When we talk of flea infestation, we’re talking about fleas with tummies filled with blood crawling on your floor and elsewhere in your housel; about dogs and cats scratching, getting dehydrated and anemic; about you scratching and panicking at the disgusting sight of swarms of fleas.
Fleas pose great danger to your pets (cats and dogs, even on birds). They suck blood, they reproduce, and before you know it, they’ll all over your house. If they get too many to feed on your pet’s blood, they’ll soon feed on yours and your kids’.
If you see the first signs of flea infestation, you have to start planning a flea extermination program. Think of yourself as Arnold Schwarzenegger (the ex-Terminator). You don’t have to have the brawns, the charm and the funny accent; all you need are the right flea-killing aids.
Now you’re ready for action. You sight some fleas at home. Whether they’re in your pet’s fur or anywhere in the house, the point is – fleas are in the house, and the rule of the thumb goes: for a single flea sighted in your pet’s fur, there are dozens around the house.
You need an all-out war against them. Here’s the plan:
1. De-flea the entire house.
Keep your area clean enough to make it unfit for the untidy creatures like fleas. That’s the top agendum. Vacuum clean your house and even steam-clean the carpets which are perfect too for their breeding season. Get the bedding free from hidden eggs by washing them thoroughly. Mop all tile and vinyl floors and sweep.
You may apply the flea bombs to certain areas with target fleas. And you can clean the yard by spraying it with insecticide or, if you have plenty of bucks, you can hire a professional cleaner to do the thing for you.
2. Take your pets to the vet.
Make it a habit of taking your pets to the veterinarian, to make sure that your pets are healthy and are well protected against fleas. If they are already infested with fleas, the veterinarian is also the best person to suggest the effective solution.
3. De-flea your pets.
The pets need to be freed from these harmful pests. They are the immediate targets of the fleas so they should also be your primary target. Mostly, they will suffer from skin allergies brought by flea bites. The itching, scratching, and the thinning of the hair are of course the most common symptoms.
They can be helped by the effective flea treatment products such as that from Frontline, Advantage, Revolution, Program, Sentinel, and the like. These are vet proven safeguards of the pets, and are also highly available in any pet stores.
If visiting a veterinarian costs much more than just buying from any pet stores, go for it. Flea collars and other flea medicines are available as non-prescription items. Giving the pets a bath with the use of flea shampoos and grooming them with flea combs afterwards will also help. Although their effectiveness does not last that long, they somehow give immediate results.
Just make sure though that you checked the label of the products you get without your vet’s prescription. Some proven effective products may not just work on your pets, or worse, you don’t want to see them suffering from fatal side effects of these products.
4. Prevent re-infestation.
After de-fleaing everything, you can work on the procedure of keeping your best foot on the prevention state. There is no better way than preventing the infestation to happen. Keep your pets indoors. Most fleas are acquired outdoors. Bathe your pets with the healthy pet shampoos or pet soaps appropriate for them. Give them a healthy diet, and a hearty medication to get them totally protected from the fleas.
If you feel that this flea extermination plan is too tedious and costly, think of the outcome. Like any other pet owners, you can’t just allow the pesky fleas to get into your happy household. Pets are nice to have but you should always stay on guard against fleas.