flea bites

Flea Bites

The flea. This insect is a common home invaders for those with pets.

There are two big facts about fleas that most people don't realize. One, they reproduce at an alarming rate. The female flea lays her eggs while on the dog/ The eggs then proceed to fall off the dog where ever the dog goes. If the dog is in the bed, flea eggs are in the bed. If the dog is one the couch, flea eggs on the couch.

Second, the flea eggs are extremely hardy. There is no chemical treatment under the sun that can harm flea eggs. The only thing you can do is physically remove them. The only way to that is is vacuum daily. Not only will the vacuum suck them up, but the heat and vibration may cause them to hatch and then you can kill them. The point is once you have fleas, you'll be vacuuming carpets, rugs, couches, beds and anything else you can think of.

Flea Bites

My wife and I recently battled fleas. Our beloved schnoodle managed to attract some of these hitchhikers. I believe they came from a pet friendly house we rented at the beach. A previous occupant may have left a few fleas behind for us.

I personally found a number of fleas on me during June and July when we battled the fleas. I think they managed to get on my clothes, and then I essentially put them on when I got dressed. I would get that faint tickle that something was on my skin. I'd grab for it and pull a flea off my neck. In addition I got bit a few times.

The picture is flea bites on a human leg. I can't imagine how many fleas there must have been to cause this many bites

Flea Bites

As you can see from the picture, our schnoodle is covered with white hair. Surprisingly you could she the fleas on her skin because they stood out against the hair. My wife who has a special dislike for all insects watched the dog like a hawk and could spy the fleas. They were nearly impossible to get once spotted. We finally resorted to immediate flea baths.

The flea bath would drown the fleas, and we would hunt for them in the water. Weekly baths resulted in one or two dead fleas each bath. Unfortunately, the vet told us that fleas in the carpet or bedding would hop right back on the dog after the bath.

Frontline

The most disturbing part of the whole flea ordeal was that we religiously used FrontLine. FrontLine is the once a month flea control liquid that you put on the neck of the dog. We belived we were completely safe from fleas while we used it.

Now, I'm not saying it didn't work. I think the FrontLine kept us from having a full blown flea invasion. I think it killed enough fleas to keep the population under control. But it simply didn't kill fast enough, or prevent the fleas from getting in the first place.

I have heard rumors that fleas are becoming immune to FrontLine. I don't know if it is true, but it sounds possible. Given the prolific reproduction rate of the flea, is it probable that the small percent of fleas with resistance to FrontLine are breeding?

Trifexis

Our vet recommend a new flea control medication called Trifexis. There have been advancements in flea control since the release of FrontLine, and the vet said Trifexis was simply better.

Trifexis is apparently the same medication as Capstar, but only in a monthly pill form. This means we give our dog a pill once a month for fleas. A pill is better then the FrontLine liquid. With the liquid we had to be careful not to pet the dog in the treated area. Plus, out schnoodle loves to roll on her back and show her belly. It was a struggle to stop this behavior when she was treated.

Capstar and Trifexis claim to start killing within 30 minutes and kill all fleas within a matter of hours. I never saw any fleas falling off, but there are videos of such a thing. I can say that after going to Trifexis the fleas disappeared.