Friday, 24 October 2014

Pet has fleas? Treat it them fast! This problem will escalate fast....

If you notice you beloved cat or dog has fleas you will need to treat them pronto!

Fleas reproduce rapidly and an infestation can occur in your home in a very short space of time, so if you notice any indication of fleas you should take immediate action to prevent the situation escalating.

If fleas are found on your pets:

Use a flea specific shampoo, preferably recommended from your vet, wash you pets to kill the fleas and eggs.

You must also clean your home.  Although you may not have found any evidence of fleas in you home yet, just note that one female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day - some of which will have stayed in your pets fur but others will have fallen out, possibly onto your carpets and furniture.

Wash pets bedding on a hot wash to kill any fleas and eggs.  If you can, also wash any furniture covers what the pet may have come into contact with.

Vacuum all areas of your home.  Especially your carpets and upholstery of furniture that you cannot wash.  Also vacuum wood floors, ensuring you focus on the cracks as eggs can fall down there.

Clean your carpet, we would recommend a truck mounted carpet cleaner as these are more powerful than rented machines and will work deep down into the fibers to remove the lodged eggs.

Tip: Set a trap on the floor for fleas, simply make a solution of water and detergent and pour it into a shallow dish.  Place this on the floor, preferably near  alight source such as a night light.  The fleas will be drawn to the light and hop into the dish, the solution is toxic to them.

If fleas are found around the home:
This is the hard part.  You will need to treat both pet and house simultaneously else they will bounce back and forth.

Pest control
At this stage the infestation has already started and you will need pest control.  You can buy a product and do this your self (we would recommend asking your vet for a referral to ensure you buy a product that wont harm your animal), else you can call in pest control.

***Unfortunately there are no guarantees all fleas and eggs can be removed from your home so PREVENTION IS BEST!***

