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leeleemom
08-07-2009, 12:42 PM
OK so i have fleas in my house. I have a dog and 2 cats. I have used the premis spray in my entire house. I have treated all of the animals. The animals don't seem to be to bad now but the fleas just wont leave. The major problem I have is that they are biting my children! I have 3 kids....2 of whom are peppered with bites. And they keep scratching. One of my children developed and infection and a secondary infection! The dr gave us cream. So I have been giving them benedryl to help stop the itch...doesn't seem to be helping and neither does calomine lotion. I have been putting the cream on as told by the dr and putting peroxide on aas well to help them heal. but he continues to scratch at them and the scabs come off. I don't know what to do. I have read on the internet that eucalyptus and water will help deter the fleas. and wintergreen oil and water will kill the eggs. Has anyone tried this? Any other suggestions on how to get rid of these pests?? And any ideas on something i could use to help my kids stop scratching? Something natural or homemade...i have had enough chemicals!!

KAT
08-07-2009, 02:53 PM
I've been having the same issue, what we did was take BORAX powder and put it in the carpet's and let it sit for 8 hours and vacuum'ed it up, this actually dry's the outter layer of the fleas skin and kills them, we then sprayed the carpet again with the vet version of the flea spray.... then we took and put night lights in every room with SUNLIGHT dish soap (has to be the yellow stuff) underneath the night lights in white plates, the fleas jump right in at night. This helped us alot, the fleas were really bad this year and we still get the occasional bite...but its alot then before we started the process and were peppered with bites.

Hope this helps.

Kat

inuit
08-07-2009, 03:37 PM
For the itching you might try cutting an onion in half and rubbing it on the bites. I find this works really well for mosquito bites.The fleas are bad this year. I advantage my cats every 3 weeks now and before the third week is up they are digging at themselves.

momof2sweethearts
08-08-2009, 02:59 PM
I heard putting garlic in the pets water helps as the fleas do not like the smell. There is some sort of vitamin/pill that you can get with garlic in it that you put in their food and it does the same, I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the second ingredient but if you ask the person working in one of those vitamin stores they may be able to help. Fleas are bad this year, we have an indoor cat but they still manage to get outside sometimes and we always give her flea baths when she does.

FutureChief88
08-10-2009, 09:40 AM
Fumigation is $100 and guaranteed. I would just get that done. the same thing happened to me with my daughter a few years back.. and she was riddled with flea bites. Your never going to get rid of all of them with the pets there, and whatnot. If you even miss 1.. your back at it again.

I suggest fumigation.

j adams
08-10-2009, 05:27 PM
Go to a vet ask for real advantage it is the only cure that really works..It is expensive but it works awesome .We use nothing else we put it on our cats on sunday and you can litterly watch them falling off dying. you use it for 4 months 1 dose per animal per month till all adault fleas and eggs have hatched.you will notice the differance in a day.

nadia.m.
08-10-2009, 08:18 PM
I'm going through this right now with my indoor cats who have not been outside at all in years! Driving me nuts.

Question - do I need to bring my cats in to the vet to get the flea medication or can I just stop by and buy it without bringing them?

I work full-time and I would just be able to get there a lot faster if I don't have to take time off to go home, trick them into their cages, put peroxide on my wounds, and then go to the vet....

MrsBeasley
08-10-2009, 08:27 PM
I'm going through this right now with my indoor cats who have not been outside at all in years! Driving me nuts.

Question - do I need to bring my cats in to the vet to get the flea medication or can I just stop by and buy it without bringing them?

I work full-time and I would just be able to get there a lot faster if I don't have to take time off to go home, trick them into their cages, put peroxide on my wounds, and then go to the vet....

You don't have to take them, but you do need to know their weights to get the proper size product.

MrsBeasley
08-10-2009, 09:27 PM
Unfortunately in order to eradicatate fleas one must become familiar with their life cycle:

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/f/FAQ_fleacycle.htm

Paraphrased in a nutshell:

The adult flea uses the blood of the cat or dog to reproduce, they will bite humans but they cannot lay eggs from human blood. The adult flea lives on the animal and lays it's eggs there. The eggs however fall off in the environment (house). The female flea can lay up to 20,000 eggs in it's lifetime.

The eggs then hatch into the larva which lives in the environment living off of organic debris and flea feces (digested blood - the little black flecks you see in the pets fur), they then cocoon into the pupa stage where they can remain in this stage from a few days up to a year or more as they require the right conditions in order to hatch (humidity, temperature, carbon dioxide levels, motion...).

Flea larva do not like direct sunlight therefore they will not be concentrated in the center of your carpet in a sunny room, they will migrate to cooler dark shady areas such as around baseboards, under/in furniture and other cracks and crevices.

Most household fumigation products only have a "kill action" of two weeks therefore it is important to spray every two weeks until the problem is under control. You need only spray the areas mentioned above. Do not spray and then go on vacation for two weeks because this will change the living conditions and the pupa will not hatch until you come home, then.....whamo you have a big problem on your hands again!!!

Some products have the 2 week kill and then also have another ingredient a hormone called precur or methoprene which acts as "birth control" for fleas rendering any eggs that are laid as not viable therefore cutting off the cycle at the egg stage. These are usually household sprays, animal sprays, mousse etc.

Some products only act as birth control. The pet products Program and Intercepter act this way therefore they will not kill the adult fleas, but will cut the flea lifecycle at the egg stage. These products are best used BEFORE you get a problem as they will prevent the problem from getting out of hand. These products are edible products given internally to the pet.

Products such as Advantage, Advantage multi, Revolution, Advantix etc. are TOPICAL products put onto the skin of the pet once a month and are used to kill the adult fleas.

Animals that do have fleas it is also recommended to treat the animal for tapeworms as there is one species of tapeworm carried by the flea and your pet will ingest the flea through normal grooming and therefore develop a tapeworm.

Because the flea pupa can remain dormant for a year or more, it is recommended to keep treating for at least 12 months if you have a serious problem. If you stop at 2,3,4 months etc. You might be surprised later when you are having to repeat the whole process all over again.

If you don't have a flea problem then if you get whatever product you choose to use (they usually come in pkgs of 6) and begin treatment the first of May with the last taken the first of October. Your pet will be treated until the end of October (when the frost comes) and fleas should no longer be a problem.

Always use caution is choosing the right product!! I cannot stress this point enough!!!! Some products are EXTREMELY toxic to cats. Most products contain Permethrin and or Pyrethrin which comes from the Chrysanthemum plant, these ingredients are deadly to cats.

MrsBeasley
08-10-2009, 10:43 PM
Also a good point to mention.....Outdoors fleas like damp, cool, shady areas such as under piles of leaves and other organic debris. Therefore it's a good idea to keep piles of organic debris removed from your yard.

trinity
08-11-2009, 08:19 AM
I myself swear by Advantage. It seems as if fleas have gotten more prevalent lately. I have had cats for 35+ years but only in the last 10 did I start having fleas in the house. For years all we did was stick a Sargeant flea collar on all our cats and be done with it. Then about 1999-2000 it was a nonstop battle every month to get rid of them, even in the winter. I remember bathing 3 cats almost weekly sometimes, wow, they hated me. We had carpet in only 2 rooms; the living room, and 2/3 bedrooms were tile or hardwood. I still went through 3 or 4 large cans of Premise 2000, and at one point got so desperate "I" tried wearing flea collars on my ankles when I went to bed at night (don't try this, it did somewhat irritate my skin). I shampooed myself as well with flea shampoo. I finally gave in and bought some Advantage and since then, no fleas. Advantage takes care of the environment as well. I wouldn't bother with the stuff the pet store sells, it did not work for me.

inuit
08-11-2009, 09:56 AM
Yeah, I agree with you Trinity. I use advantage too. Even when I get fleas on the sofa, I put Advantage on the cats and the fleas are attacted to the cats more than me so they die after biting the cats. I am sooo allergic to flea bites. I try to get as few as possible. I always find Advantage cleans up the envorinment as well as the fleas. I haven't use a house spray or years to kill fleas, the advantage takes care of all o it. Just must be consistant with the advantage.

I tried garlic years ago but did not find it effective to keep fleas away.

trinity
08-11-2009, 10:29 AM
Oh, yes, I am allergic to flea DANDER, but oddly enough, not the bites. If there are flea eggs in the environment, I begin scratching and digging 2 weeks before the first flea shows itself.

leeleemom
08-11-2009, 03:54 PM
Thank You all for your suggestions! I had decided earlier today that I am going to get advantage. It sucks cause I have never had to before. I have always been able to get rid of them with the sprays before but not this time and my kids can't go through this anymore!

sjcanuck
08-18-2009, 11:15 AM
I treated my cat with advantage just last night and vaccuumed, sprayed the house, washed the linen, the whole 9 yards. My question is, how long before the little buggers are gone? My poor cat is going to be bald soon if they don't die soon.. and after changing my sheets and spraying the bed just before going to bed, I crawl in, and one jumps on my arm... I think he was mocking me... grrrrr....

So, I guess I just need to know how long before the advantage stuff kills the ones on the cat so she will stop spreading more through the house? I am so "flea ignorant" never had an outbreak before.... also, my cat is long hair, would it help her if I shaved her or something? I feel bad for the poor thing.. all twitchy and scratching...

MrsBeasley
08-18-2009, 11:29 AM
I treated my cat with advantage just last night and vaccuumed, sprayed the house, washed the linen, the whole 9 yards. My question is, how long before the little buggers are gone? My poor cat is going to be bald soon if they don't die soon.. and after changing my sheets and spraying the bed just before going to bed, I crawl in, and one jumps on my arm... I think he was mocking me... grrrrr....

So, I guess I just need to know how long before the advantage stuff kills the ones on the cat so she will stop spreading more through the house? I am so "flea ignorant" never had an outbreak before.... also, my cat is long hair, would it help her if I shaved her or something? I feel bad for the poor thing.. all twitchy and scratching...

I know it's awful to laugh at someone else's misery, but I just had to over this post lol.
All of the fleas that are currently ON the cat should be good and dead by the time 24 hours has passed.

Unfortunately (if you read my post above regarding the life cycle) it will take some time to rid the house of all the eggs, larva and pupa that are already present in the environment. That's why it's important to keep treating monthly for a while until you see absolutely no sighn of fleas or you'll end up right back at square one.

Good Luck!! :)

P.S. no need to shave kitty....lol fleas don't really care how long the hair is.

sjcanuck
08-18-2009, 11:46 AM
Thanks MrsBeasly...

I understand your laughing at me.. that is all I can do at this point... I will keep treating and hope for the best. I do swear that one in the bed was actually pointing and laughing at me....

MrsBeasley
08-18-2009, 12:23 PM
I can see the flea now.....snicker!!!

mybooboo
08-18-2009, 01:42 PM
Any guestimates on how much Advantage costs? I cant get rid of the buggers either and my poor dog is in misery!

MrsBeasley
08-18-2009, 01:46 PM
Depends on whether you want Regular in a four pack, six pack or Multi in a six pack. Price also varies with the size of your animal. Your veterinarian's office would be able to give you an exact price. But I'm venturing a guess anywhere from as low as $40 up to $100.

sjcanuck
08-18-2009, 02:01 PM
I just got some last night, now it was for my cat... but if you have a small dog, may be the same size as my large cat... the 4 pack for the larger size was $48 (and change). I got it at the vet on Rothesa Ave. The house spray I got at the pet store by Michaels, and it was (hold onto your hat.... ) $29.99 +tax....

sjcanuck
08-18-2009, 02:10 PM
The idea of putting the plate of water under a nightlight... does it have to be a clear/white plate or is that really irrelavent? I am all for the mass suicide idea... but want to make sure they know exactly where to jump... Don't want to risk them not jumping into the water and then have them organize a counter attack....