Why isn’t flea treatment working on my dog? The Ultimate Guide

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How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home

Flea treatment goes beyond simply getting rid of the specimens on your dog. If a treatment only shows temporary relief, it is possible that fleas are living somewhere in your home and are getting on your pet after treatment. If you find that there are fleas in your home, here is what you can do.

  • Vacuum your house. Using a vacuum can get rid of fleas as well as their eggs. Be sure to focus on areas where your dog frequently hangs out. You should especially target carpets, furniture, and cracks in wood flooring. These are good hiding spots for fleas. If the infestation is severe, you should vacuum daily.
  • Steam clean the carpets. If there is a major flea problem in your home, you may have to steam clean your carpets. This will kill adult fleas, but it may not remove all the eggs. Multiple cleaning may be necessary.
  • Use hot and soapy water to clean the dog bed. If your dog sleeps indoors, you should use hot, soapy water to wash their bedding. This will kill the fleas. If your dog frequently lays in other beds, you should give that bedding the same treatment.
  • Use an insecticide. You can potentially use a spray for indoor flea treatment. You should do this when no one is inside and should make sure there is no contact to the sprayed areas until it is dry. Use a spray that contains permethrin, which kills adult fleas, as well as methoprene, which kills eggs, larvae, and pupae.

    • Flooding your yard is a great way to get rid of fleas as well as flea dirt.

    What is the flea lifecycle and why does it matter?

    Fleas are one of the most common parasites that vets see in practice, in particular Ctenocephalides felis (opens in new tab) (the cat flea). This insect can infect cats, dogs and rabbits as well as biting humans too, causing itchiness but also transmitting disease (opens in new tab).

    The flea life cycle is the term used to describe the stages that fleas go through to develop from eggs to mature adults. It’s important to understand this in order to tackle your parasite problem effectively, as discussed in scientific reviews such as this one (opens in new tab). Let’s explore this idea in more detail.

    Adult fleas live mostly on your pet, although they may jump back off and spend some time in your house too. They lay tiny white eggs on your pet, which fall off into the carpet, but they may also lay eggs between the floorboards, in cracks in the tiles, and under the sofa — anywhere dark and hidden. These eggs hatch into little caterpillar-like larvae, which feed on dust, debris, and poo from the adults.

    Once they’ve grown large enough, the larvae pupate, spinning a camouflaged cocoon from carpet fibres and dust. In the pupa, they transform from this caterpillar-like legless larva into an adult flea with long legs for jumping and an appetite for animal blood. They may then hatch or — if they sense conditions aren’t right — they could wait in the cocoon, protected, for several months if necessary. None of the flea products on the market can kill flea pupae.

    There are three important things to note here:

  • Fleas go through four life stages
  • Only a very small proportion of the infestation is the adult fleas on your pet
  • None of the flea-killing products can get through the cocoon and kill the pupa

    • Amazon Prime Day deal: K9 Advantix II Flea and Tick Prevention for Large Dogs RRP: $59.98 | Now: $31.52 | Save: $28.46 (47%) (opens in new tab) Keep your dog protected from pesky parasites for a quarter of the year with this great deal on a four pack of topical treatments from Advantix. Suitable for pups weighing 21 – 55 lbs, its easy to apply and starts working within 12 hours.

    You might think these signs are emblematic of a problem with an oral medication, however, Verbrugge says, these reactions are most common when an animal licks off the topical flea medication that’s been applied to the hair and skin. Other signs that your animal has licked off the topical medication are drooling and foaming at the mouth. Some medications can cause mild oral irritation or ulceration in the mouth if licked in large quantities.

    Fleas are extremely unwelcome intruders for pet and owner alike. When these pesky little biters make their way onto your pet and into your home, it takes some heavy duty stuff to get them gone.

    Occasionally, these symptoms can also occur as the result of oral medications, said Milosevic. That’s because animal proteins—pork, beef, etc.—are sometimes used as non-active ingredients in order to make medications more appealing to the animal. Your dog or cat may experience a flare-up of symptoms if it has a food allergy to any of these proteins. : Irina Kozorog / ShutterstockMuscle Tremors and Seizures

    Of all the negative side effects related to a topical reaction to flea medication, redness and itching are perhaps the least serious, said Dr. Cherie Pucheu-Haston, an associate professor of veterinary dermatology at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. She says reactions like these may be treated at home by simply washing the applicate site to remove the topical product. : Nataliia Dvukhimenna / ShutterstockLoss of Hair

    Of all topical side effects, loss of hair is the most common, said Dr. Milivoj Milosevic, a veterinary dermatologist from Seattle and adjunct professor of dermatology at Washington State University. Milosevic adds that hair loss is particularly common in cats. Like redness of the skin, hair loss is not considered an emergency, but you and your vet should find a new medication for your afflicted pet. : nittaya12122508 / ShutterstockBiting Around the Base of the Tail

    Episode 75: Why Isn’t Your Flea Treatment Working?