Fleas

continualdiamond

This is not something i really wanted to share as people will jump to conclusions that my flat is a tip, but its not.

We have 1 dog and 2 cats. My dog is always scratching and i am forever treating him for fleas, he is not infested, ie when i comb him yes fleas come off, but he's not exactly crawling in them. I have used flea soaps, shampoo and frontline. They seem to calm it down for a few weeks and then he starts the excessive scratching again, im always wary of putting more frontline on as its too soon to what they recommend between each dose.

However for the 1st time ever i think i have been bitten by fleas on my leg. I never noticed anything just that my leg was itchy, no big deal, until i looked and saw red blotches on my leg, when having a bath they became even more itchy and then upon looking online at flea bites on humans what i had matched.

Obviously i need to treat my flat as well, but what do people recommend? I was thinking of steam cleaning the carpets, have done it before with hiring out the rug doctor, but should i do that first, then treat the carpets with a household flea powder, granules etc that you the vacuum up or do i use a spray onto the carpet.

With hiring out the rug doctor it also comes with a nozel to do your stairs, i was thinking of using that on my mattress on the double bed and spare bed just to treat them as well.

Can people think of anything else i could do tomorrow in order to treat my whole flat? (lounge, bedrooms, bathroom and hall have carpet), kitchen has tiles.

Please don't think i am messy, i am mortified as my flat is immaculate but obviously the fleas are around my flat, not just on my dog.

So please help with suggestions of what works best for treating the home and also what i should do for my dog? (do i bath him again and then put frontline on, do i then bath him every 2 weeks for a certain amount of time etc)

callywally

Indorex spay should get rid of the fleas in the home. I think you have to get it from a vet and repeat the treatment in a month. You need to treat the cats and dog at the same time with frontline or stronghold. You need to get stronghold from the vet.You can also get frontline combo which treats the animals and also the environment they live in.Best thing would be to get advice from your vet.
you should not bath the dog within 24 hours of putting frontline on.It does not mean your flat is dirty becaus you have fleas! It can easily happen when you have animals. It can be treated though but it would be best to get advice from your vet to get rid of them once and for all.

spankymonkey_2

indorex can be purchased at boots for around £12.00 a tin.

continualdiamond

Don't happen to know if they sell that at pets at home do you? I have a boots in the centre of town, but was going to go the retail park to get the rug doctor from homebase and pets at home is next door, so was going to try them to see what flea stuff they had for the house.

Fire_Fox

Fleas do not only live in carpet, they also live in other soft furnishings (sofas) and will live in the crevices on hard floors. I previously moved into an infested property and found it cheaper to get the professionals in, in our case they came back three times before the house was clear! Fleas are very resistant these days so pet shop offerings may not be effective. Isn't the Rug Doctor a wet not a steam cleaner?

continualdiamond

Would they be living in between the seats of my sofa (leather). I mop my kitchen floor regular with a floor cleaner, its a tiny kitchen, i also wash my bathroom mats and lounge room rug regular as well.

The rug doctor is a wet cleaner not a steam one yes, sorry. But i have used it a lot of times and it doesn't leave my carpets soaking wet, just lightly as if you sprinkled water on. My carpets do need re cleaning anyway and thought if i did this first, then treated the carpets with a flea spray etc afterwards it might have a better chance of working as the carpets would be cleaner and thus may have got up flea dirt and any flea eggs living in the carpet.

Sorry to ask but who did you use to come and get rid of the fleas professionally and what was the price?

Fire_Fox

Fleas are fairly easy to kill, flea eggs are very resistant. AFAIK the intense heat of a steam cleaner will kill the flea eggs but I don't *think* they are affected by wet cleaning. I wouldn't put flea powder onto damp carpets, it might deactivate the chemical ingredient, I would select one method of flea treatment and stick with it.

It was 1995 when we moved into flea city so can't remember the cost, we used a pest control company (rats/ wasps). All I can remember is buying some powder doing one and a half rooms and realising how much we needed to treat the entire house ... the man was definitely cheaper and the second two treatments were free as the result was guaranteed. :T

It appears some councils offer a pest control service, here are their charges:
http://www.tandridge.gov.uk/faq/faq.htm?mode=20&pk_faq=213

hethmar

You say you are treating the dog but the fleas come back? Are you treating the cat too, as that is probably where your dog is getting them from.

After treating the dog are you then washing all his bedding and basket?

You can get a powder for your carpets and a spray which is pretty lethal.

If the fleas keep coming back after treating the house and the cat, then see your vet for something more effective.

continualdiamond

I treat my 2 cats regular, following the recommended dosage and time between each treatment. But because cats come/go (have a cat flap) i don't tend to notice them scratching as much as i do my dog. They could in fact have fleas at the level my dog does, but my cats hate being brushed and will scratch you to bits if you try, so you don't really get a proper idea and of course they hate being bathed.

Where as my dog loves being brushed and having a bath so thats how i am able to notice the fleas on him.

My dog doesn't have a basket/bedding. He sleeps on the rug in the square in the middle of my flat. He had a basket/bedding when he was little but choose to always sleep on the rug, so i wash the rug every week along with the mats in the bathroom.

I have stripped the beds today and changed it all and then am treating the house tomorrow.

Have looked into the professional way (thanks for that info fire fox) am going to ring them as it says £45 + VAT but doesn't state what size property that is for.

KxMx

I'd get the Vet's advice, the supermarket stuff doesn't work and you shouldn't be mixing products eg frontline & shampoo.

We had a carpet & cat that was crawling with them, used a ton of powder on the carpet, little effect, so we took her to the Vets, got given Stronghold and 2 days later cat & carpet were flea free and have been ever since.

She has drops every month now to prevent as she goes outside during spring& summer.

hethmar

Yes I think it was the stronghold spray that finally stopped one horrendous summer with my lot about 8 years back. There were fleas everywhere and nothing could get shot of them. Had to go to the vet. Never had a problem since though and I dont use any flea stuff on the dogs. Fingers crossed.