J.L. asks from Tulsa, OK on June 28, 2007
Flea's in the House
Ok, so a have a boxer, and noticed he had a flea on him a month ago. I treated him w/ frontline. His kennel, and himself are fine, my house is not. I started getting bites on my legs @ night, but never saw the fleas on Bruno, so did not think it was fleas. I was soo wrong. How do I get rid of them that will be heathly for the dog, and my son???
PS. the dog is an inside dog, but 2 of the 3 houses that surround my house have outside dogs.
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M.S. answers from Wichita on June 28, 2007
My mom used Borax, which she said was more safe. I can't remember how much, but I bet you could find directions online!
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D.T. answers from Tulsa on June 29, 2007
Have the carpets and furniture cleaned monthly for the next year, take all bed linens to be cleaned or wash them in hot water, and lots of soap, monthly.
For the back yard: spread powdered detergent around yard then each month afterward just do the edges of your yard. You can also get a sprayer for your hose and pour a full bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid in it and spray your lawn.
the soaps eat through their hard oil shell and they dehydrate.
If all else fails, you boy is old enough to tolerate calling Guarantee Exterminating.
B.E. answers from Oklahoma City on June 28, 2007
I have two cats, one of which is an indoor/outdoor cat. I was told to sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on the floor and let it set for a couple of minutes and then vacuum it up. Since I've been doing this, I haven't seen any signs of fleas. It's also a deodorizer and helps take any stink out of the carpet.
B.
B.S. answers from Kansas City on June 29, 2007
Once you get your home treated I would also recommend you treat your backyard. You can get the insect repellant granules that you just put in a spreader to distribute across the lawn. We have to do this because our home is also surrounded by outdoor dogs and ours is an indoor.
J.W. answers from Kansas City on November 05, 2007
I have used Seven Dust and that has seemed to help
S.S. answers from Springfield on June 29, 2007
We had a flea infestation in our house several years ago. Our vet recommended we stay away from anything that you can buy at Walmart type stores, as those have been on the market forever, and are not likely to take care of your problem (bugs become immune to bug sprays the same way bacteria become immune to anitbiotics). He recommended a brand called ADAMS, and we bought it at one of the local vet supply places. All-Pet on Chestnut, I think. We bombed our rooms with the cans. It worked WONDERFULLY! If all else fails, though, get an exterminator and also have him spray under any covered porches or decks you might have, too. Fleas really like dark places.
FYI: change your fleat treatment from year to year, too, for the same "immunity" reasons. That is what our Vet recommended.
S.
S.L. answers from Kansas City on June 28, 2007
I don't have carpet so I don't have a problem even with 4 cats and a dog. But I keep my cats inside and the dog only goes out to go potty. We use frontline too. When I did have carpet we shampooed the carpet a LOT.
I think the biggest helper is keeping the animals inside as much as humanly possible. Outside is just full of fleas, ticks, diseases, other pets they could fight with, cars to run them over etc. My animals are very happy inside.
S.
M.S. answers from Wichita on June 28, 2007
My mom used Borax, which she said was more safe. I can't remember how much, but I bet you could find directions online!
C.B. answers from Kansas City on June 28, 2007
We had a horrible problem with fleas last year, and it all started from a stray kitten that was injured and we brought it in the house. That totally started something horrible. What we did was we had an exterminator come to the house. I think it was about a hundred dollars but totally worth it. We took the dogs and cats to my mom's, they sat in the shade in their kennel and cat carriers. We used front line on them and there's a pill you can give them that makes all of the fleas on their body drop dead within thirty minutes of them taking it. So with the pill, front line, and the exterminator, we've been flea free for a year. Oh, and we stopped giving them front line after a couple of months and we haven't had any more problems. Good luck!
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