how to get rid of fleas

Does your furry friend have fleas? (Or do their furry friends have fleas?)

Here’s what items you need, where to look, and what to do next about fleas.

Know a flea’s favorite places

Fleas often settle down to feed in furry areas like necks, ears, and hindquarters (as vets like to say, ears and rears). They also enjoy nooks and crannies, including in the armpits and groin, at the base of the tail, and inside folds of skin.

Go hunting for signs of fleas

Using a flea comb, comb your pet’s hair from back to front to get a good look at their skin. You’re looking for

• Areas of red, irritated, or broken skin from scratching
• Small red-brown fleas, living or dead
• Smaller black specks called flea dirt (flea poop)
  
  

If you find specks, but you’re not sure what they are, put them on a paper towel and add a drop of water. Flea dirt is digested blood and will turn reddish brown when wet. Yum!

Does your pet interact with other animals?

This could be your neighbor’s pets or wild animals that your dog chases out of the yard. Either way, those other animals are pretty likely to carry fleas unless you know they’re on regular prevention (unfortunately, it’s hard to treat the local rabbits and deer). Plus, if you live in an apartment building, fleas very commonly do move about.

There are most likely more out there

A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. So even if you’re only seeing dead fleas or flea dirt on your pet, it’s pretty likely your BFF still has active fleas — and any other pets in the house do too. Unfortunately, in addition to treating your pets, you’re going to need to treat your house too. Fleas can hide in your home where pets hang out even during the winter months.

Flea and tick prevention is the cure

Wash your hands thoroughly after checking your pet for fleas. Then talk to your vet about solutions, including year-round flea and tick prevention for your pet.

Fleas are a year-round thing

Fleas can still be annoyingly active even when the weather gets cold. Safe and effective flea control can help protect your pet and the entire family. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Treat pets year-round with flea control products to limit infestations on them and in the home.
• Realize flea infestations may take several months to solve and that all pets in the home need to be treated.
• Think of flea infestations as a public health concern; people and pets in infested areas can be bitten and develop an allergic reaction or infection. Infectious diseases will vary by location — prevention is key.

Severe infestations are a serious problem

In a flea infestation, the majority of the population is not the fleas you see; most are eggs, pupae, and larvae living (and multiplying) inside your home. Early prevention is best, but if you already have a flea problem, a comprehensive flea-control program will eliminate fleas on pets and in the environment. This may require a number of different products, including indoor and outdoor treatments. In some cases, professional pest control services may be necessary.