The Ultimate Flea Prevention Guide When Facing An Infestation in Your Home

We’ve seen dogs with fleas covering their entire bodies and cats that suffer from tapeworms caused by flea bites. Not only will these tiny pests torment your pets, they will also spread around your home and affect other family members too. Armed with the ability to multiply rapidly (up to 50 eggs per day!), you’ll have a hard time getting rid of them.

While some pet owners are ill-equipped to deal with flea infestations, others simply don’t understand the urgency. Some of the common questions we get from our customers are:

• what do fleas look like?
• what problems or diseases will they cause?
• do they pose a problem to affect humans?
• how to check for fleas on my dogs and cats?
• where do they hide around my home?
• what are the best flea treatments?
• how to prevent another flea outbreak in the future?

According to a pet health report done by Banfield Pet Hospital, fleas are the most common form of external parasites (even more than ticks). Since 2006, there has been an increase in flea infestation cases and they are concentrated in the south-eastern states. Besides potentially causing allergic reactions in the furry hosts, these nasty bugs can also pass on harmful diseases with zoonotic risk.

Imagine how much you will have to pay for medical bills (vet & hospital) and pest control! That’s why we have gathered some of the best free resources around the web to answer your questions, and keep your pets (and yourself!) safe from flea infestations.

Introducing The Ultimate Flea Prevention Guide

This ultimate guide is a curated collection of blog posts, articles, and reports for any pet parents. You’ll learn what fleas are, problems they cause, how to identify them (in various places), how to remove and prevent them.

Just click on the chapter you are interested in reading and the page will scroll to that section.
   

Part 1: Fleas Essentials

Image Credit

Chapter 1: Fleas and Their Life Cycle

Do you know only 5% of fleas live in the environment as adults? The rest are in various stages of their life cycle. To avoid a relapse of infestation, you’ll need to understand their life cycles:

• What do fleas look like? | Orkin
• What’s the difference between fleas and ticks? | Pet Guide
• Types of Fleas | Ehrlich
• The life cycle of a flea | R.I.P Fleas
• The flea life cycle and how it guides effective flea control and prevention | Pet Informed

Chapter 2: The Danger Lurking Inside Fleas

Although flea itself is not lethal, its ability to host diseases is. Throughout history, fleas have been the main catalyst for major plagues, such as the infamous Black Death which devastated Europe during the 13^th century:

• Dog flea diseases | Pet Basics from Bayer
• The Dangers of Fleas in Dogs | Pet Place
• Flea-associated illnesses in cats | DVM360
• Fleas: A source of torment for your cat | Cornell University
• Diseases transmitted by fleas | Ehrlich
• What are the dangers of flea infestations to an infant? | Livestrong
• Plague: Ecology and Transmission | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Part 2: How to Check for Fleas

Image Credit

Chapter 3: Your Family Members Aren’t Safe Either

Just as your pets are vulnerable to flea bites, so are your family members. Although humans are typically not flea’s natural host, they’re more than happy to feed on us. Keep an eye out for the symptoms:

• Can people get fleas from their pets? | The Bug Squad
• Can fleas live on people? | ThoughtCo
• Flea bite symptoms | Fleabites
• What does a flea bite look like on human | Fleas Be Gone

Chapter 4: The 411 on Fleas and Your Canine Companion

Dogs are one of the most common victims of fleas. Your canine companion may encounter them in the yard, on walks, at the groomer, or even in the house. It’s important to know how to check your dog and his environment for signs of infestation:

• How do dogs get fleas? | Animal Friends
• 5 ways to check your dog for fleas | PetBucket
• 3 simple ways to check your dog for fleas at home | Puppy Leaks
• What is flea dirt and what does it look like? | Petsho

Chapter 5: How to Spot Fleas on Cats

When people think of flea infestation on pets, they usually think about dogs only. Well, as the name suggests, the cat flea loves to feed on kitty cats just as much as they love to snack on dogs. This section will teach you how to check for fleas on your felines:

• How did my indoor cat get fleas? | Petcha
• How to tell if your cat has fleas | PetBucket
• Physical signs and symptoms of flea infestation on cats | Delightibles
• How to check cats for fleas: 13 steps (with pictures) | wikiHow

Chapter 6: Where Do Fleas Hide in Your Home

Fortunately, fleas leave behind a trail of evidence in their wake. From bites to flea dirt, there are many signs to look out for around your home:

• Where do fleas hide? | Long Time No Flea
• Do fleas live in grass? | Flea Science
• How can you detect a flea infestation? | Beaphar
• Flea inspection guide | DoMyOwn

Part 3: Treating and preventing fleas

Image Credit

Chapter 7: Treating Your Family Members

If you know what you’re looking for/at, it’s easy to spot flea bites on yourself or your family member. Take a close look at some pictures and detailed profiles of symptoms to ensure that you’ll be ready to remove and prevent fleas:

• Flea bites on humans: Symptoms and treatment | Den Garden
• Pictures of flea bites on humans: Symptoms and treatments | Get Rid Pests
• Flea bites on babies: Symptoms, causes, and home remedies | Flea Bites Info

Chapter 8: Flea Treatment and Prevention for Dogs

When it comes to prevention, we stock some great flea treatments (from popular brands) that can help keep your dog safe. We also included some natural preventive methods below as an alternative. A word of warning, you should always speak to a veterinarian before giving any treatments to your dog:

• Flea treatments for dogs | PetBucket
• Fleas: detection, treatment, & prevention | Cesar's Way
• Puppy flea treatment – Best practices | My Sweet Puppy
• Flea and tick medicine for puppies | American Kennel Club
• 6 ways to naturally prevent and get rid of fleas on dogs | Everyday Roots

Chapter 9: Flea Treatment and Prevention for Cats

We offer a wide range of flea treatments for feline too! Just as the case is with canines, there are alternative methods available for treating fleas on your cat. Again, always speak with a vet before making any final decisions:

• Flea treatments for cats | PetBucket
• Fleas on your cat? Here's how to handle the problem | The Spruce Pets
• Fleas and flea control in cats | International Cat Care
• How to safely remove fleas from kittens | Petful
• 5 natural ways to prevent & get rid of fleas on cats | Everyday Roots

Chapter 10: Indoor, Outdoor, and Car

Not sure how to go about getting rid of fleas in problematic areas outside of the house? We’ve got you covered. From the car to the dog bed, and back out into the yard, we’ve found you a comprehensive list of resource information on how to spot, remove, and prevent fleas in and around your home:

• Best ways of getting rid of fleas: A complete guide of effective flea control | Stop Pest Info
• How to de-flea your home | PetBucket
• Controlling fleas and ticks around your home | Environmental Protection Agency
• How to kill fleas in a home: 13 steps (with pictures) | wikiHow
• Your backyard wildlife habitat: Begin in spring to control fleas | Patch
• How to control fleas and ticks outside | WebMD
• Outside flea removal: In 4 easy steps | Fleas B Gone
• How to kill fleas in a car | Advantage Pest Control

We hope our guide to flea prevention for your home. What did you think of the guide?

Or maybe you still have an unanswered question.

Feel free to let us know by leaving a quick comment below right now.

Feature image credit