It is May already and officially Spring has finally sprung? But unfortunately, each warm day, brings the dreaded fleas.... and ticks as well. In next month's blog I will tell you about ticks, how to deal with them and prevent them latching onto your dog. But for now, let's focus on fleas. I know Ive written about it before but flea time comes around regularly in warm weather.
How do I know that its flea time? I saw some dogs in the park having a good old banjo playing session! That made me rush home and apply Frontline on my own dog, Candy.
It really must be awful for dogs with flea infestations. Can you imagine how it feels to constantly have bugs crawling across your skin? And to top it off, many dogs are allergic and break out from the flea bites, which can cause stomach upsets, worms and other problems. That is not good news, especially when you consider that just one little flea can lead to a full infestation in 1 week.
Let me explain the flea life cycle and how just one flea on your dog or in your home can multiply into as many as 5,000 in just 30 days. Eueeew! just makes me itchy thinking about it.
Fleas hatch into their life cycle when the temperature is above 70°F and the humidity is high (70%). The breeding cycle gets into full swing when temperatures reach between 70°F and 85°F. An adult flea can lay 15 to 20 eggs in a day. These eggs, develop into larvae. These larvae then develop into pupae and in 14 days turn into adults. The adults continue to breed rapidly, while the first generation lays yet another group of eggs. Before you know it, there are thousands of fleas jumping around, just waiting to feast on you and your pet.
So now you know: One flea in your home can become a full infestation. Imagine fleas on your dog, in your carpets, sofas, clothing, and even your bed in just 30 days. Yuck!
One of the surest ways to protect your dog is to treat them with a flea and tick prevention medication and that means weekly applications of Frontline, Advantage and any other topical medicine on offer.
Tip: I give my dogs a garlic pill or Brewer's yeast twice a day in their food (available from Boots or Holland and Barratt) for two weeks. This makes their skin repellent to fleas, who then jump off in disgust into your carpets or floor edging, just waiting for any passing warm blooded body that could be you or another dog.
A dunking in the bath is quite effective as long as your dog enjoys a bath like this dog, who is obviously enjoying its relaxation in its doggy spa.
Best tip of all, is to give your dog a good shampoo under a really strong shower jet. I did this with my dog and found 5 fleas were lying spread eagled on the shower floor and all the black nits got zapped off down the drain.
Its a good idea to stock up on Bob Martin's Home Flea Spray. As a preventative I spray along the edge of the rooms, along the floorboards and in the middle and sides of carpeted stairs. It seems to keep them at bay. I also shake out all blankets and beds, place them in the hot sunshine and spray those with the Bob Martin's Flea Spray.
Tip for insurance, I run lavender oil along the dog's back every few days.
I defy any flea to survive such an onslaught of prevention. Happy itching!
This 'n that ..........
Did you know that a Dogs’ sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human’s so be careful about saying hurtful things about your dog!
That's it for this month. Have an enjoyable May doing whatever it is you plan to do.
Dawn ("-")
