Fleas

　

Fleas can be a very big problem once your pets get them. The height of flea season is upon us. How do I know if my pet has Fleas? 1) They will be very itchy. 2) There will be little dark balls inside the coat, near the fur. Looking much like poppy seeds. 3) The fleas will be visible. They look like Rye bread seeds, and move very quickly through the coat. What do you do if you realize your pet has fleas? Well you need to kill them. Flea Shampoo will kill what's there, but will not prevent new ones from getting on your pet. Note also that once you Dip or Flea Bath your pet DO NOT PUT ANY TYPE OF FLEA PRODUCT ON YOUR PET FOR 24 HOURS. IT IS TOXIC AND CAN CAUSE SICKNESS OR EVEN DEATH. If you give the bath yourself, do not panic if the water turns bloody. Those little poppy balls are fecal matter from the Flea. They suck blood, hence when you wash them, that disintegrates turning the water blood red. You must also place an eye antibiotic onto the eyes to prevent shampoo form irritating the eye ball. If you choose to try this yourself, start with the head and then the rear end, as the fleas will move to where you can't put the shampoo, eyes and privates of pet. My recommendation is go to a good groomer.

You do not need to panic if your pet picks up one or two fleas, You kill them with a flea product and are pretty safe. It's when the animal is infested does it go beyond just the pet. One Flea will lay 40,000 eggs. Here is when I recommend and exterminator. Bombs work, but they only kill the fleas and not the eggs. So lets say you do the bomb, 2 weeks later they are back. They also will move away from the mist, and go into basements and attics, on the way stopping upstairs. See my point? Now inside is only part of the problem, any stray or wild animal will bring fleas into you yard. Spraying the yard is always a good idea. You don't want to treat everything inside, and have them hop on outside, to come back in!

The best way to prevent all this heartache is a product like Advantex or Frontline. I like Advantex better because it also repels Flea, Ticks, and Mosquitoes. (They are the big problem that leads to heartworm) Frontline kills the Fleas and Ticks only after the pest bites the dogs skin. God help the poor dog that is allergic to the bite. You can also cut up a flea and tick collar and put it into your vacuum bag, killing any strays you may catch in the house. Washing all the pets bedding regularly helps as well. Good Luck, and you can always call us of you have questions. DEB
Another true story.................
I had a client whose Sheltie was full of fleas. Even though she put Frontline on her pet, the fleas remained. I think because of the thick coat she had, maybe she was not reaching the skin with the product. Anyway 2 flea baths later, a bombing of her car, and extermination of her house, her Sheltie is finally at peace. You can read the story in her own words if you google Zoot Shoot Photos, under blog my Fabulous new groomer. Thanks for reading.