Beanietoes Q&A – how to keep fleas off dogs!

Once your dog has fleas it can quickly become a lengthy and tiresome battle to be rid of them! With fleas the best offense is a good defense. By that we mean, don't let them in the house to start with! In this article we're going to cover some excellent ways that you can keep fleas off your dog and out of your house, but let's start with the basics.
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Q: How to keep fleas off dogs? Once your dog has fleas it can quickly become a lengthy and tiresome battle to be rid of them! With fleas the best offense is a good defense. By that we mean, don’t let them in the house to start with! In this article we’re going to cover some excellent ways that you can keep fleas off your dog and out of your house, but let’s start with the basics.

Q: How to keep fleas off dogs?

Fleas need blood in order to reproduce. Once they’ve fed they will begin laying eggs very quickly. The best way to keep fleas off dogs is by having something present on the dog that fleas don’t like. While there are many home remedies such as putting garlic in their water or using apple cider vinegar, in many cases the effectiveness of these methods is iffy. While they certainly won’t hurt, they’re not very good to rely on.

The problem with these methods is that they are meant to “repel” fleas, but they don’t always work. By using these methods you are taking a risk, and it may even allow fleas to become established in your dog’s fur and begin breeding. Once that happens none of these methods will help you, because they do not kill fleas. The fleas dislike these items, but they can tolerate them.

How do you choose a good flea treatment?

is seresto better than other treatments

There are lots of flea treatments on the market, but not all of them are created equally. Some very effective products are actually a one use type of deal. While they will kill the fleas currently on your dog, they will not prevent new parasites from taking up residence. Instead, you should look for a preventative treatment which will work for a number of months and make sure to religiously change it. This is especially true if you live out in the country where they don’t spray, as there will likely be larger concentrations of fleas and ticks here. If you really want to know how to keep fleas off dogs, then start with a good prevention plan!

One of the best products for this is the Seresto flea collars. These products are formulated to be very effective for not only keeping fleas off of your dog but also killing them if they do try to take up residence. These collars work by slowly releasing a low dosage of flea killer over a 9 month period. This substance ends up on your dog’s fur, which keeps the fleas from being able to live on them and feed. This means that if fleas do manage to get on to your dog they won’t live very long. This is an excellent solution for most pets, and it’s much easier than topical solutions which can be difficult to apply to dogs who have thick fur. Here’s our in depth review of this product if you’d like to know everything you need to know about them.

How do you keep fleas out of the house?

How to keep fleas off dogs for good? Get them out of the house! If you have already had fleas, it’s important to treat your house as well. Otherwise the human occupants of your home could soon start itching when the fleas who can no longer feed on your dog get desperate! It’s also a good idea to treat your home, because it keeps your dog from getting re-infested. This way if you forget to change out your flea collars toward the end of their life you won’t suddenly have a large flea problem in your house.

When treating your home you should make sure to spray any areas where fleas could hide. While most of the time this is the carpets, there are other areas they can be hiding out as well. Make sure to treat furniture, drapes, carpets, rugs, ect. You should also make sure that you get underneath the furniture, as to make sure you’re not accidentally creating a safe space for these parasites to hide. It’s also a good idea to spray around doorways or windows to discourage rouge fleas and ticks from trying to jump in when you have the door open.

A great product for this is Flea Bully. This is an industrial strength flea and tick killer which can be used to treat homes that have experienced flea and tick infestations, or if you just want a little extra insurance to prevent these creepy crawlies from living in your home. Flea Bully is a great choice, because it’s also safe to use around pets and children, so you don’t need to worry about any of the members of your household getting sick from this product. It also doesn’t leave that typical foul chemical smell that found in other sprays, and you don’t have to worry about it staining anything.

 

How can you keep fleas out of your yard?

If you live in an area that is prone to having horrible flea and tick infestations, then you can of course take some preventative measures outside your home as well. Part of this prevention starts with keeping your yard well kept. Make sure to mow your grass short and to trim back plants away from your home. Fleas and ticks love to hide in tall grass, waiting to jump on people or pups who get close enough, and this is a good way to make your yard look less inviting.

However, there are also many high-quality and all natural yard sprays that you can use. One of the very best products for this is cedarcide. It’s a powerful yard spray that kills many common pest insects like fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, but it’s not harmful to mammals. That’s because the active ingredient is cedar oil, which is harmful to these bugs, but not to your kids, dogs or cats! Also, because of the way it works, it doesn’t even hurt beneficial insects like bees or butterflies, because their bodies don’t work the same way as the problem insects. How cool! You can check out this product here, it’s a cost effective and all natural way to keep your yard flea free. The product has a handy applicator that screws on to your garden hose for easy, no mess application too.

Fleas can be dangerous to you and your dogs!

Besides just being annoying and making your poor dog itch, fleas and ticks can actually be dangerous. These pests can carry diseases that can impact the health of both dogs and humans. Lyme disease is a common problem from ticks, and it’s nothing to mess around with.

However, did you know that fleas can also carry worms? Fleas can actually carry tape worm eggs in their stomach, and if your pup eats one of these bugs while grooming himself he can become infested with worms. A tape worm quickly robs your dog of precious nutrients, and it can make him quite ill if it’s not taken care of. These worms can even be passed on to humans in the house, with children being particularly at risk. That’s why it’s important to have a flea prevention regiment in your household.

Michelle Rei
Michelle Rei
Michelle is a pet parent turned amateur pet product researcher. After adopting a fur baby with digestive issues caused by bad pet food, she's poured hundreds of hours into research to find the best of the best to help him and other pets live happier and healthier lives.
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