How to control dog flea

If your pet dog has fleas and you have just started treating, chances are that success may be limited. It is important to treat the dog flea, but equally important, is to control the dog flea.

Before we start on the flea control regime, it's important to know we are dealing with a problem that is not just on the pet, it's also in the environment. So lets plan how to overcome the problem of dog flea.

In this regard, controlling the dog flea is an important aspect of treating it. There are two important factors - the environment and the hygiene of the dog itself.

Clean the environment

Cleaning the environment would mean cleaning the indoors as well as the outdoors.

•  Indoor: Do regular vacuuming, especially in places where your pet frequents or sits-drapes, carpets, below the furniture.

•  Use products, which contains adulticide and also an insect growth regulator (IGR). These could be available as carpet powder, fogger or spray.

•  Clean up (spray) the pet bed, garage, pet carrier etc.

•  Outdoor: Fleas tend to breed in damp shoddy areas. So rake up the leaves and apply the spray. Also outdoor spray involves doing it in the dog kennel, lawns, yards, doghouses etc. One needs to repeat the spray in 7-14 days. Try environmentally friendly sprays such as Adams Lawn Spray .

Clean the Pet

It is important to be able to know your dog is infested. All the itching (called pruritus) that your dog is doing is a result of dog flea, needs to be confirmed.

•  Unlike mites, fleas can be seen over your dog. Try the furry areas like belly and inner thighs.

•  Look for “flea-dirt” which looks like specs of black pepper.

•  The damage: Flea not only causes itching. It can also lead to skin infections and flea dirt can lead to allergic reactions in your pet.

•  Dog Flea Treatment: Flea control products are available in various forms and their effectiveness-duration varies.

•  Once a month topical insecticides are an easy and effective way to keep the fleas under control. These generally include permethrin, pyrethrin or fipronil.

•  Flea control sprays are available as aerosols or pump bottles.

•  Also available in the market are dips and rinses which need to be applied to the pet's body. Pick an ophthalmic ointment. Ensure these products don't get into the eyes and ears of your pet so use cotton balls.

•  Shampoos have a short-lived impact though provide some resistance.

•  Flea and Tick collars are good alternative, if applied properly. Check the duration of action and other details before purchase.

•  Oral products come in the form of tablets and suspensions and contain insect developer inhibitor (IDI), which prevents the growth of eggs and larvae. Please note that since these do not kill adult fleas you will have to take care of that through other product.

•  Flea Combs are also handy.

•  Home Remedies: The age-old home remedies are your savior any moment. Pennyroyal or eucalyptus oil increases the bathwater's flea-killing power. You could also opt to use natural powders. These contain herbs such as rosemary, rue, wormwood, pennyroyal or citronella, and sometimes tobacco powder. You can also dust diatomaceous earth . Garlic and brewer's yeast in your pet's daily diet is an effective way to ward off fleas. Try rubbing the yeast into your pet's fur.

Armed with these tips to kill dog fleas, rid your pet and home of infestation and yes do remember to treat all your pets.