Out of all the pests that can bother your pet, dog fleas can be one of the worst culprits. Fleas are small blood-sucking pests that can cause your dog a lot of itching and pain. If you board your dog for the weekend, or they head to another dogs house for a playdate, there is always a risk they could come home with fleas. Here are some things you can do to rid your dog of fleas and to keep them out of your home.
Wash Their Bedding
When was the last time you took a minute to clean up where your dog sleeps? Keeping their bedding clean can help to reduce many of the issues with pests. If they have fleas, take all of the bedding and toss it into the washer for a deep cleaning cycle. Hot water will kill the fleas. If any happen to survive the scalding water, toss the bedding and buy new ones. It is also important to wash all the bedding in your home and sterilize the couches too since pets tend to sleep on them a lot.
Wash The Dog
Use a professional flea shampoo to give your dog a good bath. The flea shampoo contains natural flea irritants that will cause them to get off your pets fur. You will need to wash your dog for at least 15 minutes to give the shampoo enough time to really drown the fleas. After they are clean, spray a little tea tree oil on their coat to deter other fleas. Placing a flea collar on them is a wise decision as it will help to get rid of the fleas.
Start the washing process from their neck first so you can keep the fleas from jumping and getting to their head. Wear a hair cap because the fleas will search for a new host and they will jump on humans. Use a fine tooth comb after your wash the dog to search for other fleas.
Borate Acid
The adult fleas live for 7 days without blood from their host but their larvae can live longer. You need to make sure you are able to sterilize the entire home to kill the larvae. Borate acid can do a great job at killing the larvae and other fleas that may be lingering in your home. The best way to truly sterilize the home with borate acid is to pour it all over and leave your home for a good 24 hours. This will give it enough time to really destroy the fleas. Then you can vacuum and clean up your home so you do not have the powder all over the place. Look for sprays that contain IGRs as this poison will kill the larvae and the fleas.
