Arm your beloved pets and home from fleas with the right products and these tips!

Fleas are totally revolting and recording this Youtube video made my skin crawl! But if you are a pet owner you really do need to know how to protect your beloved pets and your home from these nasty intruders.

Luckily I have a little experience with them and also some natural preventive methods that help keep them at bay.

There has been a real influx of fleas this Summer due to the heat. They love the warm weather and as such, they are particularly prevalent in Spring, Summer and Autumn months.

This Summer my husband forgot to Frontline the dogs (for fairness we have delegated jobs in the household and one of his was flea control…not anymore!) so all four of our dogs got them!

They live in the grass outside and make their way onto your pet and into your home that way. They are absolutely not a sign that your house is dirty or that you have bad hygiene practices, they’re just professional hitchhikers!

The first thing I always reach for is Frontline Plus. An upgrade on the previous Frontline Spot-On, Frontline Plus tackles not only the fleas themselves but also their eggs.

The treatment lasts for 8 weeks for fleas and 4 weeks for ticks, so it’s a great all-rounder.

It needs to be used regularly in the warmer months of the year, but do get advice from your vet or Mole Valley if you’re unsure on how frequently you should be treating your pets.

It is also sold by weight of your pet, so be sure to educate yourself on your pets current weight each time you visit the vets so you’re giving them the correct dosage.

Simply snap the top off of the pipette, part the hair and squeeze the contents onto the back of the neck. I always aim for behind their collar.

If I don’t have any Frontline Plus to hand, I reach for flea shampoo and a good old nit comb. I give the dogs a good scrub and then take the time to comb through their fur thoroughly looking closely as I go.

Fleas are about 3mm long, browny reddish and ‘flat’ on the sides. They do bite humans but it’s not common. They jump, and boy do they jump, but they cannot fly.

Once you’ve treated your pets, it’s time to treat the house.

Remove all bedding, throws and blankets that the pets like to sit on and get them into the wash, at at least 60 degrees if the material can handle it.

Your pets may not go upstairs, but the eggs can be trodden around by you, so you do have to treat the whole house. Get the hoover out and hoover as if your life depended on it!

The life cycle of a flea is around 21 days. The eggs hatch between 2-12 days, larvae are active for about a week until they are fully grown, and then the whole cycle starts again, so you will need to keep up this system until then to ensure they are completely eradicated and you have killed off all stages.

For thorough house protection, you cannot beat Indorex Flea Spray. It is fantastic. After hoovering, cleaning and washing, get your can of this and spray it all over. It kills every stage of the flea lifecycle and protects afterwards.

For prevention, I do like to always have a spray bottle or two of my trusty lemon water (slice of lemon into boiled and then cooled water) and lavender and tea tree spritz (one drop of each essential oil into water). These work as natural repellants and are gentle on the pet and home.

Do you have any favourite techniques for flea control? How do you prevent them?

Love,