Often even after treating with a suitable flea treatment you will still see flea's on your animal. However, this does not mean that the treatment has not worked or that the fleas are immune – the reasons are fairly simple: Fleas are hatching in your home and re-infecting your pet.
The best advice is to give it time. Once a flea infestation begins, it can take a while to completely clear it. Flea larvae can remain dormant in your home for months, so new fleas may continue to emerge — even after treatment.
It's important to note that there's a good chance you may still find fleas for up to four weeks as fleas were likely in different life stages at the time of your treatment. Eggs and pupa may have escaped the insecticide treatment and are now adults.
As eggs hatch and develop, you might find fleas reappearing 10-14 days after treatment - this is quite normal and provided the insecticide remains in place it will kill them. This is why it is important not to carry out cleaning which might remove insecticide.
It is also important to remember that the majority of the flea population is in the environment. If you are still seeing a large number of fleas a few days after starting treatment it is possible that there is an infestation somewhere in the home.
You might be asking yourself will fleas eventually go away? While some could last 2 – 3 weeks, they could also live for up to 12 months on the host it finds, so it is unlikely they will go away on their own. Fleas can also reproduce very quickly by laying eggs in carpet, bedding, or garden prolonging the infestation.
Fleas have a complex life cycle. At some stages of their life cycle they are resistant to insecticides and other flea control products. In order to get rid of fleas in all stages of the life cycle, two or more follow-up treatments within 5-10 days after the first application are needed.
You can reapply flea treatment after 2 weeks, but it's not necessary. Fleas are a common problem for dogs and cats, and there are many treatments available to help you protect your pet from these pesky parasites.
Even when treated with a suitable flea control product such a Frontline Plus, Advantage etc it is still possible for your pet to pick up new fleas from the outside environment or other animals. Flea eggs and larvae can also be brought into the home on shoes or clothing.
The flea life cycle, from egg to to adult, completes in 17 to 26 days in homes. However, after treatment, people will often continue seeing fleas for around 8 weeks. This is because after pupating, cocooned adults can stay quiescent (dormant-like) for up to 5 months while they wait to detect a host (heat and pressure).
You should also vacuum rapidly 24 hours after spraying and thereafter at least twice weekly for the next two weeks. The vibrations and warmth create a stimulus for adult fleas to emerge from the otherwise impenetrable pupae and shortens the pupal window.
Is It Safe to Reapply a Flea Treatment Early? If you're finding fleas on your pet even after their topical flea treatment, you might be tempted to reapply it early. But this solution is not always recommended—and it can even lead to an overdose in some rare cases.
Fleas can be brought into your bed from pets or humans and through infested clothing or furniture. They do need a host to survive since they feed on blood, so it's unlikely that fleas can live on your bedding or mattress for more than a week or two without an animal present.
Run a flea comb through your pet and see if you can catch fleas in it. Step 2: Check Carpets and Rugs Carefully check your carpeting and rugs. Fleas are so small that they often can get away with hiding deep into carpeting. Fleas also like to lay eggs in carpets and this is also where flea larvae is often discovered.
This depends on which product you use. We have flea spot-on treatments for dogs and cats that can be applied monthly or tablets that last for one month for cats and 1-3 months for dogs. Worming tablets can be given every three months for adult dogs and cats.
Never use multiple flea medications on your pet, unless directed to do so by your veterinarian. Fleas can be a very frustrating problem, and some medications may not produce immediate effects.
The typical waiting period is four weeks, after which time your pet will no longer be protected from fleas. If your pet has an infestation of fleas and your first treatment doesn't work, it's important that you do not apply another treatment before the four-week mark, as it may lead to an overdose.
You'll need to vacuum and discard the bag every other day for two weeks to about a month. As long as your pet is on flea preventative, that'll be enough time to rid your home of fleas for good. And don't forget to wash throw blankets on the sofa and bed sheets—anywhere your pet hangs around.
Fleas cannot fly, but they move by jumping from object to object. It can take up to 3 months to break a total flea life cycle by using monthly flea treatments. For indoor flea control, vacuuming all floors, carpets, baseboards, pet bedding and furniture will help remove adult fleas and eggs.
Control the environment – Adopt control strategies including: Vacuum the carpet 2-3 times a week to remove eggs, wash pets blankets weekly (in the washing machine), spray the house, kennels and yards with an adult flea killer, fog the house to prevent larvae developing.
Vacuum often. All four stages of fleas are killed after vacuuming, with a 96 percent success rate. Homes that are vacuumed often will usually not have a flea problem that persists for long, because the eggs, larvae, pupa and adult fleas will all be killed or removed through the vacuum.
If your dog is constantly being reinfested with fleas after treatment, it is most likely there is an environmental infestation in or around your house. The adult fleas we see on pets represent only 5% of the total population. The other 95% are immature stages in the environment.
Even without animals living in your home, fleas can live in your carpet and other fabrics for a while.
Flea season can last anywhere from 6-9 months to all year round in some states. Fleas love warm temperatures, so your season can start early in spring and last until September, October, or November.