OMG!!!!!!! Fleas!!!!!!!!!

YUCK YUCK YUCK my 6 month old pup has fleas. I just gave him a flea bath and vacuumed everywhere. Took out his bedding and all our bedding and vacuumed our bed (moved everything to the basement of the apt to be washed in hot water) What do I have to do to make sure I get rid of these things. The only other time I've been around fleas was when I was really little and my mom's cat had them. I'm totally freaked out and my husband is mad.

Owning an animal almost always is going to involve fleas. To control them, contact your vet -- most will recommend using a topical flea and tick killer like Advantage, Frontline or Stronghold which you can get from your vet or buy elsewhere but be very, very sure to get the correct dosage for the weight of your cavalier (hence it is wise to go directly to your vet initially perhaps. You don't need an appointment, usually they just sell them at the front desk). Stornghold also works against worms and you should be regularly worming your puppy (ask your vet about this as well if you haven;t been doing this -- puppies in particular can keep getting reinfested with worms :shock.

Do not use the cheaper wormers or flea remedies such as those from Hartz -- there have been known problems with some of these and some also don't work very well. Flea collars also don't work that well and can be very irritating to many dogs. The occasional flea bath can work for very mild cases.

You need to put bedding etc through a boil wash to kill flea eggs and vacuum thoroughly. Sometimes you will need to treat the inside of the house as well but this is fairly rare.

See http://www.canismajor.com/dog/critter.html

I use Frontline TopSpot on all the cats & dogs - I apply it once per month. Last year in December I found a flea. It began as a mild winter until the middle of January. So for the first time ever, I used the treatment over winter too.

If you start using a monthly flea treatment on your pup (such as Frontline Plus from the vet) you'll never have problems with fleas again. Frontline Plus guards against Ticks and Lice as well.

Thanks everyone. I'm freaking out a little less now. I vacuumed till past midnight last night and then again this morning before work. Tonight I'm going to wash everything.

Barney, touch wood , hasn't had any fleas yet but he get's flea treatment regular from the vet. I take him in to get weighed and they give me the right amount. You will also need to treat the house, and any other pets that you have.