Fighting Fleas in Your Home

If you've seen fleas on your dog, chances are there are more in your house. To help eradicate fleas in the home and yard, try these tips:

~ Eliminate fleas on your dog through grooming and medical treatment

~ Vacuum at least once a week. Be especially thorough in areas and rooms that your dog frequents. Vacuum upholstery, area rugs, and in crevices, cracks, and baseboards. If possible, use a vacuum cleaner with a beater bar, a metal cylinder with thick bristles that combs the carpet and can suck up fleas, their larvae, and their eggs. Remove the vacuum bag after each use, seal it, and throw it in an outdoor garbage container.

~ Wash your dog's bedding weekly. If your dog sleeps on a bed that is difficult to wash, keep the bed covered with a sheet or blanket and wash that once a week. Roll the sheet or blanket up as you remove it, so fleas and eggs are contained. Regularly wash your dog's collar and plush toys.

~ Keep floors free of clutter. Don't give fleas places to hide from your attempts to get rid of them.

~ Keep some rooms off limits to your dog to reduce problem areas.

~ Treat severe infestations with flea control products. If your house is severely infested with fleas, you may need to apply a spray or powder directly to carpets, rugs, and upholstered items. Ask your veterinarian about the best and safest products to use. In severe cases, you may need to call a professional exterminator.

~ For nontoxic flea control in the home, use diatomaceous earth. This natural product tears up a flea's exoskeleton and absorbs its body fluids, causing it to dehydrate and die. Diatomaceous earth can be sprinkled on floors and furniture and swept into cracks and crevices. Be sure to use food (or garden) grade and not pool grade. Pool grade diatomaceous earth is treated with chemicals and should not be used for pest control.

~ Rid your yard of fleas. Concentrate mostly on shady areas because fleas don't like sunlight. Remove wet leaves, grass clippings, and other moist vegetation, which is where fleas live. Spray your yard with a commercial insecticide. If you prefer a more natural route, you can release nematodes into your yard. Menatodes are microscopic worms that kill flea larvae. They are available at most pet and garden supply stores.