How to get rid of fleas

For the last three months, I have been at war. The fight has been Human versus Fleas, the battle has raged on and seems never-ending.

The invaders arrived over three months ago when I notice that my five-year-old Cockapoo had started to bite the base of her tail. It was not continuous, but as she is not a regular scratcher/biter, I had a feeling that something was amiss. I did a full search and found evidence of flea dirt in the place that she had been biting.

We are on a “healthy pet” plan with our vets, so she gets a monthly spot-on treatment. The discovery happened just a day or two after her regular treatment, so I was not overly worried and thought that the treatment would take care of the problem. This was my greatest mistake. Within a few days the problem became more noticeable, and my poor Dixie quite a few intruders of the flea persuasion.

For those that are not familiar with the Cockapoo, they are a wonderful crossbreed – some call them a designer breed. They have Cocker Spaniel and Poodle lineage, and they have the thickest, most glorious teddy-bear fur. Some can be straight, some can be wavy, and some can be curly. Dixie has large, beautiful curls and is so fluffy that it is barely possible to see down to her skin. So, imagine the horror in discovering actual fleas running amok in her luscious locks.

Life for me became an obsession of seeking out these little monsters, picking them out and annihilating them. This is not quite as easy as it sounds. If you are lucky enough to pick one out between your thumb and forefinger, you should not attempt to look between your pinched fingers to see if the blighter is still there. The minute you look, it is gone. Jumped. Free to maraud amongst your carpets and soft furnishing.

We treated the carpets, furniture, dog bedding, blankets. Everything. We used sprays, powders, vacuumed, washed, steamed. Over and over again. The cycle seemed never-ending. And it is! As I said, it’s on ongoing war with wins and losses along the way. So, here is my guide to dealing with these nasty little invaders.

Acceptance

If your pet has fleas, then you must accept that your house has fleas. Fleas are all over the world. They live outdoors in wet, warm places. They can be in grasses, woodpiles, plants, anywhere. Your pet only needs to brush by these areas, and an opportunistic flea can hop and start living the high life. Once they have made themselves comfortable, they will start to feed off the pet’s blood (this is what makes them itchy), and then the battle commences. As soon as a female flea has had her first blood meal, she can start laying eggs. She can lay anywhere between 20 and 50 per day. The eggs aren’t very sticky, and some will drop off wherever your pet walks, sits, and sleeps. If the environmental conditions are right, the flea eggs will begin hatching within a couple of days, up to 21 days. First, grubs hatch and feed on the poo of adult fleas. Within two weeks it turns into a cocoon. And it is this stage that is the most problematic. The cocoon hatches within a couple of weeks, or it remains dormant waiting for the right conditions. It can remain this way for a year. When it does emerge from its cocoon, it is an adult flea and the cycle starts all over again.

So, if your pet has fleas, you must accept that your home has fleas and has the potential to have a significant infestation.

Treating Your Pet

If your home is the battleground, your pet is the key to winning the battle. Modern spot-on flea treatments claim to be enough to ensure that your home gets treated along with your pet. The premise here is that you put the medication on your pet, and as they naturally shed fur and dander, the home becomes treated. There is some truth in this, but it’s not as effective as you may hope. Treating your pet is like dangling a poisoned carrot in front of the fleas. You want the adult fleas in the house to jump on Fido because Fido is newly loaded with an insecticide that will kill the flea as soon as it takes a tasty bite. So, whilst you may see a few fleas on your pet within a couple of days of treating him/her with a spot-on insecticide, they will be short-lived.

Other methods of treatment include:

Flea collars – both insecticide, and insecticide-free. These work in the same way as the spot-on treatment. The chemicals in the collar spread over the coat and skin of the animal, and fleas that subsequently try to take a meal will die.

Flea Shampoos – These are instant death to some fleas. I use the word “some” loosely. We tried a flea shampoo and found it partially effective - we saw maybe three fleas drowning in the bath afterwards. It also removed flea dirt, so thus removing lunch for any grubs living in the fur. However, it did not kill all fleas and by using a flea shampoo we then delayed the possibility of using a spot-on treatment for 7 days. I would recommend flea shampoo for any heavy infestations, and then follow up with another method when your vet says that it is safe to do so.

Treating Your Home

The next essential treatment is your home, and this is the toughest and most time-consuming part of the war. Everything that your pet has sat on or slept on needs to be treated.

Vacuuming

Your vacuum cleaner is your best friend. Vacuuming regularly will ensure that any adult fleas on your carpets and flooring will be removed. The act of vacuuming also disturbs any eggs and cocoons hiding at the very roots of the carpet pile, or in the cracks in wooden and laminate/tile floors. The vibrations cause them to hatch – this is something you want! The adult fleas can then be vacuumed up next time. Therefore, vacuuming at least once a day is essential. Twice a day is preferred.

However, being the wily little critters that they are, they will find a way out of the vacuum bag if not careful. There are a few tips that may help:

Buy a flea collar and put this in the bag of the vacuum cleaner.

Alternatively, some of the shake on flea powder can be vacuumed up (we found this to be most effective).

Discard the bag when used and put it straight outside tied up in a bin bag.

Washing

Fleas cannot survive a washing cycle of 60 degrees Celsius and above. Everything that can be washed should be. Blankets, pet bedding, your bedding if the pet enjoys lying on your bed, and clothing that has been sitting around (if like me, you have an ironing basket and the clothes remain in it until ironed… bad news, they all need washing). I prefer to wash pet bedding at 90 degrees Celsius, which is the hottest cycle that my washer does.

If you can, it’s worth considering purchasing or hiring a steamer and steaming any carpets. The heat will kill a lot of fleas and even eggs. But may cause any remaining eggs to hatch and then be vacuumed.

Sprays

If you have carpets, then treat them with flea spray. This can be purchased from most pet shops, some supermarkets, and also from your Vets, as well as many, many online sources. Ensure all pets and children are well out of the way, and spray liberally on carpets, soft furnishings. Do this after vacuuming, so you are giving the chemicals a chance to dry first.

Powders

Just like spray, this is designed for treating carpets and flooring. Simply sprinkle it on, leave it a while, then vacuum it back up. As mentioned earlier, this is a good method for treating your vacuum cleaner.

Insecticide-Free Methods

I know that many people prefer not to use insecticides in their homes, or on their pets. We were unable to control the issue without the sprays and spot-on, but I appreciate that it is not acceptable to everyone. So here are a few things that you can try or use in addition to the chemical methods.

Diatomaceous Earth

This fine substance is a naturally occurring substance like silica. It works by dehydrating the bodies of insects, thus causing them to die. This can be liberally sprinkled on to carpets where the infestation is and left for several days before being vacuumed up. Just beware to keep pets and children away from it whilst it does its thing.

Salt and/or Baking Soda

These work like diatomaceous earth and cause the body of the fleas to be dehydrated. It can be sprinkled on carpets and rubbed into the fur of pets. In desperation one evening I rubbed Sodium Bicarb on to Dixie’s rump. I had put a white bedsheet over her bed so I could see any of the blighters. Surely enough the next morning there were a couple of dying fleas on the white sheet. I would not recommend this as a long-term solution as I worried about the drying effect on her skin.

Sea Water

There’s anecdotal evidence to suggest that dogs who frequently swim in the sea get fewer flea infestations. Living in Birmingham, we are as far away from the sea as you can get in the UK, but we did take a day trip simply so that Dixie could go for a swim. Lucky for us she loves a paddle, so was more than willing to spend half an hour splashing about. On the drive home I plucked out around 4 dying fleas… so there may be something in this! Sadly, we are on lockdown again and there is no chance of repeating this for a while.

Herbal and other preparations

Some many herbs and oils are effective against fleas. However, many essential oils are toxic to dogs, therefore you will not want to use these around your pet.

We tried Rosemary water. Simply boil fresh rosemary in a pan for at least half an hour. Then turn the pan off and let the rosemary steep for a few hours. When cold pour into a spray bottle and use liberally on your pet. This acts as a natural flea repellent.

Apple Cider vinegar can also be used in a 50/50 spray mixed with water. Although we have yet to find this effective.

Repetition

You have gone one round with human versus fleas, and you seem to have won the first battle. Do not let this lull you into a false sense of security. When the spot-on treatment has run its course, they will be back. So, keep vacuuming, keep spraying your soft furnishings, keep washing everything, look for signs of flea dirt on your pet, look for unusual scratching or biting, stay one step ahead of the little buggers. You will win the war, but not without hard work and perseverance!