{"id":2128,"date":"2017-08-22T20:28:49","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T00:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=2128"},"modified":"2017-08-22T20:28:49","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T00:28:49","slug":"flea-and-tick-infestation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/22\/flea-and-tick-infestation\/","title":{"rendered":"Flea and tick infestation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Life<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you think nothing worse could happen this year to your animals, then you are just dead wrong! The flea and tick infestation worldwide is worse than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year is the first time that my own dog has had fleas and I use one of the better topicals faithfully. This weekend I noticed some insects coming out of my dog\u2019s fur, well guess what they were! Fleas.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I have never actually seen a live flea before and it came as a very nasty surprise to see them. My dog\u2019s favorite reclining chair is now wrapped in drop cloth plastic after I vacuumed it all over.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You have to find a dog groomer that will use a non-toxic flea bath and you must vacuum everywhere. Make sure that you get rid of the vacuum bag or thoroughly clean out the canister. The eggs that the fleas leave behind will be in your rugs, crevices and other nasty hiding places.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My vet changed the medication from a topical to one that my dog ingests. The fleas started surfacing with an hour or so after being given the medication. Fleas can be likened to submarines, as they come to the surface of the dog\u2019s body and as soon they get there they dive back in. On my dog they were on his back near his tail and in the area of his genitals.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fleas leave behind them their poop, which look like little black specks and when you put some of these specks on a wet piece of paper the area around them turns red. This is the blood the fleas have sucked from your animal!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even when you have killed the fleas just wait! In the life cycle of a flea, from egg to adult is about three months. Per Justanswer.com<\/a>, \u201cFlea eggs can live in the environment for a long time, and the majority of the flea population resides in the environment and not the pet. So continued treatment for your dog in addition to cleaning the environment (vacuuming, steam cleaning, washing blankets, sheets) is important. Completing clearing an infestation can take up to 3 months. Important part is to keep on treating and cleaning.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So be careful and be on the lookout for those fleas and ticks also. They create some very serious problems in getting rid of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n