As soon as the weather starts to warm up, you may begin to notice fleas around your property and on your pets. Even though those tiny bugs only live for about 100 days, they can spread dozens of different diseases and parasites including typhus, anemia, and tapeworms. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to keep fleas from attacking your dog and out of your home.
Spray Your Home with a Natural Repellent
Some dogs aren’t allergic to flea bites, but these bugs can still spread diseases to your family if they make their way into your home.
A wide variety of products and ingredients will keep fleas out of your home including lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and white vinegar.
Those liquids can be mixed with a few cups of clean water to create a natural bug-repellent.
That spray should be used around doors, windows, HVAC vents, and pipes.
Administer an Oral Medication
Most oral flea medications are relatively benign, and you only need to give them to your dog once or twice a month.
These pills generally don’t kill adult fleas, but they will prevent fleas from reproducing in your pet’s fur.
They disrupt the life cycle of the fleas and kill the larvae before they have the chance to become adults.
Some flea medications now come in liquid form so that you can add a few drops to your dog’s favorite treat.
Try a Flea Collar
Flea collars work by transferring chemicals to your dog’s skin and fur, and some pets have an adverse reaction to those chemicals.
Dog owners should speak with an experienced veterinarian before using any chemicals on their pets.
Your veterinarian might be able to suggest a safe and effective flea collar that doesn’t use any harsh toxins.
They can also give you more information on which shampoos and washes you should be using to keep fleas at bay.
Dust with Diatomaceous Earth
Also known as diatomite, diatomaceous earth, like that from Earthworks Health, is a fine powder that quickly eradicates fleas and other insects.
Instead of killing the bugs with toxic chemicals, the powder severely dehydrates the critters by pulling moisture out of their exoskeleton.
In order to kill fleas, you should dust your pet’s bedding and all indoor carpets once every few days—diatomaceous earth is completely safe for both humans and animals, by the way.
You can also spread the dust around doors and windows where insects might get into your home.
A handful of stray bugs can quickly turn into a major infestation if you aren’t careful.
That is why you should constantly be on the lookout for any signs of a flea infestation such as skin rashes, red bumps, and flea droppings in your pet’s fur.
Hopefully, however, applying the above tips will help keep fleas from attacking your dog.
Calvin
Saturday 1st of June 2019
It seems to be a bigger problem with places whee weather is humid and hotter, I think