Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Enzo, named after THE Enzo in The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is my favorite book. Yes, I'm a dog too. I know a lot about fleas.
Fleas are yucky...
I will tell you what those darn bugs mean to me, and what they mean to my human Mom. Fleas are tiny little insects, about a quarter of an inch long. They don't have wings, but instead they have long hind legs that are designed for jumping. They multiply quickly and often hide in fabrics and carpets. I hate fleas. I said that already, right?
They totally ruin my life when they start chewing on me. They are nasty vampires that bite me and feed on my blood. Ugh! Did you know that a flea is a parasite that will drink 15 times its body weight in blood daily. They will feed and then start making baby fleas 24-48 hours after their start sucking my blood. If I have one flea on me then I know at least a hundred or more fleas will be coming soon. So gross!
Once my Mom missed my flea treatment and I had bites all over my legs, my back and even my private parts!. Like most dogs I am actually allergic to flea spit, which is what causes all that itchy scratchy behavior.
Those hekkin fleas even chomped on my mom and she had a ring of itchy bites around her feet and ankles. She was miserable too. Did you know that fleas actually carried the plague? THE PLAGUE! Yikes!
Enough about those dreadful bugs, I can go on and on and I am sure you prefer to know what to do about them. Mom says it's best to prevent fleas from making themselves comfy in your home so she vacuums a lot, especially when it's hot. Mom told me that those awful fleas can survive for more than 100 days even without me around!
What to do when fleas attack...
- Use a flea comb. A flea comb is the easiest, cheapest and most effective way to get rid of fleas
- Use a special dog shampoo immediately and then every 7 days
- Use apple cider vinegar - they hate that stuff. Spray a 50/50 vinegar and water solution on their fur, before letting them outside to play
- Wash your bedding in hot water
- Use boric acid powder as a carpet, upholstery and floor flea-killer
- Put on a flea collar - I wear a Seresto Collar by Bayer
- Apply monthly flea and tick medication
Help for Mom (and dad) too...
- Wash the area first to keep infection from spreading
- Avoid scratching the bite, which is hard because they itch like crazy
- To make itching feel better use ice packs, aloe vera, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, tea tree oil, or used tea bags
And most importantly... stay ahead of flea outbreaks with Scollar's flea outbreak forecaster! My mom put information about me into the app and the zip code where we live and Scollar sent her an alert before the flea outbreak risk was high. She ordered my Seresto collar right in the app and those nice people with the big trucks brought it right to our door!
Get the Scollar app on Google Play or the App Store.
