How using flea shampoo can make your flea control problems worse

simon — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:57:59 +0000

There is a staggering number of different flea shampoos out there that claim to be effective against fleas. And that is probably true – most of these shampoos will contain an active ingredient that is toxic to adult fleas, and so will kill the fleas on your pet. However, none of these products will last longer than a couple of days maximum. So unless you plan on bathing your pet every other day, you will need to use something else to help control the fleas.

The problem is that excessive bathing will reduce the efficiency of any top-spot product that you use. All of these products are bound to the oils in your pet’s skin. Bathing your pet removes these oils, and the flea control product along with it. This is especially true for shampoos not specifically designed for pets’ skin, or those with harsh chemicals. Some flea shampoos will fall into either one of these (or both) categories.

If you have bathed your pet with any shampoo, you need to wait for the coat to be dry before application, otherwise your flea control product will not work properly. Another big no-no is to bath your pet within 48 hours of application. Doing this will wash off a large amount of product.

When it comes down to it, flea shampoos are really unneccesary. If you use a high quality flea control product like one of the ones I recommend, then you shouldn’t really need to use a flea shampoo at all.

If you really feel the need to wash your pet for fleas, or if your pet has another reason that it needs regular bathing, try to do it less than once a week. Any more frequent than this, and you are probably reducing the efficiency of your chosen flea control product.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/utahdarkhorse/3579825211/

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How using flea shampoo can make your flea control problems worse