Fleas, Please Help If You Can!

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

Hi All,

I have posted about this before but I will fill you in again! My husband and I have bought a house but it will not be ready until December so we had to move into a rental house for 6 months.

After living in this house for two days I noticed both my dogs scratching alot. I thought it was just from the grass but when I picked Bailey up I found his tummy absolutley covered in fleas!

The placed has now been professionally sprayed 4 times but it has not worked and the problem is just so bad that I have had to move my pups to my Parents In Laws for the moment. We both have bites all over us it is just so awful!!

My pups are on everything you could imagine! I wash their bedding everyday, they are bathed once a week, they are on advantage once a week and I vacuume twice a day!

Just wondering if anyone has ever come across this sort of problem before?

We have decided to give notice on the house because the problem is so bad, I just wondered if you have any suggestions as to what to do to make sure we don't take the fleas with us?

Thank you

Very tearful Mel........

[Red Mal]

Gosh, that sounds awful. I can't really give advice on the house as I've never had the problem, but with regard to the dogs, try giving them some garlic. Preferably raw/crushed, a little every day. Fleas hate the stuff and don't like sucking the blood from dogs that have garlic in their blood. You could give it in tablet form, but I personally find raw is more effective. As your dogs are at your MILs it should make it easier to treat them thoroughly with a flea spray (Frontline, if you have that there), so as not to carry them with you when you move, and continue with the garlic anyway.

Hope this helps

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 9, 2009 by cavNrott

[wagsalot]

Oh no what an awlful situation. Fleas are such buggers to get rid off.

If its a rental though Id be passing the problem onto the real estate.

Edited September 4, 2006 by wagsalot

[Tilly]

Start by flea bombing the house/garage and spraying the entire yard with Malawash. Also wash all the dogs bedding and dog in malawash (cheap and effective).

If the house is off the ground also spray under the house.

Then for the next few weeks spray regularly. When we had fleas bad (due to the cat being them in) - I would keep a spray bottle handy and spray the dogs areas daily.

You will need to spray frequently to stop the flea cycle.

Life Cycle of a Flea

The 4 stages of the life cycle of the cat flea are the egg, larva, pupa and adult phase. The length of the life cycle from egg to adult varies from 12 days to 4 months, and an adult flea lives up to 115 days. The length of the complete life cycle depends primarily on the temperature, humidity and availability of food.

Adult Fleas can live and breed on a dog. A female flea lays up to 20 to 40 eggs per day, producing several hundred eggs during her life. When separated from a host, adult fleas live only a few days. For nourishment, adult fleas feed on the host by frequently sucking blood from the dog. Fecal matter found on the dog in the form of pellets that appear as black specks slightly larger than flea eggs, is a byproduct of this feeding. These fecal pellets are made up mostly of partially digested blood that rapidly dissolve into a reddish fluid when dampened with water.

Flea Eggs appear to the naked eye as tiny, ovoid white specks which are laid on the dog and then drop off. A dog infested with fleas will leave behind a debris that looks like salt (eggs) and pepper (fecal Pellets) wherever it lies.

The flea larvae hatch out of flea eggs in 2-10 days. These larvae then feed on the fecal pellets and on any available food or organic debris. These larvae pass through two more larval stages which range in length from 1-2 weeks. Flea larvae do not actually live on the dog but in floor cracks, rugs or any damp areas frequented by the infested pet.

The third stage larvae spin a cocoon inside which they pupate (metamorphose) for 1-4 weeks. After development fleas will remain in the cocoon until stimulated to emerge. This period of inactivity can range from 1-140 days. When the adult fleas emerge from the cocoon, they seek out their host to feed and breed on, thus completing the flea life cycle.

[t-time]

:D

ADVANTIX & FIDO'S FLEA & TICK RINSE!! Spray it around the yard - wash the bedding in it or in Woolwash.

You've GOT to bomb the whole place and get rid of the bastards! Don't leave it to some obviously USELESS pest controller (geez - you would've thought they'd have gotten rid of them by now )

Do it all in one day - take the dogs to get washed at groomer with the Fido's, get the groomer to apply the Advantix after their bath when they are dry, while they are gone wash all their bedding, bomb the house all closed up with flea bombs, get a watering can, do every inch of the yard and under the house(?).

LEAVE for 3 days.

Come back. Vacuum entire house. Get out the watering can AGAIN and do every inch of the yard AGAIN!

Go and pick up your dogs.

Water the yard AGAIN 10 days later.

Reapply ADVANTIX after 14 days.

Forget the ADVANTAGE - it is obviously not working - try ADVANTIX plus the FIDO'S. Malawash will also work in the same capacity as the FIDO'S

(You haven't done it! I KNOW you haven't! :p Stop crying and DO IT, you poor thing )

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

Thanks for making me laugh instead of cry T-Time

I know you don't believe me but I have done it all I promise!!! (Except for the Advantix!)

I have been bombing the house weekly for the past 4 weeks!!

I have watered the entire yard including under the house with Fido's on a weekly basis!!! I even washed the wooden floors with Fido's

But I promise I shall start the whole process once again

I will follow your action plan Thanks for that!

I'm going to book the pups in to be clipped as well so hopefully the shorter coat will help a bit?

Thanks for all your help everyone...............

We are going to move out though because I honestly can't do this anymore and I can not see my pups like this, it breaks my heart to see them scratching all the time!

Mel

[t-time]

Glad I gave you a giggle!

I hope it all works out for you - sounds like moving is definitely the easier option

Poor bloody scratchy itchy thing!

[TangerineDream]

If the bombing hasn't worked, take to it also with the Mortein Flea and Egg killer spray - you may find that the eggs that are hatching after the bombing are now getting going - I have found in the past that bombing helped, but the Mortein Flea and Egg surface spray worked far better because it got them as they hatched out of the carpet and floor boards......

I had to move out of a property for 10 days because it was flea infested - and they used the Mortein Surface Spray and that was the end of the fleas....

[Australdi]

I don't have much to add to the good advice already given, except to advise everyone, that beware...vacuuming actually exacerbates the problem in the short term, as it stimulates the latent eggs to hatch! Most flea treatments only work on hatched fleas.....so each time you vacuum...a new untreated batch hatches!

I would recomend vacuuming first...then bombing!! a day or so later....should have Maxiumum collateral damage!!!

There used to be a fabulous spray called Ovitrol available from the vets years ago that stopped the eggs from hatching, but for some reason...it doesn't appear to be around anymore! & I haven't been able to find anything like it since!

before going to all the stress of moving...I'd try the induced hatching (vacuuming), then bombing raids a couple of times in quick succession (not giving the blighters time to lay more eggs! and see if that can break the cycle!

believe it or not...when my old boy was attacked en mass by fleas from a rental property too! (so I know what you're going through!....bloody cats!!! "joke" sort of.....) I used the el cheapo friskies flea treatment from the supermarket as an interim...& lo & behold withing seconds of application...the nasty critters began dropping off him....Literally!!!!! dead as door nails! Couldn't believe it could be that cheap & easy!...& from then on....with regular applications (once a month) never spotted a single flea on him again! (even when dogs that had fleas visited the house!)

good luck...I really empathise!

Aus.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Treating the environment is such a problem.

When you vacuum pop a small piece of flea collar into the vacuum cleaner bag

ADVANTIX, on the dogs, we have four shelties (fleas love those long coats) and a Birman and haven't seen a flea in 15 months.

I do sympathise though as fleas like me and am for ever being attacked when grooming/clipping other dogs.

PS Australdi, the flea collar in the vacuum cleaner bag kills the eggs

Edited September 4, 2006 by Hesapandabear

[Nadia]

Protect a Home spray is good, it kills adults fleas and larvae and sterilises the eggs. Good for inside the house and all doggy sleeping areas.

Raid flea killer plus works well inside as well.

I would definately ring the real estate NOW, explain the problem.

Clipping the dogs won't help the problem the fleas will still love em.

You need to treat everything on the same day, inside outside, upside down.

After you fix the fleas, don't forget to treat the dogs for Tapeworm!

[Australdi]

Nadia

That "protecta home" sounds like Ovitrol...where the heck do you find it? ..not that I have a flea prob now...but it never hurts to "be prepared!"

cheers

Aus

P.s....its the vibration of vacuuming that causes the hatchings...and I've noticed that even the strongest vacuum can't detach a clinging flea from shag-pile! grrrr! (close proximity of a glowing ciggie butt seems to make them curl up quick though! hahaha!)

I got so OCD at one time...I used to vacuum the dog (cream carpet, black dog)...BTW...he learned to enjoy it, the dirty old man! rofl!...but even this couldn't suck the dirty little bloodsuckers off! I'm a pacifist...But...I HATE FLEAS!!!!!

Aus

[persephone]

ermmm..what sort of fleas are they? this can make a HUGE difference in the treament you need!!!

Are the the large-ish very mobile hop-on-and-off,live in the coat- type about the size of the i ? or the very tiny,"stick-fast" all huddle in a group on bare skin-type about the size of a biggish full-stop? .

A lot of the treaments for the normal "dog flea" will NOT work for the stick-fast fleas.

I know..we have stick-fast ones here..they are very hard to keep under control.

https://transact.nt.gov.au/ebiz/dbird/TechP...0environment%22

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

Thanks for all your replies

persephone, we definately have the large hop on hop off ones not the stickfast ones.....thanks for the link, its pretty interesting as far as how long they live etc...

Australdi, I certainly did not know that vacumming can bring out hatching fleas!! Grrrr!!! Hmmm............maybe I should just torch the place!!

Nadia, I will try the protect a home spray! and yes the dogs have been treated for tapeworms (and others) as well.

Hesapandabear, I have been throwing out the vacuum bag everytime I vacuum so I will try the flea collar as well.

TangerineDream, I will try the Mortein! One of them has to work a little bit!!!

Thanks everyone for helping me get my head straight again and puttting together an action plan!! I kind of got overwhelmed by it all but will get back on track now!

Mel

[TangerineDream]

Eucalyptus disinfectant and hot water kills them too - I used to take great delight in picking them off the dog and dropping them into a bowl of hot water and disinfectant and watching them DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Made me feel like I was achieving something anyway

[Flaves]

WHen we moved into a rental in sydney and got a new kitten, she bought with her a PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When i turned her over to rub her tum she was COVERED but we only really noticed when we started to get bitten and were itching. We got a spray for the cat, something i will NEVER do again cause it was scary, she was foaming at the mouth and could hardly walk! I took her to a friends and bombed the house with the flea and egg bombs by mortein plus i got the flea spray.

We stripped all the beds and left the doonas and pillows in the room, had a bomb in each bedroom with the door closed, one in the lounge and kitchen areas adn one in the hall.

We came back and opened up the house for a few hours to air. THen wiped everything over and vacuumed.

We also sprayed the carpet with the spray.

We didn't have any fleas after that.

We didn't seem to have a problem outside and as the kitten was an inside kit and our dog, although outside was on flea preventatives we never noticed and issue.

[Australdi]

Eucalyptus disinfectant and hot water kills them too - I used to take great delight in picking them off the dog and dropping them into a bowl of hot water and disinfectant and watching them DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Made me feel like I was achieving something anyway :D

hehhee....I used to get the same sense of satisfaction out of catching them with my ciggie! ..and this is coming from someone who is arachnophobic, but still captures & releases spiders!!!

Aus

[Peachie]

Good advice about the flea treatments there, but i do have another comment.

We rent as well, and i am sure somewhere on the lease there was somethign about the landlord must provide rodent and pest free accomodation - or somethign to that effect. As in, NO INFESTATIONS. I would be taking it up with them, you shouldnt have to pay rent AND all the costs of the flea control items you are using - i would definately have it out with them - mabey a call to the rental bond board and explain the situation first may help - you will have all the information and relevent rulings first.

Good luck.

[Erny]

I would be moving out too.

So would I - on the basis of having to live in such a chemical saturated environment .... not to mention the fleas.

Don't get me wrong - I will use a spray here or there where required, and don't feel like the house is properly clean unless I use commercial cleaners , but this house must be absorbing and storing a lot of chemical and I wonder what fumes you continue to breath in, and what residue you would be frequently in contact with .... and what it would/could do long term?

But - if you are confident that the substances being used are of no ill affect (short or long term), I trust the landlord is wearing the cost of all this treatment, given that it seems the house was flea infested prior to your occupation of the home?