Sse_ asked 6 years ago
Hello and thank you for an awesome website!
I adopted a dog on the 13th of december, and a few hours after he came to my house I discovered that he had fleas. The day after I bought frontline plus, and applied it to the dog and my four cats. I have since then treated all of my animals on the 14th of january, and on the 14th of february. I also removed my cover and pillows and put them outside for about a week in freezing temperatures (I live in Sweden) and also my bed mattress, since the dog had slept in my bed.
During the first few weeks I vaccumed about twice a day, and I also vaccumed my bed. Now I vaccum about 3 times a week on the floors and floorcracks and also about once a week on my bed to make sure that any flea eggs will go away.
Do I have to change the vaccum bag after every time I vaccum?
It’s been over 2 months now since I saw the fleas. The day after I treated my dog I saw some dead ones on the bed, but only like 5 or 6 of them. The same night I saw the first one I used a fleabrush and picked about 20 fleas of him.
Do you think that the infestasion wasn’t that big? I’m worried about the fact that I haven’t found new fleas yet, since that would mean that the “old generation” of fleas has hatched and that the eggs are no longer in my house. Am I taking all of the correct actions?
And also, how long should I treat my animals with frontline plus?
Sorry for any grammar mistakes (english is not my first language)
Thank you!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 6 years ago
Sse_,
Sorry to hear about your flea problem.
It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. Plus, you caught the fleas early, and started treatment quickly. As a result, it sounds like you ended up with a mild infestation. The fleas wouldn’t have had much time to mate and lay eggs. Only a small amount eggs likely fell in your home in the short span of time before you bought and applied the pet treatments. So, there shouldn’t have been much of a new developing generation in your home, which is why you didn’t see many new adults emerging.
There was a study done showing that fleas can’t survive being vacuumed up (link here). You shouldn’t need to do anything further to sanitize the vacuum bag/canister. Still, some people claim their vacuum cleaner didn’t kill fleas. So, taking extra steps certainly can’t hurt.
Since you’ve already treated your pets for 3 months, it should be okay to stop treatments now. However, you can also opt to continue the treatments longer, just to be sure all the fleas are gone. Some pet owners keep their animals on seasonal or year-round flea control. Keep in mind, after maturing, adult fleas can stay quiescent (dormant-like) inside their cocoons for up to 5 months. So, be vigilant about checking your pets for fleas for at least another 2 months. It would be wise to invest in a flea comb, if you don’t already have one.
It may also be a good idea to spray your home with an insect growth regulator (IGR). The IGRs mimic natural insect hormones, and prevent eggs and larvae from reaching adulthood. The nice thing about IGRs is that they remain active for 7 months indoors, which is good for preventing re-infestation. I am not sure what products they have in Sweden, but look for the active ingredients pyriproxyfen (Nylar) or methoprene (Precor). You should be able to find premise sprays with one of these ingredients, or concentrates without any other chemicals.
I hope this helps.
Your English is better than most native speakers (probably better than me, as I am prone to typos)!
Warm regards,
Adam
