We’ve got fleas! The pitfalls of a multi-pet home

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . June 18, 2009 . 1:40PM

Who did it? Who got close enough to one to let it near them and create the havoc in my home that spread to every one of the other dogs and infested them? The plague that has hit my home is known as FLEAS. Yep. I feel dirty. Gross. Icky beyond belief. But, I’m middle America. I can’t get fleas!

Lies. Propaganda. If you have a pet that has hair, you, too, can be the proud owner of fleas. A.J. isn’t Pigpen from Charlie Brown and our house isn’t a shack, but our pets are what they are and that is filthy little buggers who love to roll in some grass.

The first clue that you might have fleas is when your dog snaps at it’s own arm like it’s a marinated turkey leg. Your dog may also make the noise “Om nom nom nom” or say aloud “That’s tasty.” You will wonder what the problem is and gently look for ticks while your dog glares at you for interrupting snack time.

The second clue will be the “tag jingle.” The tag jingle sounds like the Salvation Army bell at Christmas time and it will occur at roughly 3am from under the bed, just out of your reach, and continue for around 4 hours while you threaten to take the dog to the nearest foreign country that is willing to eat them. I don’t actually know of any country that will eat dogs, but I am certain there are starving people out there that might think my dogs are tasty. And if not, there may be some hill folk somewhere that do. Who am I kidding? Even hill folk would be angry about the tag jingle.

The biggest clue that your dog has fleas is going to be the one that is going to gross you out. It will make you wince, squint your eyes like you just saw the nasty cup video on the internet (please, for the love of God don’t google that) and turn your head away. It’s called “the butt scrape.” It’s where the fleas have permeated the patookas area and the dogs have failed to reach that area to scratch. It would be like us trying to lick our elbows.

I’ll wait while you try. Go on. Lick your elbow. Did you youtube that? I’d like to see it if you did.

Back to the Butt scrape. The butt scrape is where the dog places it’s forelegs in between it’s back legs and scoots it’s behind across the floor like there’s a sickness and the only remedy is butt scrapin’. People with carpet freak out because “my dog is getting nastiness on the carpet!” People with hardwood, like myself, shrug and figure “what’s the point of that? You’re just looking for a splinter in a place I’m not pulling it out, dog.” However, if your dog is doing this, it’s probably fleas or worms or even anal sac issues (ick), and none of them is a good thing. If you can’t see fleas, it’s probably time to go to the vet.

So, what do you do if you have fleas?

The recommended method is flea shampoo that you leave on for 10-15 minutes, so dried skin that the fleas feed on is removed. Most shampoos also have some sort of insecticide that is going to kill the flea for you.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the pet that’s been affected. The home has been permeated as well. If you have fleas, you’ll need to vacuum the entire house to get rid of any flea eggs that have been laid. If your pet has a bed or sleeps with you or on a rug, those must be laundered and you’re probably going to need to use a spray or fogger to get random eggs that have been laid around the house.

Lastly, you can treat your yard with sprays and insecticides that may help prevent the little buggers from re-emerging.

One note here: Please don’t blame your pets. They didn’t purposely attract the fleas and it’s not their fault they got them. Too many animals are abused by adults that don’t understand the mechanics behind animal issues. If you choose to have animals, then you are choosing to accept that they are going to have issues just like we do. Now go clean your house. It’s a pigpen.