Because of their small dimensions, they pose an enormous problem when they get into your home. The tiny insects with no wings take blood from their victims, causing sufficient irritation and itchiness to make you and your pet mad.
Even the idea of flying fleas snagging inside your pet can make your skin itchy, but these pesky insects can cause even more harm than simply itching. Fleas transmit dangerous illnesses to animals of all types (and humans, too) and can be a major health risk in dogs.
What’s the perfect solution to get rid of fleas? Eliminating fleas from your pet is a complex process that requires bathing, medication, and vacuuming.
How To Spot Fleas on Dogs
If your dog is scratching and gnashing at their skin, particularly on their hind and back legs, you may be experiencing fleas. The first step in treating the problem is to determine if fleas are present and if there are other motives for your dog’s scratching.
It is conceivable to spot live fleas. However, the tiny buggers can move and jump around fast, making it difficult to spot their presence on dogs. You’ll likely recognize evidence of fleas, such as “flea dirt” visible on your skin where bloodsuckers were eating.
“Flea dirt is flea poop,” claims Dr Stephanie Howe, DVM and vet advisor to PetMD. “These are nuggets of digested blood that look like little black pepper specks.” The dirt from the fleas proves that the fleas have been together with Fido as their primary food source, and it is imperative to act to eliminate the fleas from your pet.
Utilize flea combing to look for tiny streaks of black in your pet’s skin, usually around its rear. Do you spot flea dirt? You must contact your vet to get your pet on flea medications immediately.
How To Get Rid of Fleas Fast
There are numerous products available in the marketplace that claim that they can treat your dog for fleas. However, getting rid of the full extent of a flea infestation can be an extensive process that could last for weeks or even months, depending on the extent of it. This is the reason why preventative measures are crucial. A monthly prevention for ticks and fleas is much more effective than attempting to eliminate fleas when they’ve entered the home.
It is nevertheless possible to eliminate fleas in a short time. There are a few remedies to deal with your home and pet quickly and effectively.
Flea Comb
Although a powerful medication may begin killing adult fleas in just a couple of days, you’ll have to regularly check for fleas with a smooth-toothed flea comb made of metal to eliminate them throughout their lives. It’s not a regular brushing routine, as an affluent comb for fleas aims to eliminate parasites from your dog.
Sarah Wooten, DVM, advises using this comb within the tub so that egg-laying fleas and flea dust can be flushed away (and will not be able to take hold and hatch on the carpet in the future). Each time you use the comb, you can dip it in detergent water, allowing it to wash out any eggs or fleas that you’ve taken out.
Severe infestations will require regular treatments with the combing tool to warrant the eggs have been eliminated from your dog, so put an alarm in your smartphone to alert you that it’s time to conduct your regular flea inspection. Talk to your vet if you are unsure how to utilize the flea comb or when you need to perform a flea check when your dog has been on a prevention program.
Medications
There are a variety of varieties of flea medicines that can be used to eliminate the fleas that feed on your dog. The medications are given in many ways. Some offer more protection against parasites, including ticks, heartworms, hookworms and tapworms. The vet will benefit from deciding on the perfect treatment to give your dog based upon their condition dimensions, the size of their dog, and the extent of infection.
Oral Flea Medications
Doctor. Howe says oral prescription medication for flea prevention is the “gold standard” for treating pets for fleas. They are chewable tablets that perform the job quickly and effectively, typically within 30 minutes up to several hours following treatment. She recommends using preventative medicines every month to protect you from ticks. Examples include:
A vet can benefit from selecting an oral tick and flea medicine that can prevent fleas from entering your home and deliver security against tick-borne and tick-borne illnesses.
Suppose you’re caught in a pinch and require an immediate remedy for fleas (for example, when you’re taking care of someone who is straying or your vet’s clinic is closed). In that case, Capstar(r) and Advantus(r) are orally dispensible flea medications that are accessible without prescription. These two medicines work rapidly, but they will only kill adult-sized fleas. This means that monthly prevention will be required to control infestations, but these medicines could provide some relief for a short period.
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Treatments for tick and flea infestations are also very efficient. However, liquid applications are much more challenging, and it takes longer for the fleas to be killed (between 12 and 48 hours). They are used to the dog’s back neck to stop it from swallowing the drug even if it’s wet. It is essential to allow medication applied to the skin to dry before you allow your pet around any other pet (such as a cat) or even small children within the family.
Certain dog-specific topical remedies, including the Frontline Plus(r), are offered without a prescription. Prescription alternatives like these are much more efficient:
Natural Flea Medications
Beware of together a treatment for fleas which claim to be organic or even homoeopathic. The so-called natural remedies for fleas do not have the proof to be effective energetically against fleas. It could harm pets and cause further irritation to their already itchy skin. The FDA-approved medication for fleas is the accurate choice to safeguard your pet from fleas.
“There are no ‘natural’ products that will prevent fleas on dogs,” Dr. Howe says. Many famous stories concerning natural remedies for fleas contain substances such as garlic, which can be toxic to dogs and extremely dangerous in the event of consumption.
Dr. Howe points out that certain flea medicines, such as Simparica, can be made from a substance discovered in the dirt. Pet owners looking for a natural alternative to others can consult their veterinarian about whether Simparica is the right choice for their pets.
Dog Flea Shampoo and Sprays
In addition to prescription medication, flea shampoos and sprays could benefit from controlling an active problem. They can also provide your dog relief quickly. While bathing your dog, you can use a comb to remove fleas from the tub and flea-related dirt and eggs from their coat.
The active ingredients of medicated flea shampoos are formulated to eliminate the parasites that have invaded your dog’s body immediately. However, it will not necessarily help provide ongoing safeguards against re-infestation in the future. Combining a prescription-strength oral flea medication with a medicated shampoo or spray will achieve instant relief and long-term preventative power. However, Dr Howe points out that a soothing oatmeal shampoo may be as effective (and less drying on the skin) as a flea shampoo.
Treating the Home for Fleas
As you take care to eliminate and treat fleas from your dog, you’ll need to clean your house regularly and vacuum at least once daily. Powders, sprays for rooms, and other items can be used with medications to remove fleas and flea eggs from the areas where the dog prefers to hang out. It would help if you looked for products made to eliminate fleas from your yard and home that will not harm your pet, for example:
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Preventing Fleas on Dogs
Although it is possible to eliminate the fleas after they’ve entered your house, the perfect method to combat fleas is to get rid of their spread before they begin. Combating a flea plague requires effort, time, and focus to prevent eggs from hatching and reinfesting your pet. To keep your pet and the home clean of fleas is a continuous monthly medicine constantly working to safeguard your pet from within out. “Using year-round flea, tick, and heartworm medicine is essential to keep these pests from harming your pet,” Dr. Howe says.
Although fleas are more frequent during warmer weather and in climates with humid temperatures, most vets suggest taking your dog to a tick and flea prevention program throughout the year to ensure they are protected. This is especially important if your dog is susceptible to reactions that are allergic to flea bites (known as flea allergy dermatitis). Discuss with your veterinarian for advice on which kind of tick and flea prevention is most accurate for your dog, as they’ll give you a suitable suggestion.