Megan asked 7 years ago
One more question! As I mentioned in my last post, my dog’s on Frontline (Gold, I believe), and was up-to-date with that treatment at the time of the onset of the flea infestation (I noticed flea dirt, and then eventually saw the fleas on her tummy). I’ve since treated my house (laundering, having the exterminator come) and have given her a CapStar pill twice over the past two weeks (on the advice of my vet, to rid her of any fleas she might have on her at the moment). I haven’t noticed any flea bites on me the past few days, and she seems to have stopped excessively itching; she hasn’t had flea dirt on her since I gave her another dose of Frontline (the vet said I could give her it 3 weeks after the last dose, so she got that dose the next day after I noticed the flea dirt, thankfully). She’s due for another dose of Frontline tomorrow (it’s been 30 days already, my, how the time flies), and I’m having the exterminator come one last time on Monday, due to the fact that I had flea bites after coming home from work on Wednesday (as I mentioned in the last post, I’ve since treated my work station with Raid and haven’t noticed any additional flea bites since then; I also haven’t noticed my dog going crazy on the scratching, so I’m assuming I didn’t transfer them back to the house from work). My mom is supposed to babysit my dog for me this Thursday/weekend, as I’m going out of town for a conference, and she’s freaking out, that I’ll transfer the fleas via my dog (or my person, though I can take myself out of the equation) to her house. I was planning on giving my dog another CapStar pill the day I hand her over to my mom, to kill any fleas that could possibly be on her before then. What do you think are the chances of fleas transferring on my dog to her house? And if my dog is treated, would any fleas that might be on her be viable–life-wise–once they left her body (is there a chance they wouldn’t eventually die/not be able to reproduce, due to the medication?)? Her concern is valid, but I don’t really have any other babysitting options at this point so I need help in making a convincing argument/placating her. Thanks so much again for your advice! -Megan
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Megan,
I am sorry for the delayed response, as a timely answer was needed due to your conference.
If the dog is properly treated, there shouldn’t be any risk of transferring fleas to your mom’s home.
The adulticide (fipronil in Frontline) on your dog should kill any adult fleas. And adult fleas only make 1-5% of infestations. Most of the infestation is eggs, larvae, and pupae developing in your home. As they mature and emerge as adults, they will jump onto your dog. This is why pet treatments are given for at least 3 months. All of the immature stages need to mature, emerge, and die before the infestation completely ends.
Plus, the Frontline has an IGR (methoprene) in it. The IGR will sterilize any exposed female adults. So, they wouldn’t be able to lay eggs even if they somehow survived the adulticide.
In summary, there shouldn’t be any worry of transferring fleas to your mother’s home. However, if your mother brought her own pets into your home, then there would be a high risk of acquiring fleas that are emerging from the environment.
Warm regards,
Adam
