If you are here because your dog has fleas, then you will be pleased to know that you need to do only two things to stop your dog from suffering from an infestation of fleas.
- Eliminate fleas from your dog with a proven flea treatment
- Control fleas in your dog’s environment.
In this article, I will explain how to get rid of fleas NOW!
And how to control fleas on your dog and in your home successfully. You will learn about all the options: chewable tablets, topical preparations, shampoos, sprays, powders, and both traditional and herbal remedies.
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Find Out Why Your Dog Has Fleas
If you discover signs that your dog has fleas, don’t panic, fleas are a fact of life if you own a dog, or a cat for that matter – cat and dog fleas are the same creatures.
The first thing to do is assess where the flea(s) came from and how bad the infestation is for your dog. Was it just one flea that you found, or is it a mild or heavy infestation on your dog?
Check out my article: How to Check Your Dog For Fleas
Fleas live in the environment, lying in wait for their next meal to walk by, so it may be that your dog has just provided the flea you found with its last meal.
I say last meal because it can take up to 24 hours for fleas to die once they have feasted on your dog’s blood – we’ll look at how flea treatments work a little later.
However, if you find that your dog has more than one or two fleas, you need to investigate further to find out why.
Environment – outside
Has your dog recently been in a flea-infested environment or with another dog that has fleas?
If you answered yes to that question, then the problem will likely go away in a day or two if your dog’s flea treatment program is up to date.
In the short term, you might consider washing your dog (and his/her bedding) with a gentle soap such as Dawn Dish Soap, which will kill adult fleas and therefore deal with the immediate problem.
Warning: Dawn Dish Soap Can Irritate a Dog’s Skin.
Do not wash your dog using Dawn Dish Soap to treat fleas if your dog has sensitive skin or the skin has been irritated by the flea infestation.
However, the same warning applies to Flea shampoo because it can be very irritating to your dog’s skin. Remember that whichever option you choose, they are only useful for 24 hours or less.
Washing your dog will kill the adult fleas on your dog at the time you wash them. It will not affect fleas that jump onto your dog afterward, nor will it kill fleas in their other states of development – eggs, larvae, and pupae.
Note: I use WashBar Natural Dog Shampoo, not only because it is made here in New Zealand but because I find my dogs don’t seem to mind it, and it works.
Environment – inside
No homeowner wants to admit that their dog has fleas; however, if you have cats or dogs, then it is inevitable that at some point, you will experience fleas in your home.
However, you might take some comfort in knowing that even homes without pets can sometimes have fleas.
The most successful flea control for your home involves treating your dog for fleas and eliminating fleas from your dog’s environment (kennel and bedding).
You can achieve this with regular vacuuming and the use of deterrents – sprays and powders, either chemical or natural products.
Vacuuming does more than clean your home and is, in fact, less about cleanliness and more about stimulating the pre-adult fleas to hatch from their cocoons.
TIP: Once you have finished vacuuming, sprinkle some flea powder on the floor to vacuum up so that there is some flea powder in the bag to kill any live fleas or fleas that hatch later.
Better still, discard the cleaner bag or empty the vacuum canister outside and sprinkle it with flea powder.
If Your Dog is The Source of Fleas
If you find that your dog has fleas, the first thing to do is check that the flea treatment you are using is appropriate for your dog and is up to date.
- If you use an oral or topical flea treatment, did you miss applying a dose? Are you applying the right dosage for your dog?
- If your dog has a flea collar, does it need replacing? Is it the right size/type for your dog?
If you missed a dose, and if it’s one of the oral or chewable types like Capstar Fast-Acting Oral Flea Treatment for Dogs, give it to your dog now! And then bath your dog using a suitable flea shampoo.
Likewise, if the flea collar needs replacing, replace it and consider bathing your dog using a suitable flea shampoo.
Bathing your dog will kill any live fleas, so the immediate problem has been resolved. While the oral medication and flea collar will take care of the fleas as they take effect.
If you cannot bathe your dog, you may want to consider taking your dog to the beach, a lake, or a river for a swim. Although there is one downside to doing this, if you need to transport your dog in a vehicle, the vehicle may get infested with fleas. However, you can easily treat the vehicle with a flea spray or powder.
Note: To stop the dog from being reinfested with a new batch of fleas, the dog’s environment also needs to be treated. You can’t do one without the other and hope the problem goes away!
Also, note that if you have more than one dog, you may need two different flea treatment solutions – one for each dog, depending on size, age, and dog breed. If you are not sure, check with your vet.
And because cats and dogs share the same fleas, any cats in your household also need to be treated.
Yes, Fleas are Annoying, But are Fleas Harmful?
Aside from being annoying, irritating, and sometimes embarrassing, fleas can cause all sorts of health issues for your dog.
Even one flea can make life miserable for your dog – and us humans, for that matter. The bites, constant itching – the thought of them is enough to get most humans itching.
However, if left to get out of control, a heavy flea infestation can cause anemia in young dogs or dogs in generally poor health.
When you consider that an adult female flea can consume up to fifteen times her body weight in blood in the short few weeks of her life, it’s not surprising that the dog gets anemic if there are hundreds of fleas.
Fleas also carry diseases such as the plague and act as hosts for tapeworms for dogs and cats.
The Life Cycle of The Flea
To successfully control fleas in your home and on your pets, it pays to know a little about the life cycle of the flea.
Which Came First, the Flea or the Egg?
For simplicity, we will say that the flea’s life cycle starts with the egg, which develops into a larva, then pupa, and finally an adult flea.
From egg to adult flea, a flea’s life cycle can be completed in as little as 2 – 4 weeks days if the environmental conditions are right.
Flea eggs are about 1/32″ (0.5 mm) and whitish. Often very hard to see against a dog’s skin because of the size and color, without a magnifying glass.
An adult flea will usually lay eggs after feasting on its victim’s blood – be it animal or human. They aren’t fussy which!
Eggs laid on your dog’s skin may hatch in as little as 14 to 28 days. Eggs that have fallen off your dog can lay in the environment for YEARS! They prefer high humidity and temperature.
Flea larvae have whitish bodies with a black head and are about 1/8″ to 1/4″ (2-5 mm) in length.
Flea larvae prefer dark, warm, and moist areas – think abdomen, leg joints, and tail base on your dog. And deep in carpet and furnishings away from direct sunlight feeding on organic debris.
Modern homes provide the perfect breeding ground for fleas!
Flea pupae produce a sticky protective silk-like cocoon that quickly becomes camouflaged with grime and debris, making them hard to find.
Flea pupae develop into adult fleas in about 5 – 10 days, given the right humidity and temperature.
Adult fleas only emerge from the cocoon when the physical environment is right, as they will only survive for a few days without a food source.
It is not uncommon for people to say that they had no fleas before they went on summer vacation, but when they got home, fleas seemed to come out of nowhere and bite every warm-blooded creature that entered the home.
When a home is locked up with the air conditioning off during summer, the house can get nice and warm, and then with the vibrations of humans and pets walking around, the adult fleas emerge to feast.
Flea pupae can live quite happily for up to 9 months within their cocoon. In this state, they are resistant to most insecticides – which is why you may find fleas after you have applied insecticides in your home.
When an adult flea emerges from the cocoon, it is attracted to light where it lays in wait for its first meal. Female fleas begin egg production about 48 hours after their first blood meal.
Adult female fleas usually live for about three weeks laying about 40 eggs each day.
Summary
To successfully control fleas on your dog and in your home, you need a combination of anti-flea remedies/treatments.
There is no single solution to get rid of fleas completely. As mentioned above, if you discover that your dog has fleas, treat the dog first, then the environment – the dog’s bedding, kennel, etc., and areas within your home that the dog frequents.
Start by checking that the current flea treatment is is appropriate for your dog and up to date, most dog flea treatments need to be applied every three or six months.
The dosage of many flea treatments needs to change as the dog grows in weight – puppy to dog. Adjust the flea treatment accordingly; if you are unsure, check with your vet.
Wash your dog with a gentle soap or shampoo, then wash all bedding and rugs that your dog uses. Vacuum all areas that the dog frequents and then apply appropriate flea treatments to these areas.
Talk with your veterinarian about the best flea treatment for your dog – and remember, if you have more than one dog, ask about each one as their needs will be different.
And finally, always read the instructions carefully so that you know that you are applying a) an effective dose b) a safe dose.
For a full list of flea treatments and solutions, check out my article Best Flea Treatment For Dogs
Types of Flea Treatments for Dogs
There is no one solution to prevent or get rid of fleas. Instead, a combination of flea treatments is required for your dog and your home.
The exact combination depends on your dog and your home; it may require trial and error and talk with your vet.
Shampoos: bathing your dog with a flea shampoo or a gentle soap such as Dawn is useful for getting rid of live adult fleas. Therefore, consider bathing as a short-term solution to an immediate flea infestation.
Note: Flea shampoos and dips can be very irritating to your dog’s skin, particularly if the fleas have damaged the skin or your dog has sensitive skin. And don’t bathe your dog too often.
Related article: How Often To Bathe a Dog
Collars: Take time to research the best flea collar for your dog – age, weight, health, breed. DO NOT choose on price alone.
Note: a downside of flea collars is that they can be toxic if licked or chewed. And flea collars are most effective on adult fleas, not so effective on the other stages of the flea cycle.
Spot-on Treatments: Usually applied to the back of the neck between the shoulder blades of your dog. These products are generally used monthly and are most effective for adult fleas, although some will work on the egg and larval stages.
Oral medications: My preference because they help to stop the flea life cycle. Oral medications, pills, prevent the larva from emerging from the egg.
Injectable medications: Usually administered by your vet, they work in much the same way as oral medications.
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