Why can’t I seem to control fleas on my pet or in my home?

Fleas are definitely a frustrating problem for pet owners. Common reasons for treatment failures include not treating all animals in the home every month with an effective flea control product. In addition, the environment should also be treated when a home has a flea infestation. There are four stages in the flea life cycle- the adult flea, egg, larva, and pupa. Many flea products are effective against the first three stages, but the pupa is essentially impossible to kill. These pupae can hatch out when the conditions (temperature and humidity) are right, often weeks to months later. This is why treating your pet one time with a flea preventive will not eliminate fleas. The product typically works, but it has to be reapplied monthly to eliminate newly hatched fleas in the environment. A flea infestation in a home may require three to six months of vigilant flea control to effectively eliminate fleas. Contact us if you need help with these annoying pests. We can make further suggestions as to which products are right for your pet.