Essential Oils Flea Spray
Got plenty of essential oils in your pantry?
Bring them out and make a homemade anti-flea spray for your dog. For this purpose, you may need a carrier oil like olive or jojoba and some essential oils like eucalyptus, lavender, cedar, or lemon.
Mix equal parts of water and carrier oil, then add a few drops of essential oils to make the spray.
Store it in a bottle and shake well before use. Spray the mixture on your dogs skin generously and see the magic.
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Spray Your Carpet And Furniture
The next best thing you can do to get rid of the fleas on your newborn puppy is to spray your home.
Vets Best Flea and Tick spray has a great plant-based formula that kills fleas, eggs, and larva.
It naturally fights any infestation, whether its in your carpet or your furniture.
Note that this spray isnt safe for puppies under 12 weeks.
Spray each room of your home one at a time and allow for it to completely dry before allowing your puppy to enter. Once the room dries out, it will be safe again for your newborn puppy.
Apply Topical Flea Treatment To Your Puppy
For a long-term solution, you can eliminate fleas with a topical flea treatment for dogs, especially those recommended for your puppys age and size. Remember, medications like these are not yet appropriate for puppies that are too young. Topical spot-on treatments include squeezing a small vial of goo and applying it to the nape of your dogs neck. These types of medicines can take 12-48 hours to kill fleas. Its best to apply flea treatment at least 2 days after the dogs bath, to give the dogs skin some time to produce more oil. The natural oil on the dogs skin can help spread the flea treatment over their bodies. Or you can apply it right away , then wait for at least two days before giving your dog a bath.
One vet-recommended dog flea drops in the market is Frontline Plus. This flea and tick treatment is available in different variants suitable for small , medium , large and extra-large dogs . Its a formulation made with fipronil and -methoprene to kill adult fleas and ticks and also their eggs and larvae. Its suitable for puppies and dogs 8 weeks and older. One box contains three doses, and just use one dose and it can give your puppy protection for the whole month.
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Keeping The Puppy Clean
Keeping the puppy clean involves several approaches: bathing the puppy in warm water, using a flea comb to mechanically remove the fleas, killing the removed fleas, treating the mother and treating the environment. Let’s see each approach more in detail.
- Bathing the puppy
Bathing the puppy promotes manual removal of the fleas. To make the bathing comfortable it is advisable to use warm water. When the bath is over, the puppy should be gently rubbed with a towel to remove the excess water. The towel rubbing also helps remove some of the remaining fleas.
- Using a flea comb
Flea combs are specifically designed for their purpose. Their teeth are placed closely together to ensure more efficient flea removal. It is important to be organized and comb the fur section by section .
- Killing the removed fleas
Fleas are stubborn, and unless killed, they will come back and re-infest the puppy. There are two efficient ways of killing fleas. The first way is by squishing the fleas between your fingernails and the second way is by throwing them in boiling water.
- Treating the mother
The goal of this step is to prevent re-infecting the pups. If there are more pets in the household, they all need to be treated against fleas. Since some chemicals can be passed on the puppies through the milk, it is important to pay attention to what product you use on the mother. Always choose prescription products formulated for lactating mothers.
- Treating the environment
More About Fleas And Your Puppy
Fleas are small, wingless insects that, despite their inability to fly, can travel huge distances by jumping. To survive fleas must feast on warm blood, and they arent fussy most household pets can be bitten by fleas, and sadly humans are also at risk too.
There are two common species of flea, cat fleas and dog fleas. Surprisingly, despite this naming, both of these species can bite and live on your pets, so in reality it doesnt matter which species of flea has got onto your puppy!
Signs of a flea infestation include:
The best way to keep fleas at bay is to treat your puppy regularly with a good quality flea treatment. There are a number of different options, but not all of them may be suitable for your puppy, so you should check with a Vets4Pets vet as we will be able to give you the most appropriate advice for your pet.
Although the summer is the most common time to see fleas, vets also see peaks in flea populations in winter, when central heating tends to warm up houses. This means that flea protection should be given year round, not just seasonally.
Your vet will help advise you on when to start flea protection, but for most puppies the first treatment can occur once they are six to eight weeks old. The exact age will depend on the type of flea treatment chosen and the weight of your puppy.
Many of the flea preparations your vet can offer will also cover your puppy for a range of other parasites as well, giving you peace of mind.
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Ask The Vet: How To Get Rid Of Fleas From Newborn Puppies
How to get rid of fleas from newborn puppies? The flea is the most common external parasite in dogs. Although fleas prefer dog blood, they are quite happy feeding off humans, too and the presence of fleas causing bites around the ankles is certainly not an unpopular feature in the home. These ubiquitous little creatures are without doubt the single most common cause of medical skin conditions in dogs and, canine skin problems account for more visits to the vet than any other single condition.
A puppy covered in flea dirt
How Can I Get Fleas Off My Puppy
How To Get Rid Of Fleas On Your Dog With Natural Remedies Coconut oil is great for your dog and can be beneficial to him in many ways, including getting rid of fleas. Apple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar is another natural dog repellent recommended by Dogs Naturally magazine. Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.
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How To Prevent Fleas From Infesting My Dog
If youre worried about fleas getting onto your puppy, here are some tips to prevent them from coming into contact with your puppy:
Wash your hands regularly using soap and water. You should also make sure that you dont let your puppy lick your face while grooming yourself.
Always check your dogs coat for signs of fleas. Look closely around its ears, neck, belly, and paws. Any sign of redness indicates that your puppy might already be infected.
Clean up any areas where your puppy frequently licks, such as furniture legs, carpets, and floors. These can become breeding grounds for fleas.
Avoid giving your puppy flea medication unless recommended by your vet. Many drugs contain ingredients that could harm your puppy.
Try not to allow your puppy access to other animals. They can carry fleas between each other.
Dont forget to inspect your puppys bedding. Check underneath the mattress and pillow covers for signs of eggs. Remove any debris found inside.
Finally, always ensure that your puppy gets plenty of exercise and playtime.
Can Fleas Kill Newborn Puppies
When this happens, you can get some medication from your vet that will kill the fleas and keep the fleas away.
Unfortunately, this method is not allowed on newborn puppies and can be quite dangerous for them.
If your newborn puppy has fleas, create a safe homemade flea remedy.
26 Related questions
Weve handpicked 26 related questions for you, similar to «How do i get rid of fleas on newborn puppies?» so you can surely find the answer!
Newborn puppies dont have much fur at all for the first fewdays! Then they begin to get some fur but it is quite rough anddoesnt move. But apart from the lack of nice fur, puppies bodiesare quite soft.
Unlike their eyes, which are born functional but not fully developed, puppies are born deaf.
They cannot hear until 3 weeks or so of age.
During this initial 2 to 3 weeks, your practically blind and deaf pup must navigate the world using scent.
Your dog will be busy nursing and cleaning the puppies for at least the first three weeks after whelping.
Keep the puppies in a warm environment.
One of the most common causes of death in newborn puppies is chilling.
When puppies are born they have no way to regulate their own body temperature.
There is a long-standing myth that touching newborn animals will cause their mothers to reject them.
This is almost never true, and puppies are no exception.
Puppies ears begin to open soon after the eyes do, generally around 14-18 days old.
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Flea Treatment For Puppies
If your puppy has fleas then theres a very high chance that any other animals in the house are also infected. If your puppy is still part of a litter, then its almost certain that the other puppies and their mother will have them too. For the puppies, just follow the advice from stage 1. For older dogs and mum you can use anti-flea medications and prescriptions, but its still important to be mindful of which ones you chose. If mum is still milking then some of the chemicals can be transmitted to the litter, so make sure you use products that are suitable for lactating. These include Revolution and Stronghold they use a chemical called selamectin, which was approved by studies carried out at the Institute for Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology.
Be careful of using any natural or herbal remedies. Speaking to the Natural Resource Defense Council, Dr. Karyn Bischoff, a toxicologist at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, states that They may not work and some arent safe. A few have already been linked to allergies and health problems, and many others have not been researched properly. Stick with more reputable, branded products, and consult your local vet if youre ever unsure.
The Best Flea Treatment For Puppies
First of all, it’s important to know what not to do. A puppies skin and internal organs are too delicate for an anti-flea medication, and using them can lead to unpleasant side-effects including excessive salivation, vomiting, and even depression. Most of these products will state that they are not a suitable flea treatment for puppies. But even if they dont, its still best to stay away from them, and especially if your puppy is less than four weeks old.
Alternatively, veterinarian and AKC Family Dog columnist Jeff Grognet recommends using a flea comb to remove the fleas manually. Start by filling a sink or basin with a few inches of warm water . Place the puppy in the water, making sure you keep them fully supported at all times. Then gently scoop the water over your puppys coat. After a few minutes, place the puppy on a warm, dry towel, and begin running the comb through their fur. Unlike a regular comb, flea combs have finely spaced teeth that trap and remove fleas as you pull it through your puppies coat. Start at your puppies neck and work your way down, paying particular attention to the hind area. Then repeat a few times to make sure you havent missed any. The following video will show you how its done:
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How To Care For Newborn Puppies
If you dont spay your female dog, you may eventually find yourself with an expectant pooch on your hands. Although puppies are cute and cuddly, there is a lot of care that goes into their development in the first couple of weeks. These are some things to know if you ever have to care for newborn puppies.
Get Rid Of The Fleas In The House
If your puppy has fleas, your home will, too. Theyll be in the puppys bedding, in the carpet, and probably in your bed. If you dont get rid of them in the house, itll only be a matter of time until they find their host and lead to further flea infestation. Heres how you can prevent that from happening:
- Vacuum the entire house, moreso the high-traffic areas that your puppy uses. Use a vacuum with a bag to avoid having contact with the fleas you pick up. If its not possible, be very careful with the vacuums contents when emptying to prevent spreading the fleas.
- Once vacuumed, use a steam cleaner to clean all non-washable material, like the carpet and upholstery. The combination of soap and heat is afleas enemy.
- Wash all of the bedding and curtains, including the puppys bed and your own.Use hot water before drying them on the highest heat possible. The extreme heat will kill any fleas and their eggs.
- Use an insecticide aerosol spray to cover the areas that may not have otherwise been accessible. Be very careful with insecticide as it can be harmful to you and the animals in the house. Keep everyone away from the area thats being sprayed until the insecticide is completely dry.
While this process can be tedious, its the best way to rid your young puppies of their nasty pests without endangering them, leaving you with a happy and healthy pup.
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Are Dog Flea Products Safe For Puppies
Many flea control products that are safe for adult dogs are not safe for younger puppies. Check the labels for age restrictions before using dog flea products on your puppy.
Though it isnt a long-term solution, one of the safest products on the market to kill adult fleas in puppies as young as 4 weeks of age and weighing as little as 2 pounds is Capstar. This product wont have lasting effectiveness, but it has been used for years and is even safe for pregnant and nursing females.
Once a puppy is around 6 weeks of age, some products that work for longer periods of time can be applied. Revolution is one example, but check with your veterinarian for the best option for your puppy.
If your puppy is too young for flea products, you can follow these tips while using Capstar:
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Use a fine-toothed, metal flea comb to remove adult fleas from your pet. Then put the fleas into a basin of soapy water, which will suffocate them so they can be safely disposed of.
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Give your pet frequent baths to help control flea outbreaks, but avoid shampoos made specifically to treat fleas, as these can be too strong for young puppies.