Pet Care Corner: How to get rid of fleas
Every year pet owners go to battle with fleas as they drive your pets to distraction – not only are they downright annoying but they can also cause allergies, skin infections, anaemia (if your pet is really infested) and even tapeworm in animals.
The Boksburg SPCA manager, Maggie Mudd, shares information on how to get rid of fleas.
- It is important to know
Fleas can vary their egg to adult life cycle anywhere from 18 days to 20 months, depending on how hot and humid it is and they may also only spend as little as 10 per cent of their lives on your pet.
So, you may get rid of fleas on an animal itself – only to have them hop back onto its fur from bedding or carpets and the whole cycle starts over again.
The only solution is to treat the home environment as well as the animal.
- Clean the house as well as pets bedding and baskets/beds
If you have a heavy infestation of fleas in the house you will need to vacuum everywhere – carpets, couches and chairs, curtains, mattresses and all corners and crevices of the house.
Seal the vacuum cleaner bag immediately when finished in a plastic bag so that all fleas cannot escape and return back into the house.
Wash all pets bedding in hot soapy water – the vacuuming may need to be done once a day for at least a week until you start to see results; then it could be done less frequently.
You can also use a fogger ‘bomb’ that helps to kill any remaining fleas but please read the instructions carefully as these are toxic to fish and pets and these will need to be removed while the fogger was working.
- De-flea your pets
At the same time as the house and pets bedding etc. is being vacuumed it is advised to shampoo your pet/s with a flea shampoo to get rid of the fleas sitting on the animal.
After that, use a flea comb (these can be purchased from pet shops) on a daily basis.
It is a good idea to shampoo all the animals within the house periodically according to the instructions and keep grooming with the flea comb.
If you use a shampoo, dip, spray, powder or a flea collar on your pet always read the instructions and follow the directions carefully. If misused these can make your pet sick or can, in severe cases, even kill it.
Never use pesticides on kittens and puppies unless it expressively says in the instructions that they can be used on young animals and do not use them on animals that are pregnant, sick or very old.
Always consult a veterinarian to ensure that the product being used on your pet is safe.
