Fleas in the house

fleas are really a... PITA.  can I say that here?

what kind of flea treatment did she have?  If it was something like frontline, then the fleas on you might be dead or dying and not really anything to be concerned about.  Did you treat all the animals or just her?  You would need to treat all of them in order to really control the fleas.

I am not a fan of flea control products, necessarily, but then again, I don't have a yard and that makes a difference I think.  I have frontline in the house and I apply it if we will be going camping or around a lot of other dogs, but I don't use it every month.  In fact, I have maybe used it twice this year and it was months ago, and nary a flea has been seen.

Yes, flea bombing really works, but it can leave some dangerous chemicals around.  If you're going to do that, then be prepared to go over every surface and clean it up again, and be prepared to be gone for the day. 

Blah blah blah..

Ya we used frontline a couple of weeks ago and the cat had it about a week later (the shipment was late). I know if we flea bomb we have to cover all counters and make sure the cupboards are closed tight. I'd probably just re-wash my dishes & what not. These fleas were very much alive. They could be dieing but I don't want to sit here and wait to find out then end up with hundreds of fleas...yuck

Sometimes when the animal is unattractive to the fleas then they will jump on people. OR you have had eggs laid and you were the first warm-blooded thing happening by.

Flea-bombing works BUT you have to coordinate everything together.  You have to get rid of ALL fleas on that one day, and then you have to treat a week later. 

That means:

1.  Bomb the house with a superior bomb -- not a cheapie and DO get something with an 'egg inhibitor'.  Make sure your bombs are close enough together and that there is a penetrating spray to it.

That means you open all cupboard doors and drawers (yes, it means you have to put ALL foodstuffs in plastic and seal, you have to wash ALL dishes, pots & pans, flatware, etc. before it's used - WORK!! big time!) so the fog can penetrate.  Fleas can crawl into concrete even so you have to open up doors, nooks and crannys so it kills everything

2.  You and all animals (even fish) have to leave for at least 3 hours after the bombing -- then you have to go back and open up the house for several hours and THEN re-enter the house and vacuum and clean floors

3.  At the same time you have to do the OUTSIDE of the house -- spray not just the lawn but the foundation of the house -- like I said fleas will hide in concrete/stucco and you gotta get rid of everything on the same day or it won't work.

4. Usually while this is all going on, either take the animals to be groomed so THEY can be de-flea'd (Capstar works great but it's just a one-day thing) or go somewhere you can do that. 

In other words if you leave the animals undone or the outside undone, there are eggs in both of those places that will simply jump on and start the cycle all over again.

It's big, nasty, strenuous work and very difficult to do alone.

yes, yes i forgot about the miracle of capstar!  how could I??

I do promise you, though, if used properly, Frontline will kill those fleas and the ones you saw are likely dying.  You don't normally see healthy fleas unless you have a VERY severe infestation... *edit to add* According to the Frontline reps, if you had an infestation and ALL you did was use Frontline to control it- no bombs, etc- then it would take you about 4 months to get up to speed.  I would choose the quicker option, but it can be done.

As always, Callie's post took my info to the next level

I'm not sure if there were fleas in the house before we used Frontline on Lily. I just noticed her itching a lot one day and gave her the treatment. I'm crossing my fingers for dieing fleas. I've only noticed them in the living room and it's the only carpeted room in the house. Would a flea powder that you vacuume up work do you think? Just to hopefully kill the fleas faster? I know they're probably lurking in other rooms but the rug seems like the hardest place to get rid of them.

POwer ususally is pretty ineffective -- the big deal is to get something that's an egg inhibitor down.  That is a chemical that prevents the baby flea from developing the hard outer shell and without that they die before they can reproduce again.  Most powders don't have that (they may kill but leave the eggs behind).

Frontline usually isn't something that makes a dog 'unattractive' to fleas -- they walk thru it and die (it stays in the hair follicles and skin pores).  Other things - like Revolution and BioSpot and ProMeris - sink thru the skin to lodge in the bloodstream, making the blood toxic to the flea.  THAT stays in the blood longer term (how long can be the worrying point).  BUT with those the flea has to *bite* the dog to die.

Sprays like Adams, Zodiac, etc. -- those can actually make the dog "unattractive" particularly -- the fleas don't jump on as readily and will often attack the humans and other warm-blooded creatures.

 When I thought  had a flea problem developing I used Nature's Guardian home spray (got it at Walmart) - it's safe around kids and pets and makes your house smell like a very big spice cookie for a while, but there's no nasty chemicals - it's all essential oils.  The spray works on fleas and ticks, but I've also had success with it on fire and sugar ants and roaches, and it works without causing me as much issue as traditional products (I get a bit light headed w/ the NG, but get massive headaches and nausea with the major chemical sprays).

If you're actually seeing and able to kill the fleas, they are dying - healthy fleas move too fast for most people to catch and squish them - though if I do see dying fleas then I keep inspecting the dogs until I'm sure they are flea free and/or apply another dose if it's far enough apart from the original.

Frontline does aid in the environment via shed hairs from your treated pets - one more reason to not vacuum. ;)  Of course there was a study a while back that showed the act of vacuuming did kill fleas, so you'd be wise either way.

 I went into a flea panic when I saw one on Bugsy back in July and learned that Mulepower 20 (or something to that effect) is really good at drying any eggs etc in the carpets.  Safe and easy - just sprinkle it about and vaccum it up.

I'm with Callie, if the fleas are already off the dog that means there's definitely an egg infestation.  The eggs cannot really be "killed", only dried or have their life cycle interrupted so they won't ever hatch.  When we had fleas I tried a few home remedies and they did NOT work.  Many home remedies will get fleas off a dog but do not kill the fleas, much less the eggs.  I would recommend saving your money and time and just getting a product designed to interrupt the life cycle.  It needs to contain an Insect Growth Regulator such as nylar.  I used a spray I got at the vet and a carpet powder I found at the grocery store.  Both were inexpensive.  I did not use a "bomb" b/c we have gas heat and stove and I don't know how to kill the pilots.  The nice thing about these products is that they protect the house against further infestations, up to a year.

The spray I used around the baseboards of hard floors and on furniture.  The powder I sprinkled on all the carpets and rugs and then pushed it in with a broom, let it sit for several hours, and vacuumed it up.  To stay proactive, vacuum frequently and keep a little of the powder, or a flea collar, in the vacuum canister.

To kill adult fleas on the dog you need Capstar.  Using dish soap or flea shampoos only stuns the flea so you can brush them off, but does not kill them.  They are dang hard to kill!  I pinched one between my fingernails and it STILL jumped a few feet in the air!  When I found them and caught them I dropped them in bleach water to kill them.  I gave my dog Capstar for two days and they were gone.  Don't use more Frontline if you already did.  Just keep up with it again for the next few months to ward off any residual fleas.