Ugh, fleas.

Signey is very allergic to fleas, as well as being sensitive to other allergens, and it doesn't take very many to make her chew and itch. This summer I finally took Signey to the vet and got her a prescription for Comfortis, which is a flea treatment in pill form. It. Is. Amazing. I highly recommend talking to your vet about this treatment, especially if you have a problem with fleas and the other products are no longer working for you.  

Now for anyone who has treated their dog (or cat) for fleas and is wondering why they are still seeing fleas on their pets or in the house, if you have an infestation you must treat your house to get rid of the infestation. Flea treatments do not create a barrier that keeps fleas from biting them, it only kills them once they've already bitten. 

Signey chews and scratches herself long after the fleas are dead and gone, so I took her back to the vet for a cortisone shot and antibiotics. The way it was explained to me is that it is not the flea bite that makes your pet itch, its the flea saliva. And once your pet starts scratching at the bites, they cause small scratches that then become infected and make them scratch more. Breaking this cycle can be as simple as giving your dog a soothing medicated bath, or as costly as taking your pet to the vet for medicine. 

My process to treat against infestation:

1. Bug "bomb" the house. I have found that this is the best way to kill all the live fleas.

2. Vacuum and treat the carpets with a flea powder, which will prevent future infestations (usually for a couple of months to a year, depending on the product and the frequency of vacuuming)

3. Bathe any pets that can have fleas with a flea shampoo. Its best to do this while you are bombing the house, since you and the animals need to be out of the house, and that way the animals wont re-infest the house with any fleas on their bodies. 

4. Give your pet their flea treatment. If you are using a topical treatment, you may have to wait a day or two to apply the treatment. This is another reason I like comfortis. Also, if you use comfortis, you may not even need to bathe your dog. Within 12 hours of giving Signey the pill, there were no live fleas on her. 

5. Follow up. Continue to give your pet their flea treatment on time, at least once a month. Summertime is the worst time for fleas, and many pet owners can get away with treating their pets only every couple of months during the late fall, winter, and early spring. If you treat your carpets in the springtime, and at least once more during the summer, you will lessen the risk of infestation.