So, we just brought home the newest member of our family--a sweet little yellow Labrador that ds has for some reason named Lola. I have no idea where the name came from! But it fits her, so that's cool.
Anyway, sweet Lola has fleas. She has been living with her 7 other siblings and her mom on a nice, clean farm owned by friends of ours. She was bathed just before we went to pick her up, and our friends said they used a flea shampoo. We stayed awhile so that she would get to know us on her own turf, and before we left, I noticed fleas crawling all over her! Mind you, this was less than an hour after her bath! She has been predominately an outside puppy for the last month, and we intend to keep her outside FTMP also. We have allergies such that having an indoor pet would not be a great idea.
I know that fleas are part of the territory of pet ownership--that it's likely not possible to have a pet and never have a flea encounter, but it's something that really eeps me out! We are going to take measures to prevent fleas from coming into her new kennel and house--we are going to plant wax myrtles around the kennel, we have a cedar-filled bed for her, and we may buy some cedar chips to sprinkle around the yard of her kennel. So hopefully that will discourage any new fleas from visiting.
But how do we safely, quickly get rid of the ones she already has? Since she is light-colored, they are quite easy to spot; I can't decide if that's a blessing or a curse, LOL! I would like to use a more natural and safer method of flea control than what we saw for sale at the pet store. Not only for Lola's sake, but also because my sweeties can't stop loving on her--and neither can I!
What is safe, quick, and effective? I need a direct-application method to deal with the current problem, then I hope we can prevent future problems. Any advice??
Also, speaking of mosquitos, any waterproof way to combat them naturally? We love playing in our little pool, but ds and I are mosquito magnets (dd appears to have inherited dh's natural resistance to them, thankfully!) and it really puts a damper on our fun!
I would appreciate any advice on both issues! Thanks so much, Mamas!
TIA,
Sarah
Anyway, sweet Lola has fleas. She has been living with her 7 other siblings and her mom on a nice, clean farm owned by friends of ours. She was bathed just before we went to pick her up, and our friends said they used a flea shampoo. We stayed awhile so that she would get to know us on her own turf, and before we left, I noticed fleas crawling all over her! Mind you, this was less than an hour after her bath! She has been predominately an outside puppy for the last month, and we intend to keep her outside FTMP also. We have allergies such that having an indoor pet would not be a great idea.
I know that fleas are part of the territory of pet ownership--that it's likely not possible to have a pet and never have a flea encounter, but it's something that really eeps me out! We are going to take measures to prevent fleas from coming into her new kennel and house--we are going to plant wax myrtles around the kennel, we have a cedar-filled bed for her, and we may buy some cedar chips to sprinkle around the yard of her kennel. So hopefully that will discourage any new fleas from visiting.
But how do we safely, quickly get rid of the ones she already has? Since she is light-colored, they are quite easy to spot; I can't decide if that's a blessing or a curse, LOL! I would like to use a more natural and safer method of flea control than what we saw for sale at the pet store. Not only for Lola's sake, but also because my sweeties can't stop loving on her--and neither can I!
What is safe, quick, and effective? I need a direct-application method to deal with the current problem, then I hope we can prevent future problems. Any advice??
Also, speaking of mosquitos, any waterproof way to combat them naturally? We love playing in our little pool, but ds and I are mosquito magnets (dd appears to have inherited dh's natural resistance to them, thankfully!) and it really puts a damper on our fun!
I would appreciate any advice on both issues! Thanks so much, Mamas!
TIA,
Sarah
