How To Treat and Prevent Fleas | Pet Grooming Studio

If you're a pet owner, then you know that one of the most common issues that you face is keeping your pet free of fleas. Not only are they annoying for your pet, but they can also be a nuisance to deal with as well. Fleas can cause skin problems and adverse health effects in your dog. Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent and treat fleas. In this blog post, we'll discuss how to prevent and treat fleas in your pets.

If you haven’t read our previous article on how to detect fleas on your dog, we highly suggest taking a quick read. Just because your dog is an “indoor dog” and doesn’t go outside other than your backyard, doesn’t mean your home is free of fleas! Squirrels, birds, and other wild animals can bring fleas into your yard. Even you can track flea eggs into your home on your shoes! If you live in an apartment or condo, it’s more common for fleas and other parasites to migrate to other units which are not easy to detect.

That’s precisely why parasite prevention is so important. Regular grooming and at-home maintenance alone isn’t enough to prevent these pesky pests. 

If your dog already has fleas:

-You can bring them in for a flea bath appointment with one of our groomers

-Give them a flea bath at home using a medicated shampoo

-Call your veterinarian for appropriate medication 

-Spray your home with a pesticide to kill off any existing fleas and flea eggs or larvae

-Wash all your bedding and your dog’s bedding

It is important not only to treat your dog, but also your home because the fleas don’t just bite dogs, they can fend on human blood too! Flea bites are extremely itchy and can become very painful. 

For flea prevention, we suggest consulting your regular veterinarian for the appropriate preventative medications. There are a variety of products like flea collars out on the market and sold in your local pet stores. However, not all flea medications are created equally. This is an important point especially if your dog has flea dermatitis or flea allergies. For example, flea collars are somewhat effective but are not effective throughout the dog’s whole body. 

In our experience, prescribed flea medication has the highest rate of effectiveness. Some topical medications even kills fleas on contact! This means your dog never has to be bitten and the fleas will become paralyzed soon after touching your dog’s skin. 

Fleas are a common problem for dogs, but they can be prevented. Prescription parasite prevention is the best way to go, and it’s important not to wait until your dog has fleas before you take action. Bring your dog in for grooming if they have fleas so we can treat them and help you get rid of these pests!