We live in Fl. Fleas are a problem all year. 2 years ago we spent a small fortune to get rid of fleas. We ripped up carpet, had the lawn and craw space professionally treated. We even treated every piece of furniture ( The dust cover part on the underside of sofas, mattresses etc.) Our dogs were on Advantix rotated with Frontline Plus. We still had fleas ! I was desperate and ask everyone for help. An older retired breeder here in Fl sent me a detailed letter about what she did when she had a kennel in the 1960s. 1. Use 7 dust on any grass dogs walk through. (I was afraid of chemicals so we didn't do this one) 2. REPLACE any soft stuffing in the bed / pillow the dogs uses. Pull the stuffing out and fill with cedar chips (you can buy at Wal-mart or feed stores) Dont pack this tight, the chips should be able to move around some. Make washable covers for the beds or pillows and change that first week daily then, two times a week, then once a week. You have to break the cycle of fleas. We used towels to cover the beds/ crate pads, until I made pillow cases for them. 3. Bathe dogs with dish soap rinse well with 1 cup white vinegar to gallon of tepid water. After they are dry use a fine flea comb to remove any eggs. Bath every 3rd week after fleas are gone. 4. Sprinkle powdered garlic on their food or give garlic tablets. 5. Spray regular rubbing acohol on their combs and brushes before using them. 6. Comb with the flea comb every day, especialy check the face and tail area. We did 2,3,4,5 and 6. The flea problem seemed to improve right away. We also switched to Comfortis an oral flea med about 3 months later. Now we have most of the dogs on Revolution which is a combo flea and heart worm pill. We have no fleas. |