You can’t count fleas one by one but their number grows like stock prices in Wall Street’s bullish past. And if you don’t watch it, your pet will be history too.
So if your pet has fleas, be alarmed and get ready to be armed! Any sign of flea presence in your pet obviously means that you have fleas at home. The rule of the thumb goes: for every flea you find in your pet’s fur, there are a dozen somewhere in your home. If you are too slow to take action, you will most likely itch, scratch, and – heaven forbid – roll like your pet.
What to do if flea infestation has gotten out of hand? Seeking a way out of this mess – which is too embarrassing you’ll surely not entertain any guest at home – does not entail burning your house. Moving to a new address won’t help if you bring your furry fleabag with you, and you can’t just leave your pet or throw him out, can you?
Instead of thinking up cruelties that would get you in trouble with SPCA or PAWS, focus on the problem. Fleas are the enemies, not your suffering pet.
There are a lot of flea control products out there that are ready to help you. All you have to do is to find the person who knows everything about your pet. And it’s not your neighbor, unless he’s a veterinarian. You can get all the necessary information in dealing with flea infestation from any competent pet doctor.
Most probably, your pet’s veterinarian will recommend that you de-flea everything. These de-fleaing procedures will cover not just your flea-stricken pet, but the house as well, hoping to prevent re-infestation.
All you have to do is apply the effective flea control products available at any pet shop or pharmacy. The worst-case scenario usually requires the flea bomb or flea fogger.
Flea foggers have these advantages:
- They are convenient to use. Using the foggers won’t get you scratched by your pet, as you probably would when you use flea shampoo on your cat. You only have to discard the can when it’s already empty.
- They focus on killing the adult fleas and stop their breeding cycle. Flea foggers are effective in killing the fleas roaming around your house because of the flea-killing chemicals they contain.
- They prevent flea eggs from hatch. The chemicals work in such a way that they seep into the covering layers of the eggs and kill them. Thus, the life cycle of the fleas is foiled.
They remain effective for several months. The residue of the fogging works for several months unlike flea sprays. - They work on larger areas – an area of 700 square feet per bomb, to be exact.
Flea foggers, however, be used with caution since they are designed to de-flea the entire house, leaving chemical residues that help prevent re-infestation but are kind of scary to think of, especially if you have kids.
Their downside:
- Expensive cost. The flea bomb or fogger costs much higher because of the contents.
- Highly toxic. The chemicals contained in a can of flea foggers are very strong. It could poison the pets as well as humans. Note: keep these foggers away from children’s reach.
- Flea fogging requires you to get out of the house for an hour or two as the fog could have serious effects on your health. Sure, you don’t look anything like a flea, but your lungs can’t filter out the toxins, can they?
- Flea foggers have insufficient concentration and poor dispersion at source points, such as the corners and under furniture. It would be better to supplement flea fogs with flea sprays for those particular areas.
- Some furniture reacts badly to some foggers. It would be better to keep pieces of furniture properly covered.
- Your next-door neighbor might not like having the toxic fog inside his house. You have to tightly seal your house before fogging it.
- Flea foggers are highly flammable. You must first turn all the pilot lights off, as well as the open fires, before fogging to prevent fire.
One thing is certain: you need a tough weapon to defeat a tough enemy. Flea foggers are the weapons of last resort.