have not noticed any fleas after going to the dog park. As an added precaution, I dosed a bandanna in some citronella oil and tied it around my dog's neck. My dog doesn't seem to mind the smell and it helps to repel fleas.

Fleas can be a nuisance. If you are going to bring your dog to places where they can socialize with other dogs, fleas are going to be a problem. Fortunately getting rid of fleas naturally and all natural flea repellents are safe and easy to apply.

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Written by Jane A Moore using tags: dog fleas, dog health, Dogs, family, fleas, fleas and ticks, pet health, Pets

Fleas have to be the most annoying thing that most pet owners inevitably deal with at one time or another. The hardest part of getting rid of fleas is that they seem to just keep coming back. Most often the reason that fleas "keep coming back" is that you never fully got rid of them in the first place. The second you notice your pet might have fleas, you have to start the flea control process immediately, as time is of the essence when it comes to stopping fleas from multiplying.

There are two significant areas that will require your attention. You must pay attention to both areas otherwise you will never win the battle against a flea infestation. The first and most obvious area of attention is your pet itself. The second area of importance is killing the fleas that have jumped off or have fallen off your pet and now live in your carpets or linens. The second category also includes flea larvae.

The first step is to remove your dog from your house so he is not re-infected as soon as you give him a good flea bath or treatment. Killing the fleas on your dog will involve either a chemical treatment, such as Advantage or Frontline, or a more natural solution such as olive oil baths, garlic treatments or talcum powder. You can follow up the natural treatment with a flea comb. I wouldn't suggest a flea comb if you've used a flea medication, since these can be pretty toxic chemicals. This might be one reason you choose to get rid of dog fleas naturally.

To get rid of the fleas that have already escaped into your house may be a bit harder. Finding all the spots where your dog has been, and fleas may now be hiding or have laid their eggs will be tricky. Start by washing anything and everything that your dog may have come into contact with, and any clothes or portable items (IE stuffed toys) that are in areas that your dog frequents. Washing clothes, toys, linens and rugs in hot water, and then drying in the dryer or hanging them out to dry in the sun will get rid of any flea eggs that are on these items.

Once everything that you can pick up has been washed, you need to go through the house top to bottom, everywhere your dog has been, and vacuum. Be especially careful to vacuum corners and cracks in floorboards, in closets, under beds, and all your upholstery. Even better, steam clean your carpets and upholstered furniture to get rid of flea eggs and larvae. Throw out your vacuum bag once you have finished the task, which will prevent fleas from escaping, or larvae from hatching and re-infesting your house.

Once fleas have moved into your house, regaining a flea free house is a tough job, but it is possible. You need to be very persistent and thorough with cleaning all areas of your house, and ridding your dog of fleas. Once you have gotten rid of all fleas, remember to keep up the cleaning and flea treatment, since you may see a re-infestation if you have missed some of the flea eggs and larvae. If you continue the cleaning cycle periodically after the first cleaning, you will be able to catch any fleas missed the first time around and end the cycle.

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Written by Jane A Moore using tags: dog fleas, dog health, Dogs, family, fleas, fleas and ticks, pet health, Pets