cathrynhintz asked 6 years ago
I have been dealing with Fleas now for almost 2 months. The first time I dealt with them i was very naive on the topic. I gave my dog capstar, a regular bath, and then in the morning put frontline on him. I also have a roommate that has two dogs and she did the same (her dogs are the ones that brought then in). We vacuumed everything washed everything. Then almost a month later found more fleas on my dog and noticed fleas jumping on me at home. Then i called the professionals in and that was about two weeks ago. I also put a seresto collar on my dog and have given him a flea bath along with organic spray stuff. Ive been vacuuming but also the dogs havent even been home for 2 weeks. Well today I had one jump on me and just looking at my dogs fur found one on him by his tail. Am i doing something wrong? Why are there still fleas on him? Should I worry? Or will they die once they jump on him? Im also wondering if I can give him that flea pill as well as the flea collar? Please help Im losing my patience!!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 6 years ago
cathrynhintz,
Sorry to hear about your flea troubles. Has the infestation diminished in the 2 months?
Infestations don’t end immediately after treatments. It takes at least 8 weeks for them to resolve completely. This is because 95-99% infestations are eggs, larvae, and pupae living the environment. They will continue to emerge and mature. If monthly pet treatments aren’t continued for 3-4 months, then the emerging fleas may find the untreated pet, and the infestation will continue to restart.
It sounds like you didn’t continue the Frontline treatments for multiple months, and instead switched treatments? Or maybe I read this wrong?
As mentioned, it usually takes infestations 8 weeks to end after treatment, but it can take longer. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s normal to see fleas until then. The immature stages will continue to mature and emerge and jump on the pets. It can take a few hours for pet treatments to kill the fleas, so it’s possible to see them on treated pets. However, they should die before they can lay eggs. So the current generation you are dealing with should be last.
I am not a licensed veterinary professional. So it would be best to ask your veterinarian if you should mix flea medications. However, the flea collar should be enough. The Capstar tablets kill fleas, but only work for 24-48 hours before a new pill is needed. The Seresto collar or Frontline Plus drops are better options for longer term control.
I hope this helps!
Adam
