Flea treatment in Amersfoort: know what you are dealing with
The flea that turns up most in Dutch homes is the cat flea, and it is just as happy on dogs. Adult fleas are small, dark brown and jump a long way; you often only spot them on white socks or a pale rug. Other signs include:
- itchy bites, mostly around the ankles and lower legs
- black specks in the coat or basket that turn red on a damp tissue
- a pet that scratches or licks a lot, or develops bald patches
- bites that appear after you have been away from home for a while
How a flea problem builds up at home
A flea lays her eggs on the animal, but they drop off wherever your cat or dog lies or walks. The eggs hatch into larvae that crawl into carpet, the gaps in a wooden floor, the sofa and the basket, and there they pupate. Inside the cocoon a flea can wait a long time until it senses vibration or warmth nearby. That is why you may suddenly get bitten a lot after coming home from holiday, or after moving into a house where animals lived before.
You can even pick up fleas without a pet, for example from an abandoned bird's nest under the roof tiles.
Our flea treatment: home and pet together
Treating only the house, or only the animal, keeps the cycle going. That is why we coordinate our work with whatever your vet prescribes. During the inspection we look at where your pet sleeps and lies, what flooring you have and which rooms are worst affected. We then treat floors, cracks, skirting boards and furniture with a professional product that also tackles the young stages.
We tell you beforehand which rooms to clear and how long to keep out of the treated rooms. If needed, a second treatment follows some time later, once the last pupae have hatched.
Doing your part: vacuuming, washing and the vet
Start with the vet, who will choose a product that suits your animal. That matters: a flea product for dogs can be toxic to cats. Wash baskets, blankets and cushion covers hot, and vacuum thoroughly, including under the sofa, along the skirting and in the car boot if your dog often comes along. Throw the vacuum bag away outside straight afterwards.
After our treatment, vacuuming actually helps: the vibration lures the last fleas out of their cocoons. Hold off on mopping for a while; we will tell you how long. Itching mainly at night in bed, with no pet in the house? It may be bed bugs instead, so read about bed bug treatment.
Preventing fleas
The best prevention is a pet that is protected all year round, in consultation with your vet. In a heated home fleas do well in winter too, so don't stop once summer is over. Wash your pet's bed and blanket regularly and vacuum more often wherever it likes to lie. If birds nest under the eaves, have the species identified first: nests of house sparrows or swifts, for example, may not be removed or blocked off. For mice, wasps and other pests, turn to our pest control in Amersfoort.
