Flea & Tick Treatment Checklists
August 19th, 2009Strategies for Complete Control
Pet Treatment: Choosing the best products
To give your pet immediate relief from fleas & ticks, first use a Step One shampoo, sponge-on, on-animal spray, or wipe. These products are the fastest-acting.
To maintain control on your pet, use a Step Two topical spot-on or collar for on-going control. These products kill a bit more slowly, but last the longest.
If you’re still seeing fleas, there may be an infestation in your pet’s environment.
Treating your home and your yard will provide complete relief.
You can prevent future infestations by killing flea eggs on your pet with a product that contains (S)-Methoprene.
If your pet swims or gets wet frequently, a Zodiac flea & tick collar is an ideal
product. Zodiac collars continue to work even if they get wet.
To repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes when you go on outings to the beach, the
woods, and other heavily infested areas, use one of the following products: Zodiac
Spot On for Dogs, Zodiac Wipe Away for Dogs or Cats, or Zodiac Flea & Tick Spray
for Dogs & Cats.
Home & Yard Treatment: Getting the best results
Treat carpeting and upholstered furniture, throw rugs, pet bedding and favorite pet
resting areas.
Don’t forget to treat under beds and other furniture, sofa cushions, the back of throw rugs, behind open doors, in closets and other storage areas.
Wash bed linens, comforters, quilts and other bedding. It is not necessary to treat
the mattress or box spring.
If you’re still seeing fleas in your home, treat it one more time. For best results, wait about 10-14 days before re-treating.
Vacuum your home before each treatment and frequently between treatments.
When treating the yard, be sure to spray shaded areas such as under trees, porches, decks, around doghouses, etc.
Mow tall grass, trim foliage and remove debris – these areas are great hiding places for fleas, ticks and other pests.
Issue: Fleas are still present in your home, after treatment, in unoccupied or low traffic areas such as basements, attics, garages, storage areas, etc. This can occur when fleas remain dormant in their pupal stage, in quiet, undisturbed areas.
Solution: Vacuum the area daily, if possible, and re-treat in 10-14 days. If it is not possible to vacuum, clean the area at least one time and enter it daily. This activity will stimulate any dormant fleas to emerge and you can quickly kill them when you treat the area again.
Issue: You treated your home right before leaving for a family vacation. As soon as you and your family return, fleas begin jumping on everyone. This sometimes happens because fleas may remain dormant or inactive in the pupal stage when there are no pets or people around. When the family returns, the hungry fleas become active, and quickly jump on potential hosts.
Solution: Vacuum your home again as soon as possible. This will cause fleas that were dormant to emerge from their cocoons, so that they can be killed by the products you have already used in your home and on your pets. Re-treat your home in 10-14 days if you continue to see fleas.
Issue: After completing two home treatments, 14 days apart, the situation is much better but you’re still seeing some fleas in your home.
Solution: The most common reason for flea problems to persist is untreated areas in the home. Often, these untreated areas are hidden, hard to reach places that can be missed, even during the most thorough of treatments. Rather than treating the entire home again, spray underneath furniture, in crevices, in closets, behind bookcases, etc. If you’ve used an indoor fogger, try a hand-held spray to reach any obstructed areas where the fogger mist may not have penetrated. Be sure to vacuum in all the areas you can reach before spraying.
Where should my dog live?
