How to treat fleas!

Oh no! You found fleas on your pet!

The absolute WORST thing ever! Not only are those pesky little things super gross, your pets super itchy and uncomfortable and you feel bad for them. Not to mention the clean up is, well kind of a pain in ass. But if you don't want them to come back, then you gotta do it!

First off though, lets talk about fleas and everything you need to know about them!

Fleas are small flightless insects that survive as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by consuming blood, or hematophagy, from their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about 3 millimetres (1⁄8 inch) long, are usually brown, and have bodies that are "flattened" sideways or narrow, enabling them to move through their host's fur or feathers. They lack wings, but have strong claws preventing them from being dislodged, mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood, and hind legs extremely well adapted for jumping. They are able to leap a distance of some 50 times their body length, a feat second only to jumps made by another group of insects, the superfamily of froghoppers. Flea larvae are worm-like with no limbs; they have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris left on their host's skin.

Super gross.

A lot of the times you'll see black like debris throughout your pets fur. If you brush through with a flea comb and get a lot of that black debris you'll notice it turns red once you wipe it away. Well, the fleas suck blood and that black stuff is actually flea poop...even grosser.

Even though its all really gross, don't worry! Having fleas is gross, annoying and a headache but it's a fairly cheap and fixable problem! Treating the pet, and treating your home and done! And just make sure to continue to treat your pet and then you shouldn't have any issues in the future.

I made a list of flea preventions I and veterinarians would recommend and then one that is more affordable if your on a budget! Believe me, I know how expensive flea prevention can be.

I personally like getting my preventions through walmart petrx. I've found they just have the best prices compared to vet offices, chewy.com. Of course you should be able to get these preventions through any vet office or your own vet should have what they like best if they don't have one of these. I would be surprised if they didn't have at least ONE of them though.

Preventions from a veterinarian: RX required

1. Simparica Trio : for dogs only. Newest product out on the market and not only does it treat against fleas but also ticks and heartworms as well. Its your all in one. And in a delicious monthly chew your dog is sure to love! With how convenient it is, it does come with a higher price tag. Clocking in at roughly $25 a single dose making a 6 month supply $153. So if your looking for convince with an all in one chewable, simparica trio is your go to! A bit of caution though; it is NOT recommended for dogs with a history of seizures and also can't be given until 6 months old.

2. Simparica : for dogs only. They do have a cheaper version of simparica but it doesn't cover heartworms so you would have to pair it with a heartworm prevention. Still a delicious monthly chew and comes in around $16 for a single dose, and only $100 for 6 months. Same caution as trio and it's NOT recommended for dogs with a history of siezures, as well as can't take until 6 months old.

3. Credelio : for dogs and puppies. Newer product that I personally love. There isn't a warning for seizures and its safe to start at 8 weeks old. So great for puppies! Where as simparica can't be started until 6 months of age. Puppies are more prone to getting fleas from either mom or coming from the pound so its super important to start preventions early. Just like regular Simparica, Credelio only covers fleas and ticks. Credilo is best paired with a heartworm prevention called Interpector plus. Both made by the same company, Elanco, they recommend the products be used together. Both are a monthly chew that your dog will enjoy! I've used both in the past and my dogs take them like treats! Both are pretty affordable, interpector plus is roughly $10 for a single dose, making it only $50 for 6 months! Heartworm prevention is much more affordable because credelio comes in a little bit more at $19 a single dose so a little over $100 for 6 months. Remember if you have a puppy to buy single doses since it does go by weight and your puppy(unless a teacup breed) will more then likely outgrown a 6 month supply!

4. Nexgard : for dogs and puppies. Nexgard is a bit more expensive. Also only for flea and tick but safe to start at 8 weeks. It is a bit more expensive but its a really great product. Its been around for years so its a product a lot of veterinaries trust. Its around the same price as Simparica Trio mostly. $22 for a single dose and $118 for 6 months.

5. Sentinel : for dogs only. To be honest, this product is not one most veterinaries are going to carry. They definitely wouldn't say its a bad product but they will say its not the best product for fleas. Which is why most vet offices aren't going to carry it. But nonetheless its a great product because it does cover heartworms as well. It doesn't cover ticks though but its SUPER CHEAP! Only $60 for 6 months! It only comes in 6 month supply or 12 month supply so best for adult dogs. A yummy monthly chew like the others.

6. Revolution plus : can't for the kitties! Cats only. Now they do make a revolution for dogs too but this is a topical prevention. So most dog owners opted for the chewable preventions and do topicals for cats. Cause have you ever tried giving a cat a pill? Not fun. Not to mention, there really isn't to many products out there that are safe for cats. And work well too! Revolution plus is their newer version that came out 2 years ago. Its the same great product as revolution but it treats more parasites. They actually made the plus version a few bucks cheaper then the original version.

7. Lastly Bravecto : both cats and dogs. Bravecto is a chewable tablet for dogs and a topical solution for cats that last 3 months opposed to the one month the others last. Since it does last longer they do cost about $60 for just one tablet. But again, it does last 3 months.

Now remember all of those listed above all need a prescription from a veterinary or can only be purchased at a vets office. So that requires having a recent exam and most vets charge at least $50 for an exam. Which is why I like finding products that don't require a prescription. Unfortunately heartworm prevention can only be purchased with a prescription from a vet though. That requires a recent exam and a negative heartworm test.

Luckily though, a safe flea and tick topical solution can be purchased without a prescription for both cats and dogs!

For dogs: Effitix is a monthly topical solution that covers fleas and ticks. This product might be found at your veterinary offices, some vets like to carry products that non clients can purchase. But its most likely only going to be found online. Its also really affordable, only coming in 3 months supply but only $40!

For cats: Catego is a monthly topical solution that covers fleas and ticks. Just like effitix your vert might carry it as a cheaper nonrx prevention for non clients. I was only able to find it on chewy.com but still super affordable coming in 3 month supply at $34.

Both products I have used and they are both safe products. Remember they are topical preventions so apply to dry fur and do not give any baths or let them go swimming until it is dry. Which is usually within 24-48 hours.

Now that we talked preventions, lets talk the process of treating!

Flea treatment steps

1. Bathe

2. Prevent

3. Wash

4. Treat

Step one: Bathe

No matter how bad the fleas are it's always a good idea to give your dog a flea bath. And before you go and buy all these different types of flea shampoos, just grab dawn dish soap!

Best thing for flea baths! Make sure to lather em up really good and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off. What it does is suffocate the fleas and kills them. I like to then get a flea comb and start combing out the dead fleas.

Step two: prevent

Now once they are all clean and dry you want to prevent the fleas from coming back. If you had active fleas your going to want to use a really good prevention. Either one like Simparica or Credilo. If your going to use the topical prevention, Effitix, I would use capstar with that. You could even just use Capstar in general. Capstar is a 24 hour prevention but it starts working within 15 minutes after taking and it kills EVERYTHING. When working in the field we would have to give it to any dog that came into the office with fleas so they would infect any other pet coming in. For treating of fleas, I like to give capstar, give a bath, then give the monthly prevention.

Step Three: Wash

Now that you've taken care of the pets, you gotta take care of the house! Even with prevention, fleas can still be present. Even if they arent survining on your pet, most preventions only work once the flea has bitten the host. So your pet can still get the irration from the flea bite. Since the flea lost their host, your pet, most of the time they turn and start biting you! ew. So you gotta treat your house! First start by washing EVERYTHING! All the pets bedding. If they sleep in your bed, wash your bedding. If they get on the couch pillows, wash them. Pretty much every blanket or pillow.

Step Four: Treat

Now, while your in the process of washing everything you want to finish by treating the house. Get a good non toxic flea spray and spray all upholstery, let sit for 5-10 minutes then vacuum up. Do the same with the carpets as well. Even once the bedding is washed, spray all bedding as well. I like using a non toxic spray for this reason.

Optional: Treating your yard. You can hire a bug company to come out and treat your yard for even further protection!

Now, you should be flea free!!! Hooray!!! Remember to use prevention monthly to avoid active fleas!

Hope this is helpful for any pet parent stressed out by fleas. Always ask your veterinary if you have anymore questions! They are there for the best interest of your pet, I promise they aren't trying to steal your money!

Thanks guys!