This question also comes with another question, 'what type of anti-flea treatment should I use?'. There are many different types of flea treatments, many of them come with a warning - keep away from eyes; do not ingest; wash hands after use etc. Others have no such warnings as they are flea repellants, quite often they are natural, using organic herbs and spices.
There has been much debate about the use of flea and tick treatments over the past few decades, some arguments have been justified, how ever unfortunate, as some peoples pets have died from direct or indirect application of these treatments.
ilps only uses treatments that we either currently, or have used on our own dogs. We would never use any product that does not agree with our dogs or a product that we have not researched.
Why do we use flea treatments on our dogs? We don't want to return to a time when we kept our dogs to keep the fleas away from us.
It was public knowledge that the Royal houses of England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) during the 17th Century, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (aptly named after their master, King Charles I), were not only the King's companions who travelled with him everywhere, but also to attract the fleas away from the royals.
Look up King Charles I here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England
We found that several topical treatments do not work well with our dog Kodi. He has become lethargic and at times unwell. We researched the brands that affect him and have found that we are not alone in our dog feeling this way. After research and experimenting - remembering that flea treatments are generally applied monthly - we found that the best for our Kodi was an edible, meat flavoured chew.
Another titbit of information suggests that a species appropriate diet provides a higher resilience to repel pests, such as fleas and ticks.
I will discuss species specific diets in later posts, but the crux of a species appropriate diet is one that is as close to a natural, biologically correct diet as possible. For us as dog lovers, this is a raw, nutritionally balanced, home-made dog food. I know that making your own dog food may not be your thing, or you may disagree with feeding your dogs this type of diet and we 100% respect your decision.
Back to fleas!
I have attached a few photos of what the common flea poo looks like (I couldn't take a photo of a flea as it moved too fast!). Some of you may not have seen them before, or have; but not known what they are.
As groomers, we see the occasional dog or cat with fleas, but the great news is it doesn't have to be an infestation. Many blogs online discuss how hard it is to get rid of them and how they keep coming back. Some of these 'alternate facts' may in fact be based on truth, but in general, a preventative method of flea prevention is much better than washing everything in the house and getting out the carpet shampooer.
If you do find one of these poo's or a flea on your dog or cat, don't think it is a failing on you. It isn't!
Dogs regularly get fleas from a brother or sister cat that is allowed to roam outdoors. Or, if you walk your dog in a park with longer grass in a warm climate, you are more susceptible to getting fleas. It is a lot like children who go to school and come home with 'friends'; it is no reflection on you or your parenting.
If you want to discuss with us about flea treatments we offer, or want to talk about these little annoying arachnids, please feel free!
No subject is off limits!
Wikipedia has a great article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_flea
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