How To Prevent Your Pets From Having Fleas

Fleas are one of the most common parasites plaguing the UK pets and pet lovers houses

. These small insects can be caught from anywhere and from anything, and once infected, they can be difficult to remove without causing owners hours of hassle. However, once people are educated on the life cycle and lifestyles of the common flea, it can be easy to ensure that the correct measures are taken to permanently rid your household of these pests.

It would surprise most people to learn that 95% of the fleas life is actually played out in the household and not on your pet. This is where many people fall at the first hurdle, as they spend a considerable amount on high end flea treatment to treat their pet, but then still see fleas emerging, with the treatment having no visible effect. This is because that the treatment will only kill the 5% of the fleas on your pet. It will also kill any new fleas that jump onto your pet for however long the treatment is designed to last for. However, there is still the problem of the flea eggs, larvae and pupae that are living in any fabric and carpets in the house that the infected pet has been into contact with.

At the same time as treating your pet, you should also ensure that reasonable measures are taken to treat your entire household. There are many veterinary strength sprays which can be used on all surfaces and have a lasting effect of up to 6 months. These will kill all of the eggs and larvae present in your environment. However, it is very important that treatment should be repeated, as household sprays will not kill pupae, as the cocoon prevents the spray from getting to the flea and having any effect. This is another reason that people will believe a treatment does not work, as they treat the pet and the environment, but then see new fleas appearing weeks later. This is because the pupae can lie dormant for up to 3 months. It is important to encourage these pupae to hatch as soon as possible, by hoovering the area regularly, and allowing your pet to move around in the infected space. This will allow the pupae to hatch, jump onto your pet, and be killed by any flea treatment on the pet.

To ensure that your flea treatment is effective, a good reliable brand such as Frontline or Effipro should be used, as many of the cheaper brands are not as potent to the fleas, and as they are weaker, the treatment needs to be repeated more regularly, effectively costing more in the long run. It is suggested that dogs are treated once every 8 weeks, and cats every 5 weeks, to ensure maximum effectiveness against any ticks and fleas. The household should be treated once every six months, to prevent any eggs from developing into adults.

As long as treatment is carried out correctly, then most owners will never have a problem with fleas, and they can ensure a happy, itch free life for their pets.

For a large variety of veterinary strength flea treatment for cats and dogs, and veterinary strength household spray, visit www.netpetshop.co.uk

How To Prevent Your Pets From Having Fleas

By: Jackie Sheppard

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