Hey Woofa’s,

This summer with the heat, the rain and thunderstorms brings the humidity and with that comes FLEAS!

I hate fleas!

I have no idea why they even exist!  They drive dogs absolutely bonkers.

This year in particularly they seem rather rife.

I’ve had dogs who never normally have fleas, come into the salon with them everywhere!!

Even Billy who never gets fleas, has had them this year.

It’s driving us all nuts!

 

WHAT ARE FLEAS?

As already stated – I can’t stand fleas and I don’t understand why they even exist except to drive our fur babies crazy!!!!

They are tiny black living creatures that can come from places like the grass, the dirt or other animals.

Fleas crawl all over your dog biting them in the process and sucking their blood.

Yes they’re little blood suckers that drive your dog crazy.

They leave a black dirt like substance all over them which is flea lava aka poo and flea eggs.

When washing your dog a dark orange to red tinge comes out in the water.

For a much more in depth explanation on THE FLEA read the Wikipedia definition here!

Click here for images on what do Fleas on my dog look like?

HOW CAN MY DOG GET FLEAS?

Fleas can come from a few different areas;

• from the grass;
• from dirt;
• your carpet;
• dog bedding;
• if your dog has been staying at a kennel;
• doggy day care;
• they can come from other dogs;
• new environments your dog has visited;
• second hand items;
• if you’ve been patting other dogs with fleas, they can jump onto you.  And the little suckers can jump far.

 

When dogs come into the salon with fleas, they’re bathed and treated and so am I!

To make sure I do not pass them onto  Billy.

 

HOW TO TELL IF MY DOG HAS FLEAS?

There are definitely ways to tell if your dog has fleas – here are a few –

• your dog is excessively itching more than usual;
• when you touch your dog it feels like there’s dirt on their skin – bad infestation;
• your dog will start to bite themselves trying to get the fleas off;
• when looking at your dog’s skin there maybe small raised red spots – where the fleas have bitten them and sucked their blood;
• you can see small black things running all over your dog, or one here and there;
• while brushing your dog’s coat they come off them;
• you find fleas on yourself;
• your dog’s bedding and area has fleas;
• if your dog is infested, which means many many fleas biting and sucking their blood, your dog can become lethargic – check their gums to see what colour they are; take a photo and send it to your trusted Vet if you’re not sure.

 

HOW DO I DEAL WITH FLEAS?

There are soooooo many flea prevention products on the market now it can be confusing about what to use.

Searching reviews of the products can drive you crazy as well.  Some have raving reviews and others will condemn that same product!!!!

So frustrating!

You’ve got to chose what’s best for YOUR DOG!  You can ask other dog owners what they use and you can always ask a trusted Vet.

To name just a few product types out there you’ll find –

• flea shampoos (won’t stop them from jumping back on your dog long term),
• flea collars,
• flea sprays,
• flea combs,
• flea powders,
• topical flea products,
• natural remedies for fleas – apparently fleas also hate sunlight; and
• oral flea products!!!

 

With the natural remedy path  I find you just have to apply the remedy more often (which is fine because it’s not as harsh for your dog).

What you use will also depend on whether your dog is covered in fleas or whether they just have a few.

To find flea products – you can do a google search and buy on-line, go to your local pet store or check with your trusted Vet.

You could also ask around and see what works for other pet owners.

What you use on your dog will depend on the level of infestation your dog has.

 

On A Side Note – I would also wash my dog first, to wash the fleas off and then use a treatment.

If your dog has long hair, maybe look at having it shaved or a least made a bit shorter as it will be easier to treat.

Also treat the surrounding areas such as your dogs bedding (wash their bedding), kennel, carpets and lounges, anywhere your dog has been.

I liken fleas on dogs to nits on kids – treat everywhere and everything until you know it’s all gone.

Try to keep your own grass mowed regularly and watch where you’re walking while out on a walk with your dog!

 

WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR BILLY?

Billy hardly ever has fleas.

We noticed him itching A LOT.

Because he’s white and short haired it’s easy to see fleas on him.

And we know from experience it only takes one flea to drive him nuts because he never normally gets them.

I noticed a few on him so I pulled them off him, sometimes with my finger nails and sometimes with a small flea comb.

I would also then kill them so they can’t jump back on him.

We bathed him and because he didn’t have too many and nor was there any flea lava – poo or eggs we went the natural remedy route.

Organic coconut oil worked the best.

I did the flea collar thing and it was okay, but the coconut oil massaged directly onto his skin worked the best.

The fleas apparently hate it which makes me happy.  And it’s good for your dog’s skin so it helps with the itchiness as well.

We also washed all our bedding – he sleeps on our bed – and his bedding, the stuff that was too big to go into the washing machine, we hung on the line out in the direct sunlight.

However, as I said it’s each time we come back from a walk that I notice a few more on him.

So I keep up with the coconut oil, if he’s scratching again or if I see one I put more on him.

It’s working for us.

BUT again it will depend on the level of infestation as to what you’ll need to use.

 

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

With our Summer heat and storms it makes for a humid environment which fleas seem to love.

We need to be aware if our dog has fleas by watching their behaviour!

And we need to decide what level of flea prevention your dog will need to keep them flea free this summer.

 

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT FLEA PREVENTION WORKS FOR YOUR DOG?