Have you noticed your dog scratching and biting at itself intensely? If so, you may want to check your pet for fleas. Since fleas love warm, humid climates, they can be a year-round problem in Houston. To make the situation worse, for every flea you see on your pet, there are likely hundreds more living on your carpet and furniture.
The Many Dangers of Fleas
Fleas can pose many dangers to your pet. First, fleas survive off your dog’s blood and can consume more than 12 times their body weight. This, in turn, can cause your pet to become anemic over time. In severe cases, parasitic anemia can even be life-threatening for your dog.
If your pet is susceptible to flea bites, just one bite from a flea can cause a severe reaction known as flea bite allergy. Pets with flea bite allergies experience intense itching, hair loss, inflamed skin, hot spots, and open sores. Finally, fleas are also known to cause tapeworms in dogs.
Fleas and Your Family
While fleas aren’t known to infest human beings, they may jump on you in some cases. The “bite” you may feel when a flea has jumped on you is not a bite. You’re most likely feeling the pointy thorns that cover their legs. It can be quite unsettling when you see a flea on you or your family.
What Can You Do?
Of course, you’ll want to bathe your pet if it’s infested with fleas. You can choose from many terrific products today, including liquid shampoos, dry shampoos, and flea dips. Always follow the product’s directions when using these types of products.
After bathing your pet, you can follow up with flea collars, drops, or pills. Drops and pills are highly effective; in most cases, you only need to administer them once a month. However, to eradicate these annoying pests from your Houston home, you must also treat your house and yard.
Treating the Environment
Treating your pet’s environment can be more complicated than treating your pet. As stated above, for every flea you may find on your dog or cat, there are likely hundreds more invading your carpet and upholstery.
Using pesticide treatments indiscriminately isn’t a good idea since many of the ones meant for treating yards and homes may be harmful to your pets and/or small children. Given that, it’s best if you choose to hire the help of a professional pest control company to treat your home and yard for fleas.
Here at ABC Home & Commercial Services in Houston, our trained pest control professionals have the knowledge and skills to eliminate fleas from your home effectively. If you’ve noticed your pet scratching away at all hours of the day and night, give us a call to see how we can help.