how to get rid of fleas

dougk_2

giggs11 wrote:

that works out more expensive than buying frontline for the cat (£16 for 6 spot-ns or £15 for the spray) and the vetkem acclaim spray for the house (£12 for one tin to treat a 3-bed house) and those will protect both house and pets for at least a year, total cost £28

You obviously don't live in Berkshire - From the vets 6 spot ons (frontline) is £27+ VAT without the acclaim spray! The vet advised 2 bottles of spray for a 3 bed house if you want to treat it fully and be sure. This was about £22+VAT for each one (total £71 + VAT). I am on my second vets here so I know its about the same price locally.
When I lived in (cheap) Norfolk the prices were £22 and £18 respectively so you must have a very cheap vets!

dougk_2

giggs11 wrote:

the council use the vetkem acclaim spray which costs £12 a tin, so cheaper to do yourself

Our local council didn't - they used some industrial insecticide/pesticide in a huge backpack!

leesmithg

Flea comb and hot water to murder them.

Run comb through cats, dip in hot water.

I have purchased something called pest magic, they should be with me soon, I got them from the net.

Use one upsatirs one down and they use the electrical current which emitts a signal, fleas, ticks, mice rats, spiders etc don't like and they're supposed to run off and never return.

Will see how it goes.

BlondeHeadOn

Just a word of warning about the chemicals - do a patch test first, somewhere OUTSIDE of the house, and check you are not allergic to any of the contents of whatever anti-flea chemical you are using....

... I speak from bitter experience, as I found I was violently allergic to a flea spray sold to me by a vet. Only trouble is, I found out I was allergic to it after I had sprayed it all over the flat (carpets, curtains, you name it). I ended up with a violent rash, ashthma, irregular heatbeat.... I ended up having to move out of the flat for 12 weeks while the damn stuff wore off!!! :eek:

And the worst of it is, it wasn't even my cat that started the fleas in the first place - the cat belonged to my flatmate, who had no allergic reaction at all, and so had the flat to herself (and her flea-ridden moggy) for 3 months.....

So please check you are not allergic first.....

tankgirl1

giggs11 wrote:

Does anyone know why frontline spray needs a prescription but the spot-on type doesn't? I can't use the spot-on on my cat as it irritates her skin and causes blisters but she's ok with the spray.

BOTH types of frontline are supposed to be prescripton only medicine :rolleyes: In all the vets Ive worked in, we werent allowed to dispense frontline unless the pet had been checked during the last 12 mths by a vet.

With regards to getting rid of an infestation, I'm afraid chemicals are the only way to go. Frontline is by far the best topical treatment for the pet, and I would advise Acclaim for the house.

If using Frontline spot on- the fluid MUST be in contact with the skin- not just the fur. If using the spray, wear gloves, and do it outside if possible. Dont forget the face/legs/tail etc. When doing around the pets face, spray a little fluid into your (gloved) palm, and rub on carefully.
Remember frontline is flammable, so keep pets away from open fires etc for a good 24 hrs.

When spraying the house, I'd advise doing a room at a time, so that you can vacate the area for a while. Best way to do it is to turn the central heating up full whack beforehand- this stimulates all the little blighters in various life stages, who are deep down in the carpet to emerge. Spray all the carpet and soft furnishings, in all nooks and crannys. ventilate the room afterwards.
Do a spot test first though!!! And also remove any fish/budgies/small pets from the room, as these sprays can be highly toxic, even fatal to these!

Ive seen loads of clients who use all kinds of wierd and wonderful concotions/old wives tales on fleas..............and none of them work!!
Flea collars are a waste of money also, as are any supermarket preperations.

GOOD LUCK!!

chloejane_2

dont forget to empty the hoover each time you use it when you have flees, as this ensures they dont get out and back into your carpets, pets etc, also if you have grass especially long grass keep it as short as possible, these things always seem to help me long term we got rid of all the carpets where possible and put down tiles, i know this can be costly but flees cant live in the tiles, well not that i know of lol.

giggs11

dougk wrote:

You obviously don't live in Berkshire - From the vets 6 spot ons (frontline) is £27+ VAT without the acclaim spray! The vet advised 2 bottles of spray for a 3 bed house if you want to treat it fully and be sure. This was about £22+VAT for each one (total £71 + VAT). I am on my second vets here so I know its about the same price locally.
When I lived in (cheap) Norfolk the prices were £22 and £18 respectively so you must have a very cheap vets!

I buy it online here http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Flea_Treatments.html

£16.25 for 6 frontline spot-ons and £11.65 for the acclaim

giggs11

tankgirl1 wrote:

BOTH types of frontline are supposed to be prescripton only medicine :rolleyes: In all the vets Ive worked in, we werent allowed to dispense frontline unless the pet had been checked during the last 12 mths by a vet.

it changed a while back and you can buy spot-on without prescription or seeing the vet now, but you still have to go to the vet or get a prescription for the spray which i don't understand as it's exactly the same product, unless its cos the spot-on is a measured dose in a pipette

ben500

I think the most effective way is to BLOW UP YOUR HOUSE and then move just to make sure.

Edinburghlass_2

You can carry fleas into a house yourself on your feet. I discovered a cat of mine covered in fleas when living in a top floor flat and the cat never went outside :eek:

I had thought I had seen something jumping on the rug in front of the fire but dismissed it as imagination until I realised something was bothering the cat. Took her to the vet who sprayed her, this was before Frontline, and when I got her home she jumped on my lap and I noticed hundreds of the blighters had fallen off her onto my lap.

Now live with a field at the back of the house which is full of rabbits and my cats now need treated with Frontline every six weeks or so as they get the fleas off the rabbits and then of course there are the worms because they eat the rabbits....

I also use the above mentioned spray for the house, spray everything and everywhere that the cats go once a year.