FLEAS - How To Prevent & Get Rid Of Fleas

This seems like a strange thing to blog about but it is very near and dear to my heart. Fleas are terrible creatures and can turn you absolutely mad! Trust me. I know. They are very easy to get and next near impossible to get rid of. We recently had a flea infestation and I had a 2 month long flea genocide. But, now, I can safely say we are almost 100% flea free.


Steps To Prevent Fleas:

1.  Spend the extra money and go with a name brand flea preventative. It stinks for fork over $120 for 6 months, $240 for a year of flea treatment for 2 pets, but its worth it in the long run. Getting rid of fleas is expensive. If you're on a budget you can get 2-4 doses at a time at places like Petco and PetSmart. Also try Chewy.com or 1800petmeds.com You shouldn't need a prescription.
2. There are heartworm preventatives that also prevent fleas. Some kill fleas some just 'control' fleas. Make sure you know what you have. Ex. We use Sentinel, it helps to control fleas but it in now way would stop a flea infestation.
3. DO NOT bathe your dog/cat before applying a topical flea treatment. It works by working with the sebaceous oil glands on the dogs/cats skin and if you wash your dog, there is little to no oil left. 
4. Check reviews online and ask your vet and ask around locally. I really like Advantage II and K9Advantix. Frontline Plus worked fine for me in Illinois but in California it did nothing. The vet said fleas are most likely becoming immune to certain flea preventives in certain regions. Yay..... Next the little ass holes are gonna learn how to swim...  
5. Treat your yard once a year just to be safe. If you rent, see if they can treat your apartment at least once a year.

Steps To Get Rid Of A Flea Infestation:

1. Don't panic! This is going to take some time.
2. If your dog/cat isn't on a flea preventative see the previous list and do all 4 of those things IMMEDIATELY. 
• If your dog/cat IS on a flea preventative you may need to try a different one or apply another dose. Only apply more than 1 dose in a month if the directions say its OK! I know the directions for Advantage II say if there is an infestation you can apply a second application after 7 days. I'm sure its not great for the pets but neither is getting eaten alive especially when they have flea allergies so....pick your battles.Sometimes it takes up to 2 separate applications (so up to 2 months) to start really working.
• Keep in mind, after 2 doses or 2 months whichever comes first for you, and you still have a bad infestation, they're coming from somewhere. So really try to find the source of the fleas. It might help to try switching from Frontline Plus to Advantage II or vise versa, I also heard that alternating between the two every other month is a good idea. 
3. If you live in an apartment or rental, see if they spray the lawn for fleas and see if they can come treat your apartment. Don't be embarrassed, if you have fleas its almost certain that other people living there do to. It was free for us. 
4. Buy Capstar, the generic is Capguard and give your dog/cat one pill each day that you apply their topical. This kills live fleas on your pet for up to 24 hours but will only work if you use it with a flea preventative. This doesn't kill everything it just helps.
5. If you are treating your home yourself, buy some type of spray, bomb or powder for your carpet and follow the directions on the container. Remember they can live in cracks, carpet and floor boards, anywhere.
6. Clean. EVERYTHING! The day you give the Capstar and the topical treatment you will want to wash all of the pet bedding if its washable, if not, toss it and give them a cozy towel to sleep on until the flea problem is resolved. Wash all the rugs like bathroom and kitchen rugs, your bedding and pillows. You will continue to wash the pet bedding at least twice a week!
7. Vacuum EVERYTHING Ever.Single.Day for at least 2 weeks, probably longer! (this is the worst part) All the carpet, all of the couches, all of the cushions, under everything (even the bed) and along all of the edges, the cat tree (you may have to get rid of the cat tree if you have it, see if vacuuming works first). If you have a clear vacuum you'll probably see a lot of fleas jumping around in there. Yuck! Make sure to put it in a closed bag and remove it from your home ASAP.
8. Keep in mind the fleas will not go away immediately. The flea life cycle is at least 2 weeks and they're not all on the same schedule so you can still see live fleas for a month or two. I swear it got worse before it got better. And once the fleas couldn't live on the dog/cat anymore they started biting us, but that only lasted a day or two. That's why its important to vacuum every day so you can physically remove the bastards from your home.

DON'T
Try to save money and get the cheap preventatives (topicals, collars, whatever) to see if they'll work. Especially if you already have fleas. They won't work and you're literally throwing money away because you'll have to go back and get the good, expensive stuff.
DON'T
Wash your dog before applying a topical treatment. They need to have oil on their skin.
DON'T
expect the fleas to go away after one treatment, they can live in your home and reinvest your pets.