How To Keep Your Home Flea Free

If you have pets, fleas are undoubtedly a concern you have, even if your pet is currently flea-free. Keeping pets indoors is a great way to alleviate the flea problem, but even indoor animals are occasionally at risk. In some cases, like with most dogs, they have to go outside eventually, and just a few seconds in the yard can lead to a flea problem. The best way to reduce the risk of fleas is to understand where pets face the most danger for contracting the itchy little insects and avoiding those situations. If your pet is exposed to a risky flea situation, keep an eye on them in the days following, so if a flea problem does occur, you can treat it immediately.

Your first defense against fleas is keeping pets indoors. This is easier said than done for dogs, but cats have no problem settling into indoor domestic life. If your feline is perfectly comfortable surrounded by four walls, there is no sense putting them at risk by forcing the issues of outside play. Give them window space so they can occasionally enjoy fresh air and allow them to live life without a serious threat of fleas. Since dogs almost always have to go out a few times each day, take them to areas that are at less risk for fleas. Most of the time, fleas will not be a problem if you are just walking Fido around the block so he can do his business.

If your animals must be in areas where fleas are a risk, arm them with protection. Flea collars offer a few months worth of defense against an attack. The collars are comfortable for the pet and protect their entire body, even though they only encircle a small part of the animal.

Collars are a bit old-fashioned though, and today, most people utilize preventative bathing treatments to keep fleas at bay. If you are concerned about applying chemicals directly to your pets coat, there are natural alternatives made with essential oils that will repel fleas. The medicinal treatments are considered safe and they can be purchased from a veterinarian. In most cases, only one bath is needed every six months and fleas that are currently living on your pet are killed.

Another preventative method is to not expose your home and pet to fleas. Keeping other animals out of your house reduces the risk of fleas spreading. If you have a friend or family member who asks to bring their pet to your home, tell them no or ask them about their flea prevention. You may feel awkward bringing it up, but it will save you a lot of money and headaches in the future.You are protecting your pet and if they are a responsible pet owner themselves, they will understand. Finally, remember that fleas can travel on humans too. While this is rare, if someone who has fleas in their home enters your house and leaves a few friends behind, it can create a problem in your house. After you have had house guests, be they human or otherwise, keep an eye on your pet to ensure nothing has changed.

Stewart Wrighter is an expert in the field of exterminating and contributes articles about the benefits of using a Sentricon system or Sentricon for eliminating termites from a structure.

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