What to do when my dog gets fleas?
Tips for treating your house and home
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How to treat your pet
First things first, you need to take care of the main victim of this situation! To treat your pet and kill any live fleas;
- Give them a flea bath: This is the best way to treat all of their fur in one go, and instantly kill any live fleas. Use a flea shampoo and leave it on for the recommended time in the directions to make sure the treatment is effective.
- Reapply your chosen spot-on treatment: After their flea bath, wait 48 hours and reapply their spot-on treatment to kill any eggs that the flea bath hasn't treated. Waiting 48 hours is essential to make sure the chemicals in both treatments don't interfere with each other!
- Wash all of their collars, leads and harnesses, fabric toys and beds: It's impossible to know exactly when your pet got infested, so treat any fabric items that they regularly get in contact with to prevent them getting fleas again. Wash all of their items on the hottest cycle possible - 90 degrees is ideal if you washing machine allows it!
- Get your pet out of your home: Hire a petsitter or take your pet to a friend's house to prevent your pet getting fleas again while you are treating your home!
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How to treat your home
After your pet is taken care of, you need to tackle any possible fabric items in your home that you pet has been in contact with! To treat your home;
- Wash all fabric items on a hot wash: Any items that your pet comes into contact regularly (sofa, cushions, rugs, bedding etc.) need to be thrown on a super hot wash, ideally at 90 degrees, to kill any live fleas!
- Use flea killing spray: This is particularly handy for hard to reach materials that you can't wash easily.
- Hoover your house from top to bottom: Carpets, furniture, drapes – anything that can serve as a home for fleas needs to be vacuumed to pick up any fleas (live, or dead). Be sure to throw away the bag once you’re done.
- Call a professional: if the infestation continues after you try everything, it may be time to call in a professional exterminator to ensure that your home is 100% flea free!
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Natural Repellents
If you'd like to take the more natural approach, these plants are known for being good repellents for the little critters:
- Chrysanthemum: This beautiful flower is also a great flea, cockroach, ant, tick, silverfish, and lice repellent.
- Lavender: Smells great but it also repels fleas, moths and mosquitoes.
- Spearmint: Smells so nice and fresh and works great for repelling fleas, moths, ants, beetles, rodents, and aphids.