Pets:
Remove Fleas
Give them a bath in dawn dish soap to suffocate and kill all the living fleas on them before applying any topical flea and tick medication. DO NOT use flea and tick shampoo, they do not work very well and you can easily over-medicate your pet or burn their skin. Let them dry fully before applying any flea and tick medication.
Treat Your Pet
After your pet is dry they need to have a high-quality flea and tick product, one you have bought from a veterinary office, applied to them every 28 days for at least three months. Most of the time there is very little else you can use in conjunction with a high-quality flea and tick medication. Ovitrol, a spray we have here in the clinic, is one of the only things that is safe to use and that can only be used once every two months.
Wash Pet’s Belongings
Wash all your pet’s bedding in hot water and put it into the dryer for at least an hour. After they have been dried put the items into a doubled garbage bag until you have treated the house for a second time. If it is not something you can wash, getting rid of it is probably your safest option. Take it out of your house, directly to the dumpster, in a doubled garbage bag.
Still Scratching?
Your pet may be allergic to fleas. If this is the case they may develop a rash over their body and be uncontrollably itchy. Even once you have treated them and your house they may continue to itch. They can easily itch off enough of their skin to cause a secondary infection or make themselves ill. If your pet is struggling to this extent, even though you have applied a high-quality flea and tick medication within the last 28 days and have followed all the other steps outlined here, it is time for a veterinarian to see them.
Home:
Siphotrol is what we use here in the clinic on an almost daily basis for flea issues. One canister will be enough for a 2000 square foot house twice. All you need is a light mist. You will want to spray it much more heavily than that, but you do not need to. Make sure you have some windows open for ventilation and that there are no birds or fish in your home. Start at one end of your home and spray everything you cannot wash. In between your mattress and your box spring, in your closets, all carpets/rug, the baseboards of every room, underneath chest of drawers, beds, bookcases, in-between your couch/couch cushions, etc.
As you spray bring the things you can wash with you. You technically only need to run things through the dryer at the hottest temperature for one hour. However, if it makes you feel more comfortable, you can wash and then dry them. After washing and drying, double bag the items in a garbage bag. Place the bags in an already treated room that is free Of carpeting and clutter. Leave them there until you have treated the house a second time. You can always lightly mist the outside of the second garbage bag to be on the safe side.
Once you’ve lightly misted the whole home, go back through and vacuum/sweep/mop everything you have sprayed. Then spray your vacuum cleaner/broom/mop.
Do it all again in 10-14 days. Do not wait longer than 14 days or you risk the cycle starting all over again.
Once you’ve treated your house twice, you may take the things you have dried out of the doubled garbage bag and use them again. Anything you used in the meantime wash and/or dry and keep in doubled garbage bags for two weeks before returning them to their normal place in your home.
MAKE SURE you apply a high-quality flea and tick medication every 28 days for at least three months AFTER your flea problem.
