10/28/2024
"HOW DO I GET RID OF FLEAS??" -- Here's your Answer!
by Dr. Branson
Believe it or not, late fall is the hardest season to get rid of fleas. And there's a very good reason for this. Fleas are reproducing like crazy right now in order to build up their population so the species survives the winter.
The worst part about this is that a female flea must take a blood meal before it can lay eggs, which means that it must bite your dog or cat. So a few fleas can jump on your pet out in the yard, have a meal, and lay up to 50 eggs each. These eggs can develop within about 6 days into adult fleas, which jump on your pet and have a meal, and the cycle continues. This is how the flea population in your home and yard can go from zero to hundreds in just a few days.
If you have a flea infestation, you’ve probably spent a lot of money trying a lot of different things that haven’t worked. The reason they haven't worked is that the key to getting rid of fleas is breaking the flea life cycle.
Breaking the flea life cycle can be very difficult because, during its development, the flea goes into a cocoon stage, which is resistant to ALMOST EVERYTHING. In other words, nothing kills the flea larva when it is in the cocoon stage. Not heat, not cold, not flea sprays or house bombs or the chemicals the exterminators spray on our lawns. Nothing. What’s worse, the flea can and does hang out in the cocoon stage in carpeting, dirt and sand for MONTHS. When you or your pet walks across the floor or ground outside, the flea larva inside the cocoon feels the vibration of your steps, and it immediately hatches out and jumps onto you or your pet for a blood meal.
The good news is that, while we can’t kill the cocoon stage of the flea life cycle, we do have products that can kill the other stages of the flea life cycle.
In order break the life cycle and completely eradicate the fleas, you must be diligent and consistent in using these products for at least THREE MONTHS. Although the flea larvae can hang out in their safe little cocoons for months, if you consistently kill the fleas before they can lay more eggs, eventually all the cocoons in the environment are going to hatch out. There simply won’t be any more cocoons to hatch out when you or your pet walks by.
Here is an easy-to-follow protocol to get rid of the fleas in your home. Remember, you have to be diligent and consistent for at least three months:
1. CHOOSE AN EFFECTIVE PRODUCT. Talk to your veterinarian about which product to use. Do you have dogs and/or cats? How many pets do you need to treat? Are you treating just for fleas, or do you need a tick or heartworm preventative, too?
2. USE THE PRODUCT. Once you find an effective flea product that meets your needs, use it for three months, and then keep using it! Yes, they can be expensive, but there are alternatives now that are more cost-effective, and a lot of the pharmaceutical companies have rebate offers. Plus, the products that work are worth it. Why waste your money on cheap products that don’t work?
3. VACUUM, VACUUM, VACUUM! If you have a severe flea infestation in the carpeting in your home, you need to get as many of the cocoons out of the carpet as possible right away. Vacuum the entire carpet once a day, and then EMPTY THE VACUUM IMMEDIATELY and take the contents outside to the trash. (If you skip this step, the fleas will simply hatch out inside your vacuum, crawl back out into your carpet, and jump on your pet for a blood meal.) Do this every day for two weeks.
If you are having a problem with fleas this fall, Maple Hill Animal Hospital can help. We offer several different products that are effective against the different stages of the flea life cycle, and our pricing is very competitive. Give us a call at 816-858-2161 to get started on a flea-eradication program today!
