Bathing your dog is part of a flea-treatment regimen, but don't overdo it..
About 100 million years ago, along with the dinosaurs and reptiles, mammals were coming into existence. Fleas came along for the ride and have been an irritant ever since. They can wreak havoc on your dog's homeostasis with their biting and subsequent itching and irritation, infecting your dog with tapeworms and making him anemic. According to HealtyPet.com, a female flea can eat "15 times her own body weight in blood every day." To get rid of fleas, you need a multipronged approach.
Instructions
1. Treat your yard for fleas aggressively. There are many products on the market for yards big and small, and most of them are highly effective in treating your yard and garden for fleas. Because your dog probably spends at least part of his day in your yard, it's important to make sure that it is tick- and flea-free. According to the Ohio State University Extension, it is best to use a product such as Delta Gard, Sevin, Baygon, Knox Out 2FM or Ficam. Also treat kennels, crawlspaces and other areas your pet frequents. When mowing your grass, use your garden hose to saturate the area, which will bring fleas and their eggs to the surface. You may need to treat more than once.
2. Apply or give your dog a flea prevention product on a regular basis. There are many such products on the market. Topical flea prevention products such as Revolution, Ecto-Advantage, K-9 Advantix, Frontline Plus, Advantage and Vectra S-D are applied as drops to your dog's neck. They work by absorption into the bloodstream, and the fleas then ingest the chemicals when they feed. Other flea preventatives are given orally, as a tablet or chewable. These products include Comfortis, Sentinel and Capstar. New in 2011 is Trifexis, a chewable tablet that not only prevents fleas and ticks but heartworms and intestinal parasites such as hookworms, roundworms and whipworms too. Dr. Khangura, of Dr. K's Animal Hospital in Jupiter, Florida, recommends this product because he has seen how effective it is in his patients and it obviates the monthly heartworm and deworming preparations.
3. Launder your pet's bedding, and sprinkle areas of your house with a flea powder or spray. These products are highly effective at eliminating fleas from your home and are purchased wherever pet supplies are found. If you prefer a toxin-free product, OldFashionedLiving.com recommends sprinkling boric acid around the carpet, floorboards and other places where fleas hide. Salt and diatomaceous earth could be worth a try as well. These products kill fleas by dehydrating them.
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