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Okay...I don't post here much but I am in the process of trying to move to Carthage area and still have some reservations...so....for those of you with dogs do you find the flea problem down there to be any worse then anywhere else?? Also what about mosquitos and heartworm?? I have one dog who is epileptic so he can't have the chemical flea treatments. Anyway...any input from animal owners as to how much of a transisiton it was for your pets would be great. I am moving from Delaware.
our dog was basically a lazy inside dog (even though he was a great dane) and we had him on heartworm, but never had to do anything treatment wise with fleas. He was with us for 7 years and never had a flea. But, he also didn't spend much time outside ----- he would stay indoors for 15 hours without going pee if it was raining so he wouldn't get wet!
Thanks for the replys...and for the natural product name I will definately look into that... I just don't want to move and find out my dogs will be miserable. They have never had a flea here (live in Delaware). Thanks again....
I have my dog on heartworm and frontline plus meds which are expensive. But worth it. We have alot of ticks and fleas in area but so far so good, my dog has not had any of them. she gets a bath every 2 weeks and gets meds once a month. My neighbors dogs are not on the meds and have fleas and get ticks. talk to ur vet about it.
Especially in the woods the ticks are everywhere, not that this isn't a problem in any other wooded area. I had ticks crawling on me everywhere after hauling off limbs from a tree my fiancee's grandmother had cut down in her yard at her house in Johnston County. Needless to say, ticks are an issue for your pets if they are outside. Our cats stayed inside and we battled fleas there despite assuring that they were flea-free when we brought them in the house. An ounce of prevention's worth a pound of cure with the fleas. Keep your pets treated, for one.
Light traps also help; these are glue sheets enclosed in such a way that fleas will be trapped but pets will not be stuck to the glue. I used to see these in Wal-Mart or wherever but not lately; they can be purchased online though. A light bulb attracts fleas nearby that are not on a pet. They will not leave your pet, their source of warmth and food, but if hopping around loose they are drawn to the light. It's actually possible to get rid of a flea infestation using nothing but several of those light traps - I've actually done this - but you have to remove the pets from the home until there are no more fleas. With your pets there, they are more of a prevention measure. If other animals, domestic or wild, come onto your property they can spread fleas into your yard if they were not there before. The traps will help pick off any that enter your house. Ridding your yard of fleas is another matter of its own...it's a constant battle if you've got pets.
Especially in the woods the ticks are everywhere, not that this isn't a problem in any other wooded area. I had ticks crawling on me everywhere after hauling off limbs from a tree my fiancee's grandmother had cut down in her yard at her house in Johnston County. Needless to say, ticks are an issue for your pets if they are outside. Our cats stayed inside and we battled fleas there despite assuring that they were flea-free when we brought them in the house. An ounce of prevention's worth a pound of cure with the fleas. Keep your pets treated, for one.
Light traps also help; these are glue sheets enclosed in such a way that fleas will be trapped but pets will not be stuck to the glue. I used to see these in Wal-Mart or wherever but not lately; they can be purchased online though. A light bulb attracts fleas nearby that are not on a pet. They will not leave your pet, their source of warmth and food, but if hopping around loose they are drawn to the light. It's actually possible to get rid of a flea infestation using nothing but several of those light traps - I've actually done this - but you have to remove the pets from the home until there are no more fleas. With your pets there, they are more of a prevention measure. If other animals, domestic or wild, come onto your property they can spread fleas into your yard if they were not there before. The traps will help pick off any that enter your house. Ridding your yard of fleas is another matter of its own...it's a constant battle if you've got pets.
Careful if you do remove your pets, the fleas will also feed on you. And the lights will not kill the flea eggs or larvae that hatch. And it is a vicious cycle, that may take months using this system if it succeeds at all.
If you have flea infestation everything has to be treated at once, inside and out, pets, etc. And somtimes done again to catch the larvae that hatched.
Didn't say it was easy to do - just possible. This was in a recently vacated house that we were working on and not living in. Fleas can feed off humans but need fur (as on dogs, cats) to lay their eggs. We had to do a lot more when we dealt with fleas where we were living and with our cats.
One thing that helps is borax - a little borax spread out and worked into the carpet is not going to hurt your pet or you, and it works dries out the fleas' exoskeleton (which makes them hard to kill by crushing them with your fingers) so they will become weaker - you may even start trampling some to death every time you walk. After applying the borax, a few days later if I had a flea on me, I could pick it off and crush it easily. Normally those things are hardy little buggers.
Didn't say it was easy to do - just possible. This was in a recently vacated house that we were working on and not living in. Fleas can feed off humans but need fur (as on dogs, cats) to lay their eggs. We had to do a lot more when we dealt with fleas where we were living and with our cats.
One thing that helps is borax - a little borax spread out and worked into the carpet is not going to hurt your pet or you, and it works dries out the fleas' exoskeleton (which makes them hard to kill by crushing them with your fingers) so they will become weaker - you may even start trampling some to death every time you walk. After applying the borax, a few days later if I had a flea on me, I could pick it off and crush it easily. Normally those things are hardy little buggers.
Did not say it was not possible. I said if you succeed at all.
It is a vicious cycle. And no they do not need fur, a carpet will do just fine to lay eggs in, or anything handy near by. 15 yrs as a Vet Tech. and sadly that has not changed.
And yes they are hardy lil' buggers for sure.
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