Ugggh! Big Problems :( We Have Fleas...

[kj23502]

Long story short, the dog brought in fleas(despite preventative measures) and we need to bug bomb the house. The asst at the vets office said fleas can live w/out a host for up to 6 mo. Apparently the easiest/best way to get rid of them is more frontline and bombing the house.

I'm worried about our fish tanks. The lady said take them out w/you and I said we can't....one's 125 gallons. So can we cover the fish tank for a few hours or will it kill all the fish?? I have African cichlids...mbuna.

 

[Ian H]

bug bomb the house!?

I love how americans over react!!

My mothers dog got fleas not long ago and infected the whole house, she didnt have to bug bomb it!! she just bought some flea powder and spray that you spray along the edges of the carpet and powder for the rest of the carpet along with washing pet bedding, your bedding ect

 

[kj23502]

Thanks Ian...how long did it take to get rid of them...any idea?

 

[Ian H]

couldnt tell you sorry, will ask her next time im there or see her though

As far as i know the stuff just kills them and you keep doing it every week to kill any eggs that may have hatched

 

[Colin_T]

bug bomb the house!?
I love how americans over react!!

yeah that's so true and it's funny

Just put some Frontline on your dog each month and get some flea powder to sprinkle over the carpets. Try to use a natural flea powder as they are less toxic to you and your pets. Brush the powder in and leave for a day. Then vacuum the carpets to remove the powder. If you don't have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (or HEFA, not sure how it’s spelt) filter then wear a dust mask so you don't inhale any of the flea powder during the vacuuming process. Alternatively you can put pull apart some cotton wool balls and suck them up with the vacuum first, then clean the carpets. The cotton balls will help to trap the fine dust.
You don't even need to use a flea powder on the carpets but it can help kill the adults off a bit quicker.

Over the next few weeks the adult fleas will jump onto the dog, come in contact with the Frontline and then die. If you keep the dog on Frontline, then after about 6 months all the flea eggs will have hatched and the fleas will be all gone.

 

[kj23502]

bug bomb the house!?

She said that was the quickest/easiest way and I'd agree except for my fishy friends.

Just put some Frontline on your dog each month and get some flea powder to sprinkle over the carpets. Try to use a natural flea powder as they are less toxic to you and your pets. Brush the powder in and leave for a day. Then vacuum the carpets to remove the powder. If you don't have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (or HEFA, not sure how it’s spelt) filter then wear a dust mask so you don't inhale any of the flea powder during the vacuuming process. Alternatively you can put pull apart some cotton wool balls and suck them up with the vacuum first, then clean the carpets. The cotton balls will help to trap the fine dust.
You don't even need to use a flea powder on the carpets but it can help kill the adults off a bit quicker.

Over the next few weeks the adult fleas will jump onto the dog, come in contact with the Frontline and then die. If you keep the dog on Frontline, then after about 6 months all the flea eggs will have hatched and the fleas will be all gone.

OMG...6 months . I'd like them gone a little quicker than that We have a cat too. She doesn't go outside...but we'll have to put meds on her too.

In fact, they prob hitch hiked on the dog and then fed off the cat b/c the cats never been on it b/c she doesn't go outside.

 

[dpcamp]

I would try a less toxic way first.. I google bug bomb and fleas and from what i read people don't have a 100% success rate with bug bombs killing of fleas anyways.

 

[Colin_T]

The fleas will die as soon as they come in contact with the Frontline. However, it can take up to 6 months before all the flea eggs hiding in the carpet have hatched, hence the reason it can take up to 6 months to get rid of them all. You should notice a significant reduction in flea numbers after a couple of weeks. Probably less depending on the amount of infestation.

If you have a cat then you can get Frontline for cats and that works well. Treat the dog and cat every month and in 6 months there shouldn't be any fleas anywhere in your house or on your property.

I would then continue to treat the dog (and probably the cat) each month as this will reduce the flea population in the area and reduce the chances of fleas from rodents spreading diseases like rabies and plague to your pets.

If you do bug bomb the house then you have to wash everything afterwards, including dishes, linen, clothing, walls, floor, cupboards, the whole lot. Otherwise there will be pesticide residue on your stuff that can make you and your pets sick. If you choose to bug bomb the house then take as much stuff with you as you possibly can. It will be less work when you return to the house.

 

[kj23502]

We've only seen one flea so far. We were treating the dog, but not the cat...is it possible for a flea to grab the dog, ride in the house and then multiply on the cat???

I just talked to the lady at the vets office and she said that fleas can lay eggs shortly after they hatch themselves?? I don't know that I believe that one...i'll have to read about that.

Thanks for all the input...i'll do some more investigative work.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah just regularly frontlining both of them and straight after each round of treatment wash all bedding and hoover sofas, floors etc etc

you'll see a significant reduction within a few weeks and everything will be sorted after a couple of months, it's no big hassle really. our two cats both go out and as such we just have to make it a regular monthly thing. it's no biggie! everything needs washing and hoovering more regularly than once a month anyway and it takes all of about 2 minutes to put the frontline on the cats.

 

[Colin_T]

We've only seen one flea so far. We were treating the dog, but not the cat...is it possible for a flea to grab the dog, ride in the house and then multiply on the cat???

LOL
I stand by Ian's comment about how you Americans over react sorry but your vet suggested bug bombing the house and you've only seen one flea

Fleas can hop from one animal to another very easily so it is best to treat all furry pets in the house until the problem is solved.

Frontline is nice and easy to use. It is sold in prepared sizes and is a liquid. You simply part the hair and put it along the animals back and neck. It mixes with the skin oils and spreads over the body. In a few days the animal is coated in the chemical and any flea that bites the animal will die. It stays on the skin for up to 1 month and will kill fleas and ticks that bite it. If you live in an area with lots of ticks then you can treat the dog every 2 weeks.
You should not apply the treatment for at least 2 days after the animal has been bathed or washed as there won't be enough skin oils for it to spread properly. Likewise the animal should not be washed or allowed to go swimming for a couple of days after it has been treated. After the two days the animal can then play in the river or go to the beach and the stuff won't get washed off. (It does eventually wear off over a few weeks).

 

[Soaup]

First off Wow. Ian great way to throw a stereotype about americans, i can just as easily make a whole lot of fun out of you. Anyways not going to touch that. KJ I know very little about this. I did some research. There are a few options one of which has been discussed. There are powders for your home that work to kill the fleas without the harmful affects of flea bombs. I found this link it may be of some use. http/store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/Pest..._DFLEASTOP.html

Otherwise from what i read up on flea bombs and other peoples experience. It is recomended to cover the tanks... And cover them well. I dont know how long the bomb stays in the house but from what ive read online people have stated that the pesticides do remain in there fish tank gravel and it has become a problem. Although i have seen most peoples response to this has been cover the tanks and it appears things have been fine.

I would hate to say that this is all going to work and then none of it does and there be a serious fish catastrophy. I would recomend more research. I will continue to look into this until i find either a product that wont harm fish reguardless of whether the tank is covered or not, or another way to go about doing this. Good Luck! I will let you know what i turn up.

 

[kj23502]

Thanks colin. I know how to use it though. I think I may cheat a little bit. If I buy the 3 month supply for 89+lbs and divide that into 3 monthly doses using a needless medical syringe I can save a ton of $. I did the math and the amount in that divided by 3 is exactly what my dog needs.....whatcha all think of that?

Thanks soaup...we've NEVER ever had fleas before. My family has always had dogs and cats...even back before I was born (i'm 25 now). I've been reading a little and will continue to do so.

BTW, I never told the lady we had 1 flea, just that we had them.

 

[Colin_T]

I do a similar thing with my dogs when it comes to worming and flea treating them. I have to buy the big dog treatment because one of my dogs falls into the category. However, she only just falls into it so I use some of the treatment for the other dog. It saves me a fortune. I can't understand how the same medication for little dogs (2-10kg) is only a couple of dollars cheaper than the same stuff for a 50kg monster. That's something that really annoys me with the medical companies. Double the dose should mean double the price, not 1/5th the dose is 5% cheaper. Greedy buggars.

If you open the phial of treatment and divide it up the remaining unused portion needs to be sealed up airtight for storage otherwise it goes off. I would also just make two doses out of each phial. That way the dog will get plenty of the medication and all the fleas should be killed off. Some really hairy dogs actually need more than a similar sized animal with short hair.

The lady at the vets should have asked how bad the flea infestation was before suggesting bombing. I always recommended that as a last resort.

 

[Soaup]

BTW, I never told the lady we had 1 flea, just that we had them.

Well have you checked your dog for more then 1 flea? If your dog has more fleas then it definately will become a problem if they start to multiply. My friend had and outdoor cat and i went to his house recently withing minutes there were fleas on us when we were sitting on his couch, and thats how he discovered his cat had fleas lol.