An infestation of fleas is a terrible thing.
The most common way it begins is with you noticing your pet scratching itself a lot more than usual.
When you examine your pet you may notice red bumps on its skin and/or black-reddish debris in the fur.
The red bumps are your pets allergic reaction to flea saliva and the dirt is flea feces (very nice).
The small hole in the middle of the bump is of course the puncture wound from the bite.
The next item in the sequence of events is that wherever your pet goes, flea invasion follows.
Do you let your pet rest on your couch? Perhaps you allow it to sleep in your bed? Even if you don't allow your pet to lie on the couch, I'm sure you let it lie on your carpets, right? All of the aforementioned sites are great for fleas to multiply and grow.
Flea eggs are small, white and oval-shaped.
The larvae are pale and small with bristles covering their bodies.
A flea can actually lay somewhere in the area of 5000 eggs in a lifetime so you can imagine the growth rates involved.
Also, flea larvae, having cocooned and developed into adult fleas can remain inside the cocoon until the presence of a host (that would be you) is detected.
They then emerge from the cocoons and start feeding.
Enough with the scare tactics already, I hear you saying.
What do I need to do to get rid of those horrible little bugs and the itch they bring? Well, let me start off by saying this.
You're on your way already because you're reading up and getting some knowledge on the subject.
This is an absolute must.
I'm going to present the necessary steps to stop the infestation now but before I do I have to mention that you need to do things in the proper order.
There's not much sense in cleaning the couch if the cat is still carrying the bugs right? Here are the steps in the proper order: Step 1: Begin with your pet Visit a veterinarian and listen to what product they think is the best for your pet.
There are numerous treatments out there that work very well, both for getting rid of existing fleas and for stopping future attacks.
What's important is not to stop the treatment to early.
You have to make sure that you've killed not only the adult fleas but also the eggs and larvae.
Step 2: Clean the yard Try to locate the flea concentrated places in your garden.
Do you own a dog house? Does your pet have a favourite place where it often hangs out? After having located the places that need the most attention you should treat them with an insecticide.
Make sure you use both an adulticide and an insect growth regulator.
Step 3: Put every textile in the washing machine You have to wash every single piece of textile that might have come in contact with the parasites.
This includes, but is not limited to your pets bedding, your own bedding, couch pillow cases and clothes.
Be sure to make a list of everything which is washable and could be infested.
Take your time doing this so you won't skip over anything.
Step 4: Start vacuum cleaning - every single day I'm sorry, I know it's boring but if you're serious about ridding yourself of the source of your torments then this is what you have to do.
I recommend that you keep doing this for no less than a month.
Remember to also vacuum clean the car a few times.
You sometimes bring your pet in your car right? Step 5: Overdo it Do not make the mistake of stopping the counter measures to early.
Nothing is more frustrating than having to start all over again.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
Hopefully, following these steps will get you, your pet and your home flea free.
Good luck!
The most common way it begins is with you noticing your pet scratching itself a lot more than usual.
When you examine your pet you may notice red bumps on its skin and/or black-reddish debris in the fur.
The red bumps are your pets allergic reaction to flea saliva and the dirt is flea feces (very nice).
The small hole in the middle of the bump is of course the puncture wound from the bite.
The next item in the sequence of events is that wherever your pet goes, flea invasion follows.
Do you let your pet rest on your couch? Perhaps you allow it to sleep in your bed? Even if you don't allow your pet to lie on the couch, I'm sure you let it lie on your carpets, right? All of the aforementioned sites are great for fleas to multiply and grow.
Flea eggs are small, white and oval-shaped.
The larvae are pale and small with bristles covering their bodies.
A flea can actually lay somewhere in the area of 5000 eggs in a lifetime so you can imagine the growth rates involved.
Also, flea larvae, having cocooned and developed into adult fleas can remain inside the cocoon until the presence of a host (that would be you) is detected.
They then emerge from the cocoons and start feeding.
Enough with the scare tactics already, I hear you saying.
What do I need to do to get rid of those horrible little bugs and the itch they bring? Well, let me start off by saying this.
You're on your way already because you're reading up and getting some knowledge on the subject.
This is an absolute must.
I'm going to present the necessary steps to stop the infestation now but before I do I have to mention that you need to do things in the proper order.
There's not much sense in cleaning the couch if the cat is still carrying the bugs right? Here are the steps in the proper order: Step 1: Begin with your pet Visit a veterinarian and listen to what product they think is the best for your pet.
There are numerous treatments out there that work very well, both for getting rid of existing fleas and for stopping future attacks.
What's important is not to stop the treatment to early.
You have to make sure that you've killed not only the adult fleas but also the eggs and larvae.
Step 2: Clean the yard Try to locate the flea concentrated places in your garden.
Do you own a dog house? Does your pet have a favourite place where it often hangs out? After having located the places that need the most attention you should treat them with an insecticide.
Make sure you use both an adulticide and an insect growth regulator.
Step 3: Put every textile in the washing machine You have to wash every single piece of textile that might have come in contact with the parasites.
This includes, but is not limited to your pets bedding, your own bedding, couch pillow cases and clothes.
Be sure to make a list of everything which is washable and could be infested.
Take your time doing this so you won't skip over anything.
Step 4: Start vacuum cleaning - every single day I'm sorry, I know it's boring but if you're serious about ridding yourself of the source of your torments then this is what you have to do.
I recommend that you keep doing this for no less than a month.
Remember to also vacuum clean the car a few times.
You sometimes bring your pet in your car right? Step 5: Overdo it Do not make the mistake of stopping the counter measures to early.
Nothing is more frustrating than having to start all over again.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
Hopefully, following these steps will get you, your pet and your home flea free.
Good luck!
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