Flea help

[Fullhousefarm]

Fleas.... gah! Help!

For all of you in the freezing north- you can think of this while you shovel your car out and break ice for you animals. There are some downsides- but not many- to living in Florida. Pests don't die!

Fleas are always bad here in Florida when we have a dry winter, which we have. But, they are horrible right now. All our dogs have Seresto collars that have always worked before, we switched from prescription internal flea meds when they stopped working just over a year ago. All dogs got a flea bath two weeks ago, and one yesterday, The other two will get one today. The cat doesn't come inside- probably because of the fleas- so I'm not treating him now. None of the goats have fleas or mites thank goodness.

I've been vacuuming (rugs, bedroom carpet, furniture) every 2 days minimum and emptying the vacuum outside right away. Have been using Borax under couch cushions and on carpet, but switched to a Permethrin flea spray when that wasn't helping. My husband said there were two on his leg standing on our tile floor- and I found one in my 5 year olds hair today. I'm washing bedding as much as possible with 6 people (three little farm boys!) and their regular laundry.

I told my husband I was going to get the kids flea collars or try pour-on ivermectin on him next. I wish I was kidding.

Any suggestions? Something I'm missing? I think they are just so bad outside that they are coming in and reinfesting all day when people bring them in on clothes, shoes, and of course dogs.

 

[babsbag]

CA has the same problem with fleas not dying...at least most years.

I would honestly try a different internal flea medication. I use Nexgard most of the time but have also used Comfortis with great results. Unfortunately the best thing I have found for the house is getting a medication into the dogs and then time. Nothing else has worked for me and I think I have tried it all.

 

[CntryBoy777]

We lived in Florida for 6yrs, NW of Orlando in the country. All I can tell ya is what worked for us. Moth Balls tossed by the handfuls under the house and around the baseboards inside. We had cats, snakes, mice, and a parrot. Something else that can help ya out is DE, powder your dogs and other animals down with it, it will kill them. Just remember that once it gets wet it is useless. That's what has worked better than anything else we tried and the moth balls worked for some friends living in a mobile home park too. You have to redistribute them when they become small. Also, put some in the canister of your vacuum and once you vacuum leave them in there for 24hrs and they will die. That way you are not Multiplying them by just turning them loose in a more Concentrated area.

 

[samssimonsays]

We just got RID of fleas! THey jump ship onto the indoor animals like no other in the freezing temps up here! 0* hit and BAM! We were infested! Good luck! Apple cider vinegar mixed with water sprayed on EVERYTHING and tea tree oil helped too.

 

[samssimonsays]

We were given vectra (spelling?) for our epileptic dog and the other dog as well. Also, the spectra shield works wonders for prevention tags, I have never had anything work before like that.

 

[TAH]

We had a really bad flea issue in Oregon (one thing I like about AK hardly any fleas).


I rubbed our dog down with coconut oil, peppermint oil, and lavender oil daily along with a bath every 4-days.

I also sprayed ALL doorways with apple cider and tea tree oil every day and salted the carpets 2-times a day.

I didn't do much laundry because I never found fleas on our clothes. I am in a family of 9 and there is ALWAYS laundry to be done!

 

[Fullhousefarm]

CA has the same problem with fleas not dying...at least most years.

I would honestly try a different internal flea medication. I use Nexgard most of the time but have also used Comfortis with great results. Unfortunately the best thing I have found for the house is getting a medication into the dogs and then time. Nothing else has worked for me and I think I have tried it all.

We were using Comfortis. :-( It's till better than nothing- but not super effective. And at the price- it better work!

 

[lalabugs]

Bath the animals in Dawn lemon dish soap. Leave on for 5 minutes. Then rinse the animal well. If you have carpet, they live in carpet. Makes it miserable to get rid of them.
We had a horrible infestation. We had to vacuum everything daily. Make sure to dump the vacuum outside right after. The thing I love about dawn lemon dish soap is you can wash your animals more frequently than the pesticide soaps.
I HATE fleas! I do go a little bonkers when I find a flea. I bathe the animals. I vacuum the whole house, i wash every piece of linen. Any clothes that need to be washed in HOT water. This is a task! Better than having those pest every where!
Prior to the dawn lemon dish soap, I tried every product available. NOTHING kept them away. Bathing will have to be done if you see them again. Carpet was our worst nightmare with fleas. With the infestation after 2 months of non stop trying to eliminate them. We ripped the carpet up, replacing with wood floor. That solved the problem. (We only had 1 room with carpet. It's where they were living. Did not matter what I did to get them out of the carpet.)
I understand washing as much as possible, I have 5 children. My wash pile is never ending.

I hope this helps.

 

[SunnyD]

I recommend info from 3 of the posts above and do it religiously.
1. Use an internal flea control. I use Comfortis on my 2 dogs and it works great but you can't let it lapse.
2. Use Borax (cheaper) or diatomaceous earth. I sprinkle it (using an empty spice jar) in and around everything that's upholstered and rugs. I also sprinkle a perimeter around all the walls. Once the fleas are under control I have just have been doing the perimeters of each room.
3. Put one or the other in your vacuum to kill them.
Bonus To: Put Febreeze on a cotton ball and suck it up in your vacuum to make the room smell good as you go about your work

 

[wintz]

Have you tried using the lemon citrus spray? Fleas hate the smell of lemons, maybe this might help.