“That Dirty Dog” (How to Get Fleas Fleeing!)

I’ve been itchin’ to write this article!

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

But seriously, fleas are skilled in interrupting the pleasant, jubilant lives of our Cavapoos. 

How could something so incredibly tiny inflict so much pain and misery to our Cavapoo friends?

  

Here are some important points on how to put those troubling pests on the run!

Amazing Flea Facts

I found the following fun facts about fleas from Suburban Exterminating. Click here to be carried to their site.

• Fleas can leap more than 150 times the length of their body (adult fleas are about 1/8 of an inch long). 

• They can jump 30,000 times without taking a break. 

• When they jump, they accelerate 50 times faster than a space shuttle! 

Their jumping skills are crucial to their survival.

Terminix reveals the following data about these monstrous pests.

• There are 325 species of fleas in the United States. The most common flea is called the cat flea that infects cats and dogs.

• It takes 21 to 28 days for a flea to develop from an egg to an adult flea. 

• Their life span ranges from 2 months to a year.

• They eat 10 to 15 blood meals a day, usually feeding on one cat or dog.

How We Can Know When Our Cavapoos Have Fleas

The answer is obvious. Cavapoos (like other dogs) begin itching, followed by intense scratching, and possibly biting the infected areas.

This is a tell-tale sign of the presence of fleas hiding in the fur of Cavapoos. 

After seeing your Cavapoo scratch, inspect his underside for reddish-brown crawling invaders.

Use a Good Friends Flea Comb to inspect your Cavapoo for fleas, keeping your eyes glued on the neck, tail base, and belly of your dog. 

If you can’t locate fleas on your pooch, then look for flea poop on your dog’s skin. What does flea poop look like? A good description is that it resembles tiny particles of dirt. Flea poop is an indicator that fleas are nearby, rummaging through your dog’s coat.

How Do Cavapoos Get Fleas?

After all, aren’t Cavapoos climate-controlled dogs? 

They don’t routinely wallow around in the grass like outside dogs. 

They also don’t run in canine packs throughout neighborhoods.

So, how do they get fleas? 

Where do Cavapoos get these tiny blood suckers?

Cavapoos Can Get Fleas from Being Outside Briefly

A dog doesn’t have to be an outdoor resident to get fleas.

An inside dog like a Cavapoo will from time to time, go outside with his owner. There’ll be times when you’ll leash him to go outdoors for a bathroom break. And there’ll be times when you both want to go on a stroll.

Outdoors, with all its beauty and appeal, provides a playground for fleas. Shady places in the yard can provide a humid “greenhouse” environment where fleas thrive.

Those little six-legged parasites are waiting for the right moment to mug your Cavapoo.

Here are a few examples:

Your Cavapoo might decide to roll around in the tall grass, which can be full of those irritating insects.

In the fall of the year, fleas can habitat in piles of leaves. And if there’s a mound of leaves in your yard, fleas are there to welcome your Cavapoo as he dives into the middle of the pile. 

And of course, it goes without saying that your Cavapoo may also greet other dogs that race to him to investigate his presence. And, because fleas are trapeze artists, they can easily leap from yard dogs onto the back of your Cavapoo, burrowing in his fur.

The Destruction Fleas Leave Behind

If fleas are not properly treated, the damage left behind can be quite disturbing to a Cavapoo. 

• Misery. Your Cavapoo will be miserable. Have you ever experienced an allergic reaction where you constantly itched? I mean, the only relief is found in a dose of Benadryl. A flea attack is comparable. When the anti-peace, nerve-wracking blood suckers plow their way through your Cavapoo’s fur, a lengthy episode of itching begins.

• Welts and Sores. Because of their persistent mission of misery, fleas are responsible for welts and sores to your Cavapoo. Your beautiful little fur baby will scratch relentlessly seeking to eradicate the problem. He’ll bite areas affected by the tiny monsters. But instead of shrinking or even disappearing, the itching expands and gets massively worse! 

• Disease. Fleas are bloodsuckers that can spread several diseases to Cavapoos. Among the more prominent diseases are FAD or flea allergy dermatitis which results in skin irritation, hair loss, and skin infections; tapeworms which occur when Cavapoos bite or chew areas that are flea infested, thereby swallowing fleas infected with tapeworms; and anemia or low red blood cells that develops when many fleas invade your Cavapoo’s skin. If left untreated, Cavapoos can experience weakness, become lethargic, breathe very fast, and eventually die; Bartonellosis, resulting from a bacteria called bartonella, is a disease-causing fever, nausea, lack of appetite, irregular heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain or altered brain functions.

You can see that the destruction left behind can be massive. It can disturb a Cavapoo’s peace, wreaking havoc to our four-legged family members.

What Options are Available to Evict Fleas?

Certainly, when you’re faced with a flea infestation, you should notify your dog’s veterinarian to seek counsel on choosing the best and most safe options for your pup.

Here’s a good overall plan to get rid of fleas!

The first thing to do when fleas hitch a ride on your Cavapoo to bring those nasty intruders into your home is this: Throw blankets, dog beds, and other articles that your Cavapoo has been on in the washer! Make sure that you put the cycle on HOT water. Then throw them in the dryer and tumble dry on the HOT cycle. Remember fleas cannot live in temps above 95%F.

Then, bathe your dog immediately with a shampoo designed to kill fleas and their eggs. 

Below are some shampoo suggestions from Hepper:

• Best Overall-Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo. You can buy this by clicking on this link to be carried to Amazon.
• Premium Choice-Here are 3 options: Lillian Ruff Flea & Tick Pet Shampoo; Sentry Flea & Tick Shampoo; Wahl Flea & Tick Dog Shampoo.

A follow-up to bathing your dog could include a preventive measure like flea pills. 

• Our veterinarian recommended that we use Trifexis on our Opie, and it has done an exceptional job in keeping fleas at bay. We give Opie one pill a month. You can buy them without leaving the house by clicking this link that’ll send you to Chewy!
• Other good choices are NexGard Chew for Dogs, Capstar Flea Oral Treatment for Dogs, and Simparica Trio Chewable Tablet.

If you prefer, you could opt for a flea collar for your Cavapoo. 

Why choose this avenue of protection? Flea collars give a slow release of chemicals designed to kill fleas and other pests such as ticks. 

However, dogs that are uncomfortable with wearing flea collars always run the risk of biting through the collar and digesting harmful chemicals.

What’s recommended on the market?

Best Products Review gives Best Choice to TevraPet Activate II Flea and Tick Collar for Dogs. It provides 6 months of protection. It’s odorless and waterproof! It kills ticks and fleas and repels mosquitoes. If you’re ready to put a stop to fleas, click on Amazons link and make that important purchase!

There are always spot-on solutions!

There are several topical spot-on solutions available to kill those tiny nagging fleas in a matter of hours. Topical spot-on solutions provide a direct hit to the fleas that are robbing your pup of his needed rest.

Here are a couple suggestions:

• Adam’s Plus Flea & Tick Prevention Spot-On for Dogs.  This excellent product provides protection up to 30 days! That’s a month of peace and comfort for your Cavapoo! Check this product out by clicking Amazon’s link.
• Zodiac Spot-on Flea & Tick Control.  Another great selection offering up to 30 days protection! It also comes in a four-month supply. Visit Amazon for more information on this product!

Remember Flea Powder?

Best Reviews suggests that Zodiac Flea & Tick Powder is the Best of the Best! Check out the price at Amazon!

Here’s a suggestion: Never apply flea powder indoors! And be sure to do it on a day that’s not windy! You want the powder on your pup and not in your lungs!

What About Homemade Treatments and Natural Approaches?

If you don’t want to treat your fur baby with chemically based products, you can always use homemade treatments and natural approaches to exterminate and control fleas. Here are some excellent options.

A Homemade Flea Treatment

The Wildest suggests that you can make a homemade flea treatment by using apple cider vinegar and water mixture (6:4 ratio). Spray it on your dog’s fur, avoiding the ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. 

Natural Approaches in Flea Prevention and Control. 

Note: Keep in mind that just because a product is composed of natural ingredients it could be toxic to dogs. American Kennel Club has an article entitled “Are Essential Oils Safe for Dogs?” that’d be a valuable read. Click here to go to their site.

• Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Spot on Drops comes in a four-month supply. Vet’s Best has a reputation for offering top notch products to help our pets enjoy a healthy life. Read more about this amazing product by visiting this link to Amazon.
• USA Today lists Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Home Spray as tops in the spray category, giving them 4.3 stars out of 5! When used as directed, the peppermint scented spray is safe to spray on your Cavapoo and in the home too! Want to know more? Click here to be carried to Amazon.
• Wondercide offers a natural approach to getting rid of those annoying fleas. They have Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray for Yard & Garden, Flea & Tick Spray, Flea & Tick Spot on, Flea & Tick Collar, and Flea & Tick Shampoo. Visit Amazon to make your purchase by clicking here!
• Furlife offers a collar that provides 8 months protection from fleas and ticks! Follow this link to visit their awesome site. I think you’ll be impressed!

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure!

What if you could prevent fleas from taking up residence on your Cavapoo and in your home? Well, there’s a simple method. 

Follow these steps:

• Treat your lawn with Natural Yard and Kennel Flea and Tick Spray. This natural recipe kills fleas with cinnamon, its main ingredient. Just hook it up to your water hose and spray away! No need to worry about endangering your pets! Click this Amazon link to read more about this product.
• Keep your lawn trimmed. Don’t allow grass to grow too tall. Fleas enjoy the shade that tall grass allows.
• Make sure that you don’t overwater your lawn. Fleas are attracted to moist areas.
• Prune low branches and canopy trees to allow the sun to shine through. Fleas thrive in dark areas.
• Remove clutter from the yard. Fleas gather in wood piles and in other cluttered areas. 
• Try to guard your yard from squirrels, rabbits, deer, and other critters that are flea carriers.

Conclusion

We owe it to our furry friends to eliminate fleas from their environment and from their fur. 

There are so many options available today to rid these annoying creatures from our lives and the lives of our Cavapoos.

Whether you choose a chemically based product, a natural approach, or even a homemade treatment to give your Cavapoo a life free of nagging fleas, exercise caution. 

Do your homework.

My post has given you several options to consider. 

Good options. 

But it’s up to you to make the choice.

Thanks for allowing me to help you make the right choice!

-Howell