Archives for December 2022

Best Herbal Flea Spray

December 13, 2022 By admin

For most people who are huge pet lovers, at a point in time, their homes may become flea-infested. This is usually a major cause of concern. Our pets are at risk of frequent bites from these irritating pests. We ourselves are not spared their constant attacks. Finding a lasting solution may involve our searching frantically for the best herbal flea spray that actually works.

Why Natural Spray

Most people may resort to natural home-made products because these are usually safer and environmentally friendly. Your home may be one busy hub with lots of pets and young kids playing around — kids who are likely to want to get everything into their mouths. So, the last thing you need as a homeowner is a product whose safety level is in doubt.

Many flea spray products are dangerous and may cause health risks to our pets. It’s not advisable that they are used in the home, especially with young kids around. So, our next bet will be preparing our own home-made herbal flea spray product.

Preparing a Home-Made Herbal Flea Spray

We love our pets so much. Buying an over-the-counter product may prove counter-effective, as there are many ill-fated side-effects from the chemical-based flea spray products being put on there. The last thing we want is hurting our pets in the process of getting rid of their fleas.

So, we settle down to creating our own herbal flea spray. Done in the right way, our home-made product may actually rank in the best herbal flea spray in the market. To create yours, take the following steps:

1. Thinly slice fresh lemons

2. Pour about two pints of boiling water (that should be about 1.2 liters) into a bowl containing the sliced lemons and allow to steep overnight.

3. Drain the lemon water and pour it into a spray bottle.

4. Add a few drops of lemongrass oil and citronella oil.

5. Next, add the apple cider vinegar.

6. Next, add cedarwood oil.

7. Keep this mixture refrigerated for a few hours.

8. Proceed to apply to your pet’s furs. Be sure to shake well before use.

Using Spray on Pets

Ensure prior to spraying anything on your furry friend you contact your vet. Spray the mixture on your pet’s coat. Be careful to avoid spraying their eyes. Now, run your fingers through your pet’s fur to ensure the mixture reaches all areas. Applying this homemade flea spray once in three days will help protect your pets from fleas.

Our Top Herbal Flea Spray Picks

Maybe you’re too busy to prepare your own flea spray product. Then you can try out these products.

Greenfort Biospray: This is an all-natural flea spray for dogs and cats. It blocks the movement of fleas, stops the process of their breathing, and heals the wounds and skin damages occasioned by flea bites on your pets. It is made from Rosemary oil, Tea tree oil, and Granium oil. It is safe and effective for your pets.
Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Spray: This provides all-round protection for your pets and their immediate environment. It is made primarily from clove and peppermint oil. It fights active infestations and provides on-going protection. It can be used on upholstery, beddings, pillows, blankets, and carpets. You can also spray on outdoor patio rugs and furniture.
Sentry Natural Flea Spray: This is an all-natural flea spray prepared from the best plant-based ingredients such as peppermint, thyme oil, and clove oil. It is very effective against fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, giving your pets all-round protection.

There are many more herbal products that may find their way to our best herbal flea spray compilations from time to time. So, you can either prepare your own homemade herbal flea spray from the recipe we’ve outlined for you, or you can try out the recommended products we’ve introduced to you, or better still, you can ask your Vet for a recommendation.

Can You See Fleas

December 12, 2022 By admin

Vampires have recently come into popularity with some wishing to even be bitten! This article is about a different and far less desirable type of vampire, fleas. They feed on blood and creep into homes. However, can you see fleas?

Fleas

Fleas are tiny creatures; hence, the question can you see fleas? They are brown insects with flat bodies, and a conspicuous back leg in place of wings. They make it into your home by hitchhiking on your pets’ skin since they are excellent jumpers.

Their Bites

A flea bite isn’t as painful as a wasp sting, but it sure leaves its mark. You feel itchy, and your body begins to swell in affected regions. These vampires are not that much interested in you; they are more interested in your pets. A bite every 5 minutes keeps your cat or dog itchy, sore, and uncomfortable. All the blood loss also causes your pet to get anemia and look pale.

Female Fleas

Female fleas lay up to 50 eggs per day. They stay out of your way and can survive for 100 days. So, a problem that started with only a few fleas can become a big announcement by a larger population of fleas screaming, “can you see me.” Fleas hide in beddings, carpets, and furniture bases. When searching for fleas, be on the lookout for small dark spots known as flea dirt, a mixture of blood and feces (all that sucking has to go somewhere right.)

Signs of Infestations

Scratching: Is your cat or dog getting frustrated and angry from scratching all the time? Fleas hide in thick furs and can spread to several places like the back of the head and neck and even to armpits. This excessive scratching could be a pointer to an invasion.
Restlessness: When your lazy cat starts staying awake longer, or your dog starts getting irritated and restless, it could be because of a flea infestation. All that fur that covers your pet comes at a cost.
Hair Loss: Not yours, you are only getting older. But when you start noticing hair losses in your pets, your flea problem just got more serious.
Reddened Patches: Flea bites look like small red spots and appear in lines. If you notice this on your pet’s body, you have a flea problem.

Treating an Infestation

Now that you are sure fleas have invaded your house, you can get rid of them by following the steps outlined:

Vacuuming: Usually, this is the most effective home method to combat flea invasion. All furniture should be moved, and hidden places exposed. The vacuum bag should be thrown away after vacuuming. Vacuuming is much more important than just cleaning the area and removing flea dirt – the force it exerts causes flea larvae to emerge from their hiding places, making your job effective. Depending on the seriousness of your flea problem, repeat vacuuming every other day for 10 days to a month.

2. Treating your dog or cat: Use a fine-tooth comb to inspect your pets’ fur carefully. Look closely for fleas in all of its forms: eggs, larvae, and adults. Dispose of any fleas you find in a bowl of hot soapy water. And be sure to enlist the help of your vet to determine the proper medication for your pets.

More Treatment Options

3. Washing or changing all beddings and pet beddings: this is quite straightforward; changing beddings completely is to be considered when dealing with heavy infestations.

4. Using dish soap: this involves trapping fleas in dish soaps. To prepare this, you would fill a bowl with a mixture of warm water and dish soap, when you are done, place it in the areas where you suspect high flea activity. Water and dish soap mixes to form a solution that acts as a glue, trapping fleas. This method should be repeated daily. It is most effective at night because fleas are nocturnal creatures.

Now that you can see fleas; they don’t have to make life miserable for you and your pet.

How Long Do Flea Bites Last on Babies

December 9, 2022 By admin

Your baby spends lots of time either in his or her crib or on the floor. If you get to notice any bumps or strange, tiny bite marks on their then it is likely to be a bite. Pets are fun to be with and are in fact friends to your babies. However the pests that typically accompany them such as fleas makes bonding hard. It is important as a parent that you identify flea bites on your baby early. It is normal to get worried but what you shouldn’t do is to ignore the problem. Ignoring bites can be painful and severe for your baby.

How long will the flea bites on your baby last?

When a flea bites your baby, wheals are likely to form around the bitten area (skin in the immediate area rises). Normally these fade in a few hours. However, within 24 hours an itchy welt could appear and fades within 48-72 hours. Scratching the flea bite at this point won’t make things any better.

The immediate reaction of the baby to flea bite is the whealing which occurs within the first 2-4 hours and is meant to fade quickly without causing much irritation. A delayed reaction, however, could last up to 7 days after the welt must have replaced the wheal. The welts are extremely itchy. They should start fading from the second day but there are cases where they persist in young ones for up to a week and even after fading still leave a pale red mark which could last for another week.

Secondary infections

You should know that rubbing on the flea bites on your babies can retrigger the wheals and even prolong its healing. Also, if lesions appear, do not scratch them. Scratching can break open their tender skin, release fluid and even cause crusting. This could predispose your young one to a secondary infection with usually presents in the form of lesion filled with pus in the form of boils. It could take up to 4 to 6 weeks for infections to heal and even when they do, the skin in that area could still be discoloured for a while longer. Some babies, however, are immune to flea bites. For such babies, they could get away with only a slight reddening of the skin, which usually fades within minutes to few hours.

First aid treatment for flea bites on babies

There are a few things you can do immediately you notice your baby has been bitten.

Use a strip of cotton wool soaked in baking soda solution and apply pressure to the bite area. This would help reduce pain and inflammation
Hot or cold compresses could help relieve the pain
If the baby is in pain and crying, you should apply a soothing lotion such as calamine lotion or aloe vera lotion to help relieve the pain

Essential oils from natural plant products like tea tree oil mixed with carrier oils like coconut oil and sweet almond oil can be applied on the bite site to reduce inflammation as well as prevent potential infection. Always consult a pediatrician before introducing new things to your baby.

How Do You Get Rid of a Flea Infestation

December 8, 2022 By admin

Fleas are a major headache for pet owners all around the world. They bring flea bites, infections and secondary infections along with them. But the worst part is that they bring along a lot of itching. Moreover, fleas reproduce at a very fast rate. They spend only 5 percent of their total lifetime on host body and during this time they can reproduce from 1 flea to 1000 fleas in 20 days. Moreover, fleas can lay eggs in almost all kind of fabrics which include your carpet, bedding, blankets, cloths and the list goes on. The most obvious question is “How do you get rid of a flea infestation?”

Fleas on Animals

According to a fact, fleas that you see in your animal’s coat are only 5 percent of the total population of fleas living in your home. And if you don’t do anything fast this population will flood your home. Here comes the most important question “How do you get rid of a flea infestation?” While you can kill a great population of flea on your pets by using anti flea sprays and shampoos, there are less, and more hectic solutions required to do same for your home. A flea spray or shampoo would only make your animal resistive against fleas and that too for 3-4 weeks only. To make your home resistive against fleas you would have to do some extra treatments.

Keep Fleas from Your Home

To keeps fleas off your home you would have to follow some steps depending on conditions in your home. Starting with the flooring if you have a tiled or wooden floor you would have to clean it by using a floor cleaner. Sometimes fleas can lay their eggs in cracks between the floors. If you have carpeting, then try to vacuum and wash it on regular basis. You would also have to vacuum your rugs and other furniture such as sofas and couches. You can also use carpet sprays. Since flees love dark places so use flea sprays and flea bomb in carpets, lining of furniture, under the furniture and cervices etc.

You can also fog your house in order to kill the infestation. Fogging can keep your house resistant to fleas for up to 7 months but in the end, it depends on the intensity of fogging and size of your house.

Fleas in the Yard

To make your yard flea free you would have to spray your yard with anti-flea spray regularly. Also, you would have to mow your lawn on regular basis because fleas love long grass. You can also plant trees such as mint, Echinacea, eucalyptus, lavender, garlic, tea tree, basil, cedar wood and citrus plants. These are not harmful for your pets and release fragrances which are disliked by the fleas, so they act as anti-flea.

Try to wash your pets bedding regularly. When doing a flea treatment always throw your vacuum bag after every cycle because fleas can hatch inside that bag as well. Wash all your pet toys and if you can’t wash them throw them out and bring new ones because you don’t want to make your pet angry. Most important make all above mentioned steps a habit or else it will happen again. We hope that you got your answer to “How do you get rid of a flea infestation?”