AAAARRRRGGGG Fleas

[NCbutIstillmightbeouted]

I am really hoping someone can help, we have had fleas for about 8 weeks. We have a cat and a dog (both less than a year) in that 8 weeks we have used beaphar on the dog, three treatments, and the cat beaphar on the cat, both have had baths (the cat was a nightmare) and had treatment that way. We have put new flea collars on them both. And have been combing them every night.

All bedding that is able to be taken off has been washed on a high temp. I have been hoovering daily. We have also used the shake and vac flea stuff. Also on a weekly basis the carpet cleaner gets pulled out and the whole house, plus sofas and things that can't be washed are done. (I have put a chopped up flea collar in the hoover, as that was reccommended)

Now I am getting desperate so have also moved on to natural remedies, such as cider vinegar in the drinking ball and I have even gone and covered both pets in orange rind, as I read that would help (It didn't) sofas have also been salted.

The bloody fleas are still here, and they aim for me everytime. So my legs and arms are bitten badly, the dog is very effected the cat doesn't seem to have as many, in fact when I combed him last night, I pulled maybe a few eggs but that was it, My poor dog however looked like he had had a new breakout of them.

Can anyone please suggest something before I shave the pets (and probably me) and set fire to my house

[Lettucesnow]

Have you tried a 'fogger'? You light it (I think) and leave it in an affected room.

Someone else may put me right.

They sell them at The Range pet department.

[BikeRunSki]

Get a man in. Seriously. Cost us about £65 for a 3 bed house, where all over the counter remedies had failed.

[violetwellies]

I bought a flea trap and a Sebo Pet vacuum, the flea trap was fun but fiddly, the Sebo sorted it. Bloody marvellous.
Did seem to spend a lot of time vacuuming tho

[violetwellies]

My friend has got to know Miles the flea man very well, he said her current home is too big and just use stuff from the vet.

[NCbutIstillmightbeouted]

We have the vets on Tuesday, so I am going to chat to them as well.

I was thinking a man but I need to make sure the pets are cleared as well. Otherwise we just go in a big circle.

I started the whole process again, wash the cat and the dog, hoover, wash floors, carpet cleaner. wash child and myself. Combed the cat and thought bloody brilliant nothing.

Just finished the dog and he has a good 20-30 on him that I have gotten off and that was just half of his body.

[financialwizard]

Apple Cider Vinegar also needs to be sprayed onto the dog/cat with a 50/50 solution of acv & water.

I sometimes spray my furniture with it but I find it can be very overpowering.

We feed raw so acv also goes in her food along with diatamaceous earth for worming.

[OliviaBlue]

My friend had this problem. He actually had it with a house cat. It was because they lived in an apartment block and the woman next door to him was neglecting her cat and it was lying on his door mat when it couldn't get into its own house. The fleas from it were brought into his house.

His cat ended up so bad it became anemic, so he went to the vet and they sold him some kind of expensive-ish spray with permethrin (don't know spelling) and something else. The cat needs to be treated, but the house needs to be treated at the same time and you need to get the spray in every little area. He told me the vet said it had to be repeated once a month for 3 months to ensure the death of any unhatched flea eggs.

They sound nasty though. I hope you et rid of them.

[pepperfish]

Hoping I can help - I'm a veterinary nurse.

First thing I would do is sling the flea collars in the bin, it won't do anything for the fleas OR the cats (many off-the-shelf collars contain permethrin which is actually toxic to cats, if used at an effective enough dose to kill any parasites, therefore the dose is so low it's usually ineffective. Same goes for the permethrin containing household spray - avoid avoid avoid).

Scrap the natural remedies too - all you'll do is stress the animals out (cats hate citrus!). Vinegar is only going to upset the skin, particularly if it is already sore from scratching and flea bites.

Finally, no more off the shelf products from the pet shop or supermarket. Go for a veterinary prescribed good quality flea drop containing imidaclopramid (advocate or advantage) and a wormer (tapeworm infestations are common with flea infestations) and get their advice on a decent household spray. You'll need to see your vet for this, and I promise it'll be worth the consultation charge and the drug costs. Ask the vet or nurse to apply the treatment for you, so you can be sure it's been applied correctly (I have seen many people just squeeze spot-on drops onto the hair - it won't work, it's needs to go directly onto skin).

Finally, treat all the animals on the same day, as well as the house. Don't let friends with animals visit you until until the problem is cleared.

Hot wash all bedding, sofa cushions, curtains.

Use any remaining house spray to spray out the Hoover and your car (should any fleas be lingering and re infecting the house via your clothes).

One month of treatment may not be enough so repeat the cycle. Consider keeping up with monthly treatments to avoid reinfection in the future. If you choose not to, at least aim for the months surrounding summer and towards the end of the year as you turn your central heating on.

Sorry that was quite a long post but I sincerely hope it helps you. Fleas are a total pain in the arse to get rid of and there are so many worthless treatments out there (as well as lots of poor advice doled out by badly trained pet shop staff!)

Good luck :-)