Even if the little pests have only been spotted on one pet, all cats and dogs in the house need to be flea treated (if they haven’t been already) or the problem won’t be fixed.
When considering preventative flea treatment after the home infestation has been resolved, it’s always best to flea treat your pet according to their lifestyle. For example, pets who go outdoors, especially in areas where other pets and wildlife such as hedgehogs, foxes or other animals can roam are at higher risk of picking up fleas (as well as intestinal worms and ticks) than those who don’t. For more information, ask your vet what they’d recommend for your pet’s lifestyle.
And when choosing a flea treatment in future, it’s good to remember that some only kill fleas on pets, while others can also stop the eggs fleas lay from developing any further – and that will help avoid more infestations.
Seeing adult fleas unfortunately means there will be flea life stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) around the place, waiting to develop into new fleas.
So, it’s time to get busy with that vac wherever your pets go. Hard floors, furnishings, the car, carpets and rugs – they all need doing.
This does two things. The warmth and vibration will encourage new fleas to hatch out – they’ll then jump on a treated pet and be killed by the treatment. Plus, it vacuums up some of the flea life stages. Remember to empty the vacuum cleaner afterwards!
Flea eggs fall off a pet's coat wherever they go, especially in places where they lie or
sleep meaning these places will be infested with all flea life stages. If possible, wash these items at 60°C to help remove some of the problem.
The good news is a flea-treated pet is going to help resolve the infestation rather than make it worse. So, let them go wherever they usually do in the home. Fleas will hatch out and jump onto your pet, where they’ll be killed quickly by the flea treatment on them – within 24 hours if you’re using FRONTLINE PLUS® or FRONTLINE® SPOT ON, or within 6 hours with FRONTLINE TRI-ACT® for dogs. This may be why in a flea infestation situation, you could see fleas on your pet even after they’ve been treated – you’re spotting the new flea arrivals before they die.
Sprays like FRONTLINE HOMEGARD® can be used throughout the home, on non-washable furniture such as carpets and home textiles to help kill fleas, eggs and larvae found there and get on top of a home infestation even faster. Household sprays should never be used on pets. Remember to spray hard to reach areas such as under sofas and furniture, also don’t forget to treat inside the vacuum and the car (if pets have ever visited there).
Taking these steps helps fight a flea infestation faster, but it takes time for an infestation to reduce as we have to wait for all the flea pupae to develop into new fleas before the infestation is over. This can take three months or sometimes longer, depending on the heat and humidity, and the amount of CO2 and vibrations from us and our pets. Remember, due to their tough protective cocoon, no chemical can kill flea pupae.
It’s also important to know that an infestation can seem to get worse before it gets better. That’s because the flea life stages already in the home are developing and hatching out. Don’t lose faith – if your pet is treated according to their lifestyle and you’ve sprayed your home, the infestation will be on its way out.
Take your dog’s parasite protection to the next level
FRONTLINE TRI-ACT® has a unique formula that kills faster1 and repels more2 disease- carrying parasites than the next leading competitor brand.
1 Compared to next leading non-prescription competitor brand and when used monthly.
2 Compared to next leading non-prescription competitor brand with repellent activity.
Taking these steps helps fight a flea infestation faster, but it takes time for an infestation to tail off as we have to wait for all the flea pupae to develop into new fleas before the infestation is over (no chemical can kill flea pupae). This can take three months or sometimes longer, depending on the heat and humidity, and the amount of CO2 and vibrations from us and our pets.
It’s also important to know that an infestation can seem to get worse before it gets better. That’s because the flea life stages already in the home are developing and hatching out. Don’t lose faith – if your pet is regularly treated and you’ve sprayed your home, the infestation will be on its way out.
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