Man’s best friend is loyal, loving, fun, charming, and possesses plenty of wonderful attributes. At the same time, dogs can get a bit scruffy from time to time, and they usually need a human’s help to stay clean, healthy, and free of fleas and other troublesome insects that creep into their luscious, bountiful folds of fur to wreak havoc on their skin and your home. Dealing with fleas can be gross and cumbersome, but a pretty expected aspect of becoming a dog owner. There’s so much available on the market these days to keep your pet’s fur-free of fleas and other bloodsucking insects that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options. And yet, no matter the din of overzealous marketers, there are a few tried and true remedies to help rid your beloved dog of terrible fleas the right way. If you’re worried about buying into remedies that feature a lot of bells and whistles and remain light on actual solutions, then read on for more information.
Take Prevention Seriously
The first rule of the game is to take prevention seriously. The best way to rid your dog of fleas is to make sure they never come near them, to begin with. There are a few simple ways you can do that. For starters, make sure your home is sparkling clean. Pets naturally attract lots of creepy crawlers, so being on top of things will only help buoy your chances of keeping fleas and ticks at bay. Every time you walk your dog, you’re at risk of bringing back fleas that need to be made to feel inhospitable straight away. So, be sure to whip out the vacuum cleaner and mop, and clean what you can. Vacuuming every day is especially important and can be a big help.
Another thing you should do is wash your dog’s bed thoroughly every so often in hot water with antibacterial soap. Or, clean any surface your dog sleeps on as well as you possibly can, such as bedding, rugs, and so on. If your pet likes to sleep on the couch, then make sure to clean that with a machine every other month – this applies to upholstered fabrics only, of course. If you have a leather couch, then simply wipe that down with the appropriate solution, but also toss any fabric-covered cushions you have in the washer and dryer. Cleaning your home and especially the spaces your pet uses thoroughly is one clear way to get rid of fleas without sacrificing your sanity.
Look into Preventative Tools
Taking the cleanliness of your pup’s surroundings is definitely one way to help and up your prevention game. Another is to look into other preventative tools that can form a sort of safe halo around your dog, causing fleas to avoid them altogether. You’ll find that flea collars can make a world of difference to help keep fleas at bay and let them know they are unwelcome. These appeared decades ago and while it initially felt like something of a gimmick, they are an incredibly powerful way of keeping your dog safe and healthy.
Flea neckbands work by containing active ingredients that kill or repel fleas, effectively treating your pet like a no-fly zone. A few more aggressive flea neck bands actually work to spread these ingredients all across your pet’s body, to make it clear that fleas are not welcome at all. Most people equate flea chokers with the horribly stinky designs of yore, which reeked of chemicals and made it hard for owners to embrace their pets. But, no more. Newer collars bear different innovations to help keep chemical odors in check while remaining incredibly powerful in telling fleas to buzz off.
The collars slowly release active ingredients into the pet’s body, sometimes mixed with a tiny bit of water to minimize the scent and impact of the chemicals, and this causes the fleas to die as soon as they come into contact with these ingredients. The only thing to remember is that the collars will need to be replaced every so often, but they are pretty long-lasting and work effectively to get rid of fleas before they can cause any harm to your dog.
Call an Exterminator
So, you vacuum every day, clean up any place your dog sits or naps, use flea chokers, and are generally being super diligent about keeping fleas away. If these steps aren’t fully working to solve the problem, then you can try to use a flea control spray or fogger – this may be especially necessary when flea season is at its peak. If that doesn’t work, give your local exterminator a call. They will be able to tackle the problem fully and let you know exactly what is causing the fleas to wreak havoc on your home and pet. If you have a yard, they may check for areas in which the grass needs to be kept short so that it is less inviting to different insects like fleas and ticks. Maybe a nontoxic treatment will be recommended so that your hard doesn’t harbor the fleas as easily.
Another thing you can do on your own, especially if you have a yard, is to patch up any places where animals like rabbits or raccoons can scurry through. As cute as these wonderful animals are, they do carry fleas and can bring them straight to your dog very easily.
Practice Doggie Etiquette
There are a few other preventative measures you can take to help keep your pet safe from the scourge of fleas. Any other place your dog sits in besides your home should be cleaned thoroughly. For example, if your pet recently joined you on a car ride, make sure that the upholstery is sparkling clean before and after. Also, practice basic doggie etiquette: while visits to the local dog park are great, you also need to keep strange dogs away from your own pet since they may be carrying fleas. Do your best to make sure that their playmates are clean and free of any dangerous insects that would gravitate to your pet.
Getting rid of fleas can be arduous and a very time-consuming task. However, if you want to make sure that your pet remains safe, healthy, and happy, investing in a few smart preventative measures should do the trick. Luckily, none of these steps will cost you much, besides being hyper-vigilant about your dog’s safety.
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