Cooper and I returned home from BlogPaws on Sunday, both jazzed and exhausted! More to come about our experience, including tons of amazing pics of the dogs of BlogPaws. If you’re on Twitter, you may have already seen his road-warrior photo, but here’s my favorite Coop pic:
We also came home to unwanted visitors…
Lucas returned from “camp” with fleas. (He IS on Frontline!) There was a good discussion on Facebook about dealing with fleas, and we’re trying everything we can think of!
Have you faced fleas before? Any tips or tricks? How long did it take to get rid of them? All advice welcome and appreciated!!
Kristine says
08•30•11 at 5:03 pmMy cat brought home fleas this spring and it was NOT fun. I still live in a panic that they are going to return any minute. While our dog Shiva didn’t have any major problems our cat is extrememly sensitive and lost most of the furr off his tail and rear end. Poor little guy. Our vet prescribed Revolution and this crazy spray we had to cover every inch of our house in. The spray was so strong we actually had to remove ourselves and the animals from the premesis for at least six hours. Nasty. It seemed to do the job, though. *crosses fingers* I wish you the best of luck!
Which reminds me, I think they are due for another dose…
Kristine says
08•30•11 at 5:04 pmOh, and my cat wants me to add that all of his butt fur has returned now. I’d say it took about four months? The fleas were gone probably after a couple weeks but the fur was a little shy.
Shawn Becker says
08•30•11 at 5:35 pmOMD!! FLEAS!!!
I have not a problem with fleas since we lived in Missouri, only one time there. That was 30+ years ago and I remember we used a shampoo on the cat and let off a flea bomb in the house. Waalaaa no more fleas. I am sure there has been many advances in the flea department in the last 30 years! LOL
Sarah says
08•30•11 at 5:43 pmThose ears! Cooper looks like he had a blast on his road trip.
I am super lucky that my dogs have never, ever had any fleas (knocking on wood!) but diatamaceous earth is great for killing all sorts of little buggers, fleas included. I’m about to use it in my house just to get rid of all the little critters that have managed to weasel their way indoors this summer. It’s natural and safe if ingested.
John says
08•30•11 at 6:34 pmI’ve been checking all day and haven’t seen any! I think we’re in the clear!
Julie Flanders says
08•30•11 at 7:21 pmOh, I love this picture of smiling Cooper so much. How precious! He looks like he is having such a great time. I’m new to BlogPaws and can’t wait to read all about the conference, and see all the great pics.
So sorry about the fleas!
Susie Araiza says
08•30•11 at 9:26 pmI live in Texas and we have fleas pretty bad. I used Frontline a long time and it just seemed to stop working. Now I use Comfortis tables and it works great for now!
jen says
08•30•11 at 10:16 pmcapstar followed by a total body soak and scrub!
Billy Fueglein says
08•31•11 at 2:48 amJust let your frontline do its thing. I’ve had my dog get fleas here and there when he’s been on his flea meds. The cheapest and easiest way has always been to let the meds do their thing, after a couple days away from the source you should be good.
Maggie says
08•31•11 at 9:39 amWow! Thanks for all the advice, everyone! Today’s status update: So far, so good! Once we spotted the fleas, we sprang into action. We vacuumed the house, steam-cleaned the carpets, re-applied the Frontline on all 3, then later gave them baths, and repeated the vacuuming last night. As of now, we are flea-free! Fingers crossed it stays that way….
B.J. Taylor says
08•31•11 at 11:58 amCooper is SOOOO cute!
We’ve had flea issues over the years (we’ve had both dogs and cats — all on some kind of flea control always), but it happens sometimes. First thing I do is pick up anything that is washable and wash thoroughly (blankets, bedding, throw rugs) and don’t bring them back into the house until I do the next thing. Second, I take all the pets out of the house (this wasn’t always easy when we had the cats but I cordoned them off in the garage), and set off foggers. Try to get ones that specifically target fleas and unhatched eggs. Third, I try to comb out any fleas on the pets before they reenter the house. Usually, this takes care of it, but another application of a spray type of flea killer is sometimes necessary. It’s a hassle, but hopefully you’ll get rid of them real soon.
Best regards,
B.J.
Maggie says
08•31•11 at 12:04 pmThanks for the advice, B.J.! I guess you’re right… it’s bound to happen eventually!
Pepper says
08•31•11 at 4:54 pmWhen I first moved in the house was infested from the previous occupants. I could see them on my socks. My dog had never had a flea before, had 30 that first night. She was on Frontline. The house had been sprayed and fogged before I moved in. It was professionally sprayed again, then I used 2 jugs of fleabuster powder in the carpets, 4 cans of sentry carpet spray, capstar pill for both animals, switched to Advantix (dog) and Advantage (cat). Spread Amdro and Over N Out in the yard, plus spectricide hooked to the hose. It took several months to get rid of the fleas, but they have stayed gone. I also kept a cup of dawn dish liquid mixed with water, it kills the fleas, I’d dip the comb in it as I combed the animals. The fleas would stay in the soapy water and die, then I’d flush them down the toilet.
Pamela says
09•02•11 at 5:44 amSorry to hear about the fleas. Twenty years ago, Agatha and Christie came home from their spaying surgery with fleas and it was a nightmare.
Lessons I learned:
* Although I prefer “natural” methods over chemicals and used diatomaceous earth and a flea comb, nothing worked as well as really hazardous flea bombs and chemicals.
* At the time, I was told that no treatment would kill flea eggs. I don’t know if this is still true. But the reason fleas come back is because you kill the adults and a short time later the eggs hatch. You need to keep up with the serious vacuuming for several months to catch all the flea eggs before they hatch.
Good luck!
Maggie says
09•02•11 at 8:32 amThanks for all the tips! So far, it’s been a couple days since we’ve seen a flea on poor Lucas. We’re going to keep up with the vacuuming and see what happens…
Valerie says
08•23•12 at 1:56 pmWe’ve been battling fleas for about 3 weeks now. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats ( plus cockatiels and chickens. We bathed all the furry creatures in joy dish detergent twice a week. And tried the diatomaceous earth. ( it only kills adult fleas) we ripped out the wall to wall carpeting in bedroom, tossed all the pet beds, etc. I am a vacuuming freak and always vacuum at least once a day even before the creapy critters arrived. Dogs have advantix 2 cats have sentry. Still fleas. Set off foggers in every room in the house including garage. I think the carpet removal actually triggered more eggs. Just sprayed around all baseboards and closets etc. Praying they all just die already! I will win this battle but I definitely feel shell shocked. And hate those ankle biting bastards! First time we’ve had a problem in about 10 years! It’s the worst.:(
Mark says
04•25•13 at 4:33 pmFleas are the worst. I swear my dog got fleas from my neighbors cats. I love the cats, but they definitely don’t have the same hygiene as my yorkie chihuahua mix does. A haircut, brush and bath with flea shampoo did the trick. My dogs are all on a monthly flea control program. Thanks for all the posts, love your blog!