Fleas

• Only 5% of a fleas life span is actually spent on your pet's body. The rest of the time is spent in the environment; the house or the yard.
• Not seeing fleas in the house or feeling them bite you is not an indication that they are not present in the house. In fact, finding fleas (or flea dirt) on your pet almost guarantees that they are in the house.
• Not every pet will scratch when fleas are present. The individual has to have an allergy to the flea bite to be itchy. So not seeing your pet scratch is not an indicator that your pet is flea-free.
• When treating fleas, it is only effective if you treat the house (and sometimes the yard) at the same time that you treat all of your pets.

• Check all of your pets weekly throughout spring, summer and especially fall.
• Part the hair and look down at the skin to see fleas or flea dirt, the reddish black colored specks.
• Placing the pet on a white towel and using a fine toothed flea comb is sometimes an easier alternative.
• Flea dirt will turn a rusty color when wetted down.

• Fleas are the most common form of transmission of Tapeworms in pets.
• Flea allergy is a frequent cause of allergic response (itchiness) in our pets which can lead to skin infections and/or hotspots. This condition may require the use of antibiotics, antihistamines, and/or corticosteroids.
• Severe infestations of fleas can lead to anemia, a serious condition of red blood cell deficiency.

• Frontline Plus is a liquid spot on product that is placed on the skin of your pets neck where it spreads through the oil glands all over the skin. It kills 98% of the fleas in one hour and 100% in 24 hours! Since it is in the oil glands, this product is not easily washed off, so your pet can go swimming or have a bath with no loss of effectiveness. This product is safe for both canine and feline patients and we recommend year round monthly application.
• Revolution is a liquid spot on product that we recommend more for our feline patients as it protects from several other parasitic conditions like Heartworm Disease. It does not, however, kill ticks. It spreads through the oil glands like Frontline Plus and is equally safe and effective. We recommend year round monthly application of this product for our indoor feline patients.
• Frontline Spray is a pump spray that contains one of the two active ingredients found in Frontline Plus and has the same effectiveness ratings for live adult fleas and ticks. Frontline Spray does not have the long lasting capabilities of Frontline Plus nor does it kill multiple stages of the flea and tick life cycle.
• Flea Shampoo Will remove small numbers of fleas and, more importantly, washes away flea dirt.

• Step 1: Treat the Pets  Apply either Frontline Plus or Revolution to each of your household pets as this will not only kill any fleas that are on the pet but any fleas that might jump onto your pet once you begin treating the house. Also, in the next few weeks as fleas hatch from the pupal stage (no existing products can penetrate the pupal stage), they will be quickly exterminated by the Frontline Plus or Revolution product.
• Step 2: Vacuuming and Laundering  Vacuum all floors and upholstery before using sprays or bombs and throw the vacuum cleaner bag away. Launder all bedding, human and pet.
• Step 3: Premise Spray  Use this spray to treat floors and any upholstered furniture or pet beds which cannot be laundered. For hard surface flooring, spray the perimeter near the baseboard and under furniture, for carpeting spray the entire carpet; anywhere fleas can hide! In addition to killing adult fleas, this product contains an Insect Growth Regulator that will not allow hatching eggs to ever become adult fleas for up to 7 months! In severe cases another treatment is needed after two weeks since no product currently available will kill the pupal stage of a fleas life cycle. OR
• Step 4: Yard and Kennel Spray  If the size and boundaries of your yard permit, attach one of these products to your garden hose to complete the flea extermination triad - Pet, House, Yard.