FACTS:

• An adult flea is capable of consuming 15 times it’s bodyweight in blood per day and can lay up to 50 eggs daily. The eggs fall into the animals environment and after 2-12 days hatch into larvae. For the next 8-21 days the larvae feeds on flea feaces and go through 3 more stages of development, ending with the pupa stage.

• The pupa can lay dormant for 200 days where the eggs first dropped, ie; carpet, car, backyard and hatch into young fleas in response to vibration caused by the movement of an animal or person.

• Adult fleas can live for 2 months with no food or up to 8 months with food.

• So as you can see, these pesky little critters are sure cut out for survival, so remember to also treat your dogs environment to keep flea numbers under control.

• All stages of flea life can be killed by heat, so for bedding, rugs, carpets, etc. Use hot soapy water, high settings on clothes dryers or steam cleaning.

Natural treatments can work equally effectively as the chemical products but will require more frequent use than the artificial treatments. It always concerns me with anything topical that warns you to avoid contact with the skin, yet it is poured onto the animal's skin (why is this supposedly okay, I wonder?). Personally, I do not like to use anything that is not safe for human skin contact also.

Please contact Greenpet on 07 5449 1453 or send an email for more information on natural treatments.

Regular grooming and running through the coat with a flea comb is a cheap and easy way to catch fleas.

Natural diet is also preferred, so ensure your dog and cat is fed only natural food and supplement with garlic and Vitamin B complex.

Products such as Greenpet Nutritional supplement powder, is great because it is rich in natural, organic minerals and vitamins and also contains garlic.

See ARTICLES for more information on natural diet for dogs, cats and horses.