How to Care for Flea-Infested Pets

Flea

Fleas will make your pets into agents of the destruction they wreak, while simultaneously making them miserable. You then have to deal with concern for the wellbeing of a suffering pet who also happens to be a pest incubator. So, what is the best way to handle pets that are pest-infested?

This blog entry will look at three common misconceptions about how pets with fleas should be treated, and discuss the correct courses of action you can take instead in caring for your flea-infested pet.

Misconception #1— Happy, Flea-Medicated Pets are Flea Free

St. Bernard and Fleas

The first misconception most people have is that putting flea medication on their pet makes them a safe zone as far as fleas are concerned. Pets quickly become happy and affectionate once the medication causes the fleas to stop biting them, fooling humans into thinking they are flea-free.

This is hardly the case. Though the medicine may discourage the fleas from biting your pet or laying new eggs in their fur, it will also trigger a great exodus of fleas from your pet that lasts as long as it takes for dormant eggs left in their fur to hatch and realize that their environment has become poisonous. For this reason, the best course of action to take is to let your pet wander around outside—in the yard, or on the porch or balcony—while the fleas leap off.

Misconception #2 – Pets are the Fleas’ Main Host

The second big misconception that people have concerning fleas and their pets is that the pets are the main problem. They blame their pet for hosting the fleas and believe that making their pet pest-free will do the same for their residence.

In reality, once fleas move into your residence, they don’t need your pet anymore (though they will happily feed on your dog or cat, if available). Fleas can feed on blood, but can also feed on your dead skin cells, on dead insects and even on flea stool, which means that your pet ceases to be the main problem and the cleanliness of your house becomes a bigger one.

It’s a good idea to focus primarily on debugging your residence, and then to move on to taking care of your pet. This will help keep you from overmedicating your pet, which will be discussed in the following section.

Misconception #3 – Extra Medication Makes Pets Happier Faster

Though your pet may seem miserable, and though flea medicine seems to help at least temporarily, overmedicating a pet with flea medicine will do them far more harm than good. The risk of overmedication is one of the main reasons why debugging your house before your pet is a good idea.  An overmedicated pet can get sick and even die.

Though you should wait to medicate your pet until you have taken steps to remove fleas and their eggs from your residence, washing your pet in warm water with a regular, preferably natural shampoo will help to remove eggs without dousing your pet unnecessarily with toxic chemicals.

If you have noticed fleas bothering your pets or inside your home give flea experts a call. Ask about $50 off Flea control and prevention.