Flea problem

[User no longer member.]

Are flea infestations usually a problem in France or is this year a particularly bad one?

We used Frontline but switched to Advantix for dogs & Advantage for the cats, we hoover them and go through them with a flea comb every day... our puppy made friends with a Hedgehog and we know when he's been sniffing it out as he comes in covered in fleas and we have to start all over again!!

Hoovering, disinfecting & spraying hasn't helped in the house so we bought fumigation smoke bombs and blitzed every room a couple of days ago - still found fleas in one bedroom though even with the animals banished so now at a total loss what to do about it.

Our French neighbours tell us that they use the smoke bombs every spring time... whether the house needs it or not!!  Maybe this is the way to go to kill all the eggs etc.

How often can Advantix be used on the dogs - done them 2 weeks ago and I'm guessing that the fleas we find on them will not breed - am I right in thinking this?

[Callie]

Hedgehogs are nortorious for fleas !

How long have you lived in your house ? It sounds as if they may have taken up residence, in which case the total fumigation idea is not a bad one. Once you have got rid of the adults and any remaining larvae, the fleas should be easier to control. Did the previous owner have pets??

Fleas here haven't been any worse than last year, though up until tghen, we had never had a problem. Perhaps fleas like the grotty summers !

[ali-cat]

We were advised to treat our cats with Advantage because of ear mites - what we discovered was that it did not work as well as Frontline on fleas.  Our cats became infested with fleas until we started using Frontline again.  Now we alternate between the two & it seems to be the best solution. 

[User no longer member.]

We moved here in January, the house had been empty for a couple of years and I do believe she had a dog.  We have been ripping the floorboards up recently for re-wiring, plumbing etc... maybe the fleas were disturbed!

I can't beleive how normal they seem now - I would have freaked out in UK and just hope they don't surface when friends from England come to visit next week!!!

I'm definately going to fumigate every spring time from now on ... and if I can find where our hedgehog has taken up residence I'll maybe ship him next door, although he is rather cute and of course I've nothing better to do with my time than de-flea the dogs!

[passepartout]

Good morning folks

was reading this and thought I had better invest in some  of these flea smoke bombs/ fumigate can someone advise what they are called in French and where to buy them,thanks

[User no longer member.]

Hi, can't remember what they are called, there are several different makes although you will find them with flea sprays etc.  They are in a small cannister/can and you just remove the lid and set it alight.  Stand on an old piece of tile or something similar though or you will burn your floor and make sure that no animals are left in the room whilst you fumigate (I've done both and had to retrieve the cat 5 minutes into the process... a scary thing to do as you can't see or breathe through the smoke!!)

Mine cost me about 8 Euros each and it will tell you how many cubic metres it will cover in the small print.

Hope this helps.

Incidentally, I'm still finding the odd flea in just one room - can anyone tell me if this is normal or should I do it again?

[Christine Animal]

Usually called a "fogger anti-puces" or "fogger habitat", can be purchased at the vet's or at pharmacies selling produits vétérinaires, or online.

Just an example, but there are others http://www.canineo.com/fogger-pour-habitation-vetoscience_p1989.html

 

Don't forget to also remove all food and water bowls, etc.  The fogger can be stopped by pulling the little lever up if the room is small and continued in another room.

 

[5-element]

EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!

I thought I read on the hedgehog forums, that hedgehog fleas are host-specific - so I assumed they would leave me, my husband, or the cat, alone - but now I have 2 of the little blighters in my garage, can I expect a plague of fleas??? Somehow I thought all the fleas would stay with their primary host. Each hedgehog having its own set of fleas. Anything I should do?[+o(]

Edit: Fogging hell! Thank you Christine, I had no idea that such thing existed. Looks like I'd better stock up.

I'm already beginning to itch now.

[Megan le Fey]

[quote user="5-element"]

EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!

I thought I read on the hedgehog forums, that hedgehog fleas are host-specific - so I assumed they would leave me, my husband, or the cat, alone - but now I have 2 of the little blighters in my garage, can I expect a plague of fleas??? Somehow I thought all the fleas would stay with their primary host. Each hedgehog having its own set of fleas. Anything I should do?[+o(]

Edit: Fogging hell! Thank you Christine, I had no idea that such thing existed. Looks like I'd better stock up.

I'm already beginning to itch now.

[/quote]

I recently emailed one of the hedgehog rescues for advice when one of my dogs began worrying the poor little things.  Amongst other things they told me that hedgehog fleas are definitely host-specific.  Since we came to this house 5 months ago we have not had any fleas although I often overnight hedgehogs that I have taken out of Ollie's mouth so I shouldn't think you will have a problem.

[Panda]

I agree with the above, my dog is also a part time hedgehog worrier and has not had a single flea this year.  I dumped frontline about a year ago now and since then have not seen one flea, before that my poor old cat had an awful time as she is hyper allegeric and a single flea bite causes her to lose fur and have terrible skin.  I've not had a single problem with her or the dogs and I've been using avantix and avantage all year round.

EDIT: According to my vet Frontline has lost it's strength in some areas because the same ingredients have been used as insecticide in fields in these parts, might be why Ali-Cat and I get different results with it.

[caro]

A good way to keep fleas at bay is to give your dogs garlic tablets with their food every day. Frontline them first (or whatever you need to do to kill the fleas) and then start garlicking them right away. Once the infestation is dealt with, the garlic helps prevent reinfestation. I started doing this with my three dogs 5 years ago, and have never had a problem. It's a lot healthier than using noxious chemicals all the time. Good luck!

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Our vet (last week) told us this year has been very bad for fleas.

We'd been using Frontline, but to no avail. According to our vet, she believes that as Frontline is the oldest flea treatment of its kind on the market, the fleas have adapted to it and it has minimal effect. Before June we were having massive problems, even resorting to tweezers and picking them off daily. Then we tried Avantix (I think it's caled) and haven't looked back. We treated the dogs only and within two days they were clean Within a week the house had no signs of fleas at all.

[chocccie]

Fleas around my area have been worst I've seen them.  The dogs and cats were covered in them.  Frontline wasn't working so we switched to Advantix for the dogs and Advantage for the cats.  After the initial application of one then another two weeks later, they now get treated every month.  You shouldn't used these treatments regularly more frequently then monthly as they are very powerful.

[ali-cat]

I would like to take back my earlier comments about Frontline working well for all our cats.  Our house has now offically become a flea rest home!!  Heading out to buy some advantage .... & hopefully something to stop this bl**dy itching!!  

[caro]

Don't ever use it on rabbits. It can kill them instantly which makes you wonder what long-term effects it might have on other animals!

[Llantony]

Did you really manage to hoover cats?  Mine run a mile at the sound of a hoover.  We have a flea problem too but they only bite me, I have been covered in bites and my husband hasn't any.

Presumably the bombs don't kill the eggs?

[Callie]

That's interesting, I didn't know that, Megan. I have seen two different types of flea on our dogs, one brown type that crawl through the fur, and, a couple of tiles, a tiny black thing that hopped !

We had a problem this summer with the brown jobs. So i treated the dogs with Frontline Combi which also kills the eggs. Then I used an ordinary insect spray on any mat or rug where the dogs had lain. Hey presto, the problem seems to have been solved. But I will probably need to repeat the treatment as the eggs can lie dormant for months.

[oscar]

I'm relieved to hear that this year is supposed to have been particularly bad - our two young cats have been totally infested, as have WE!!!!  We've been using Frontline but it doesn't keep them free for the month that it's supposed to last - they're both scratching like mad again now and we only did them about two weeks ago.  Where can I buy Advantage?  Our vet doesn't seem to stock anything except Frontline.

[Callie]

Oscar, you have to make sure you kill the eggs which can hatch out at any time. So even if you rid your animals of fleas for a time, anywhere they have been lying (mats, their beds, your beds, chairs etc etc) could have eggs. These eggs can lie dormant for a while so it is important to treat all areas.