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Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur
HOW CAN I GET FLEAS OFF MY DOG
In this post we will discuss how you can get rid of fleas on a dog, the flea life cycle on a dog, how to get rid of fleas in your house and how to get rid of fleas in your yard.
We will also discuss how you can get fleas off your dog naturally and other methods using chemicals.
Did you see fleas on your dog? Maybe you notice little black specks on their belly or inner thighs or maybe you notice incessant biting and scratching. All of these could be signs that your dog has been contaminated with fleas.
HOW TO GET RID OF FLEAS INSTANTLY AND PERMANENTLY
So, what do you do? There are several steps you need to take before you learn how to get rid of fleas on a dog.
- You remove all the fleas from ALL your pets, even if you only see them on one pet.
- You remove all the fleas from your house, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE, so they don’t reinfect your pets.
- You remove all fleas internally, just in case they ingested any while biting or licking themselves. Ingesting fleas is known to cause tapeworms.
HOW LONG DO FLEAS LIVE AND THEIR LIFE CYCLE
Before we discuss how to get rid of fleas on a dog, we must first understand the life cycle of the flea and how long it will take to get this pesky bugger out of your life.
If you already see fleas on your dog the chances are that the fleas have already been feeding on your dog’s blood for a couple hours which is all it takes for them to start laying eggs.
It takes eggs anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks to fall off into your carpet, bedding and furniture.
Where they will turn into larvae and then into pupae several days to weeks later.
If the conditions are favorable (temperature, humidity, host) then they could hatch and the lifecycle begins all over again.
If conditions are not favorable then they could remain in the pupae stage for weeks, months and even years until they are ready to hatch.1How Fleas Spread Disease | Fleas | CDC
HOW CAN I GET FLEAS OFF MY DOG AND WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIND FLEAS ON A DOG
The first step in how to get rid of fleas on a dog is to remove all contaminated objects from the area. If your dog lays on the bed you will want to pull the sheets and wash them on hot cycle and repeat this process once a week.
The temperature needed to kill adult fleas needs to be maintained at 95 degrees and there are reports that the temperature is even lower in immature fleas.2 Flea Heat Treatment: Types, Preparation and Safety (verminkill.com) 3At what temperature do fleas die? | FleaScience
You will also want to disinfect your carpet and furniture with a high heat steam clean. I have a
carpet cleaner and I love this thing.
This machine gets up to 190 degrees in temperature. It also has an upholstery tool so you can clean your furniture and dog beds.
HOW TO GIVE YOUR DOG A FLEA BATH
If you find fleas on a dog then you will want to give them a flea bath. The products you should use depend on your preference. I use
Pet Shampoos : Amazon.com: Veterinary Formula Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs and Cats, 16 oz
(for dogs) which kills fleas on a dog on contact so there is no need to sit there with a comb like they have lice and pick them out individually.
First you will want to soak your dog in the tub or outside with the hose being careful to avoid their eyes, ears and nose. You will want to leave this product on the dog’s wet coat for 5 – 10 minutes and then re-shampoo again after 7 days.
You will want to do this for ALL the pets in your household regardless of whether you see fleas on them or not as fleas are capable of jumping from one host to the next.
Next you will want to give an oral de-wormer just in case. I recommend talking to your veterinarian about what de-wormer is best for your needs and the dosage as it may only need to be done once or it may need to be repeated in 6 – 8 weeks.
I personally use this dewormer
WHAT TO DO ABOUT FLEAS IN THE YARD
After you have sterilized your bedding, furniture, carpet and dogs. You then need to think about the other places they come into contact with. Your back yard and front yard are now the perfect breeding ground for fallen flea eggs.
I personally use
Amazon.com: Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Yard & Kennel Spray – Dog Flea Spray that Kills Fleas, Mosquitoes, & Ticks – Plant-Based Ingredients – Plant Safe Ready-to-Use Hose Attachment – 32 oz : Everything Else
and one time I even used this one
When I used these products, I attach them to the hose and then turn the hose on and the product does all the work. I make sure to leave the sprinklers off for about a week and whenever I spray the yard, I don’t allow my dog to come into contact with anything for a couple days so I do the backyard and wait a day or two and only use the front yard and then switch.
WHAT ABOUT FLEA COLLARS FOR DOGS OR PREVENTATIVES
I don’t personally use flea collars as I don’t like loving my dog and then seeing all the powder or chemical residue on my hands after petting her. I use flea and tick preventative such as
This product only needs to be applied once a month and its ok if your dog gets wet because it will still work.
There are collars out there to help you get rid of fleas on a dog such as this 2-pack that is a 12 month supply as each collar last for 6 months each
or this flea collar for dogs under 18 pounds
HOW TO GET RID OF FLEAS ON A DOG NATURALLY
There are lots of natural options for flea repellant. If you are looking for a more all-natural approach then we will go through most of the above steps in an all-natural way.
First your back yard can be treated with Diatomaceous earth. This is what I use in my closet and carpet and it can be used for fleas, carpet beetles and even bed bugs.
It comes with a little hand pump to help you spray the powder into the corners but let me tell you that you should probably wear a mask, (as I didn’t). I only used a little in the closet and I could feel the powder in my lungs from breathing it in as I over powdered such a tiny space and all the powder began to fill the air.
So make sure to keep your pets out of the room why you use this too.
This powder comes from fossilized algae which is supposed to be non-toxic to pets when used correctly. You always want to make sure that your diatomaceous earth is food-grade and says so on the bag or it could be toxic to you and your pets.
The way diatomaceous earth works is by drying out the flea eggs and preventing them from retaining moisture and receiving oxygen. Ideally, you will want to make sure the weather is hot and dry for you to sprinkle this all over your yard.4Diatomaceous Earth for Fleas Control in Your Yard – FleasControl.com
Next is bathing your dog. There are plenty of all natural flea shampoos on the market. I picked this one by Wondercide as it kills and repels ticks and fleas on a dog
When you get your dog into the bathtub or outside make sure you steer clear of wetting or soaping their eyes, nose, ears and mouth. Soap can be very slippery so you will want to make sure your dog has a stable, non-slip surface they can maintain their balance on.
You will want to suds up your pup and keep them marinating in the soap for about 2 minutes before your rinse them off. When lathering up your dog you will want to pay special attention to their crevices and their belly and the inner thighs.
You can then go back and comb out any remaining stragglers that got left behind in your dog’s hair.
To keep fleas off your dog after you have powdered the yard, bathed the dog, washed the linens and steamed the carpets. You can use a flea repellant spray. These are not one and done flea repellents every 30 days like Frontline.
These need to be consistently applied every few days to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Another option is using essential oils. There is an all-natural product on the market called Wondercide that kills ticks, mosquitos and fleas on a dog.
This is a spray that you can spray on your dog every 2 –3 days. They sell several different versions of this from cedar, to lemongrass, to rosemary, to peppermint. All of which are known to be effective at killing and repelling fleas and ticks.
They also make an all-natural flea collar that kills and repels ticks and fleas on a dog and says it lasts for up to 4 months.
Amazon.com : Wondercide – Flea and Tick Dog Collar – Flea, Tick, and Mosquito Repellent, Prevention for Dogs – with Natural Essential Oils – Pet and Family Safe – Up to 4 Months Protection : Pet Supplies
this appears to be the same as the ingredients on the spray bottle but I haven’t used this yet as I use the spray and let me tell you sometimes you do forget to spray every two days like they recommend and with this collar you don’t have to worry about that.
RECAP FOR HOW CAN I GET FLEAS OFF MY DOG
So, what have we learned from all this? The process for how to get rid of fleas on a dog or fleas in general is as follows;
- Wash all bedding and linens
- Steam clean carpets and furniture
- Decontaminate back yard
- Bath all pets
- Deworm
- Prevent further contamination with flea preventatives
- Take a deep breath and repeat as necessary
Check out our other article on fleas for even more information;
FLEA ALLERGY IN DOGS, SYMPTOMS, TREATMENTS AND HERBAL REMEDIES
