I am in flea hell - help!!!!

[Sheryl]

Okay, I have had dogs most of my adult life and have never had a flea problem. Seriously.

So, we had a super mild winter last year (actually last few years) so maybe that contributed. Then, Boston was dying all summer and that took alot of focus. I shaved him because it was really hot this summer and he didn't have a big flea problem.

I made the mistake of buying the Kirkland (costco brand) of flea remedy and did the usual applying, but I found out later that it is completely ineffective so the fleas "took hold". We fought the good fight all summer, and kept them under control although it was still a problem - but not too bad.

Okay, house remodel, almost all the carpet is gone now. Boston is passed so it is just Suzy and the old cat.

The vet gave me a program to follow - and we have been diligent. We bought some kind of spray thing for the house (from the vet), bought name brand frontline for Suzy and kitty, bought a soapless shampoo and conditioner (doesn't wash away the Frontline) and use it weekly. OMG - she is crawling with fleas - the non soap shampoo just bathes the fleas, doesn't kill them at all. The vet told me not to do it, but I couldn't stand it, so I bathed her with flea shampoo today (next frontline treatment is a week away!) so she finally has some relief. She doesn't have hotspots or anything, but I can see those nasties on her! She sleeps with me! yicky!

Suzy is a little depressed since losing Boston and doesn't go out with me anymore to feed the horses.
So, I decided to take advantage of that and start taking her potty out on the driveway thinking it is less likely to be flea ridden then the grass on the lawn.

I see no fleas in the house (except on Suzy!) but of course they are here. I will spray / treat again when it is time for Frontline... but for the love of heaven... I need to be rescued from the flea invasion. This is disgustingly embarassing - I am not THAT bad of a house keeper - really!

So, any additional tips?

[Marci]

I live on the coast and Fleas are a huge problem.
What has worked for me for years is to take the 20 mule team borax and sprinkle it everywhere a flea can live and breed. I put it on my sofa, carpet, even in my kitchen floor. I work it in with a broom so it gets deep. Don't vacuum for a few days. No smell and its not poisonous. You can use it out doors but it won't work anymore if it gets wet.
It will take a few days to work, what it does is the sharp edges cut the fleas (and roaches too-maybe ants also) so they dehydrate and die. Lasts for about 2 years. Its about 5 bucks for a huge box, you can also use it on your laundry and in the dog beds. Though it might be too dusty for that. Perhaps wash the bedding put it down and then clean bedding would be enough. But the important thing is to get it in all the nooks and crannies where they hide. I haven't had to use flea products for years now. I wish it worked as well on spiders. sigh.

[Jenni]

Sounds horrible. I remember when I was a kid we had a massive flea infestation at my house. I had taken in a sick kitten and the fleas that came with her and they loved our house. We used a flea bomb on the house and gave the cat a bath and that's all it took. My grandma also had an invasion once. I remember they were so bad you could see them jumping when you walked across the carpet. They were even biting her and my nieces ankles to pieces. Don't remember what she did to get rid of them but I would guess it involved the 20 Mule Team that was already suggested. Gives me the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

Here are a lot of natural ideas that may or may not work but if you haven't seen them. One thing I took note of was that flea eggs need 50% humidity to survive so they recommend a dehumidifier (or several) in your house to dry it out. Being that you live in humidity central this might be worth looking into. Probably what eventually killed ours and grandmas invasions - we have very low humidity in the winter - my house is at about 27% right now.

www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fleas-Naturally

[Sheryl]

Here is the crazy thing - I never see fleas in the house, I have no bites. I didn't mention, I also did the wash everything, put in a hot dryer, I washed area rugs. I am just so frustrated that Frontline seems to make no difference. I know it takes about 4 months to get back under control but why is it worse now??

I am not sure I want borax ground into my brand new floors.... but I appreciate the suggestion.

Anyway, I think the next step is to ask the vet for a prescription oral solution to kill the fleas that bite her....sigh.

[Jenni]

Maybe you have a mutant type of flea who enjoys the taste of frontline, lol. I swear some of our mosquitos around here think that OFF and other sprays are icing on the cake - almost like it attracts them.

I think something oral is definitely in order, maybe try some of the "natural" suggestions for making sprays for the animals.

[Sheryl]

So, I did go to that website and have laid out the soapy water traps in a shallow dish in the 3 bedrooms. 2 have carpet (only carpet left in the house!) and one has an area rug. So far, no fleas have been captured. Part of what drives me nuts is I cannot figure out where they have found refuge considering the all out assault I have waged... and I never see them except on Suzy. People say they feed on the dogs but live somewhere else... so I will find their evil headquarters!

[DorothyB]

a "quick fix" for your kitty is Capstar - NOT cheap and you get to give her a pill, but it is quite effective at killing any fleas that bite her (or are on her?) for 24 hours. It will NOT solve the entire problem, but will help.

I'm battling fleas here also. Last year the Seresto collars worked great on the dogs - not working so well this year . . . I'm going to try putting down some diatomaceous earth when I get back in 1 1/2 weeks - it should work like the borax. My biggest problem is that I can't treat the yard since the horses & chickens graze there.

[snelson]

When I got one of my dogs she was flea infested. I fought them with Frontline for about 2 months. NOTHING. They were just getting worse. My cats were getting flea baths every single day. Changed to Advantage and Advantix (cat and dog) and cleared them right up. Now I use only Advantage.

I tried everything I could find about killing them including bombing the house while taking the pets out and giving them flea baths outside and applying Frontline again. That didn't work for me...but like I said, Advantage fixed it. So maybe try a different flea medication.

[ride4fun]

(((HUGS))) I'm sorry about Boston. Don't have any flea advice, the climate here keeps them away.

[MelelioNLI]

Use Murphy's Oil Soap (the original) as a shampoo...the oil clogs the living fleas and they die within 30 seconds. Let it sit and stew, and keep rubbing it in to make sure you find all the live fleas on the animal ....won't do anything for eggs, but you can keep killing the adults so they can't lay...

[Idaho Linda]

Put moth balls in the bags or dust container of your vacuum. That way it can't become a fleas maturity hospital. And I second the Capstar for the cat. The vet told me that the fleas are getting resistant to the Frontline and Advantage on the cats.

Sorry, this is the pits!

[Marci]

Yes the fleas became used to the poison. They might be breeding in the nooks and crannys of your kitchen. Or the sofa.

[cody]

Frontline is worthless, I don't even know why any vet would recommend it. We very rarely have fleas but I had two invasions over the years. During the last one lil dot recommended K-9 Advantix and it worked like a charm, never seen a flea since. I now use Vectra which is even better, like the updated version of K-9 advantix and it works wonderful on ticks and fleas. I never even put it on monthly .... Usually twice a summer only and my dog is always tick and flea free!

Pick up one of these products and don't waste your time or money on frontline.

[snelson]

Cody...same with me. My dog usually gets lethargic after an application of Advantix and other flea medications so I stick with what has worked for me in the past...not sick so much but not himself so I apply it spring, about July and again in the fall about Oct. Never any fleas and ticks and we go out in the woods all the time.

[Yip]

Advantage was a miracle when introduced, but didn't kill ticks. Then Frontline was a miracle for many years and it killed ticks and fleas like crazy. Living in the hot, warm, humid Carolinas for the past 20 years, we have had good years and we've had flea nightmare years. I so hate to say it, but fleas have become resistant to Frontline over the years...as they probably will to Advantix and all the others at some point. We use what works, and when it stops working, we move on to a newer product.

I understand people don't want to bug bomb their homes and I didn't either, but desperation form a flea infestation can make even residual poison look good! We used it when we needed to in those years when fleas were worst. Be sure you use enough of them to overlap areas. We never had any problems we knew of from "poison" on our non washable surfaces. Bombs are da' bomb!

About 2 yrs. ago when remodeling, we removed every bit of carpet from our old house. That made the most difference of anything. It's true fleas don't live on the pet, just feed then drop off to lay egs. Flea eggs are coated with a sticky substance so can stick for all that's holy to carpet fibers and grass. You can vaccuum with a great sweeper, but the fleas can hold on. And carpet holds moisture, which is exactly what they need to thrive. That hot season year w/o carpet was like Heaven! I vaccuumed all the hard surface floors almost daily and washed them once a week or more when showing the house. NO fleas! And our yard was far too large to treat, so no help there. I think I used Frontline that summer. It was so awesome, I said no more carpet in out new home....which is all hdwds. with porcelain or ceramic in the baths. Only the LR has carpet and we were going to replace it with wood in the spring, then Chuck died. This city lot is only 1/20 ac. so I had it sprayed a couple times and vaccuumed the LR a lot, and we had no fleas last summer! I did sweep some fine powder into the carpet once, boric acid I think, and that was the kiss of death to any fleas in it. I don't want to put any more money into this home, so the carpet in the LR will stay as long as fleas are under control. But my next home will be carpet free. Carpet and the pad & floor under it is filthy and we simply cannot clean it. My allergies have almost cleared up here.

Having gone through half a doz. or more flea infestations...I'm sorry, but my pets are not allowed on the beds. I am very allergic to flea bites and have to protect myself from the torture. btw, if there are fleas in your home, everyone living there is getting bitten. Most people never know it. Only those allergic to the anticoagulant in their saliva will react with incessant itching.