Metro Detroit Dog Flea Treatment:
Flea & Tick Control For Dogs

Fleas are a problem no pet owner wants to have. So, let us help.

At Scrubbers, our professionally trained flea experts ensure that any pet entering our store with fleas leaves with none.

For our four-legged friends that find themselves with those dreaded fleas, Scrubbers can help with our flea and tick treatment, which includes a medicated flea and tick bath.

The best way to deal with fleas on dogs or cats is through the use of flea and tick preventatives. However, if you are noticing flea bites on your dog, or that your cat has fleas in her fur, it is likely that there’s already a problem.

Whenever treating a pet for fleas, we recommend the pet owner treat the home, yard and car to ensure successful eradication. If your pet is on an oral or topical flea treatment, please inform us.

Flea and tick collars will go a long way to protecting your dog. However, they will not eradicate an existing problem and will not prevent them from breeding. To eradicate an existing problem, the dog will need to receive flea treatment.

When the fleas suck out the blood from the dog or cat it leaves saliva on the skin. This saliva is what some dogs are allergic to and can cause severe itching and great distress.

The first line of defense in avoiding the spread of fleas is meticulous checking as pets come into the store, especially at high-risk times of the year.

Where many pet owners used to stick with a regimen of heartworm, flea and tick prevention that spanned only the spring and summer months, it is crucial that with the changing environmental conditions and weather across the country, pet owners use a quality preventative all year round.

You may think that fleas and ticks are only a problem you need to contend with during the spring and summer months, but these pests love to hang around in all weather and wreak havoc on your pets and your home.

As a result, your pets should be getting a heartworm treatment each month as well as a topical or oral parasite preventative.

Does My Dog Have Fleas?

Dogs can pick up fleas from virtually anywhere.

Fleas can jump, which is how they’re transmitted from animal to animal. If there’s a population of cats in an area then that also increases the potential for your dog getting infected.

Bottom line: Owners need to be fastidious about watching for fleas and need to pay attention when their dog starts scratching incessantly. It’s always best to catch an outbreak sooner rather than later.

Dogs and cats scratch often, but when you see them persistently scratching with vigor, it’s time to take a closer look.

At some point in your dog’s life there is likely to be a period of time when your dog is infected and you will need to take action to get rid of them.

How to Tell If Your Dog Or Cat Has Fleas

1

Black specks of flea dirt can be seen throughout the coat and you can see fleas running around in the fur.

2

A flea infestation will, in most cases, cause extreme itchiness, causing your dog to constantly bite and scratch, especially around the tail area.

3

Licking and biting in other specific areas.

4

Red and raw inflamed skin and skin infections or sores as a result from the licking and scratching.

5

Hotspots and bald patches.

How To Treat A Dog For Fleas

1

Give the dog a thorough flea bath using an effective flea shampoo. At Scrubbers, we only allow our flea shampoo to be used on flea infested dogs, to ensure a proper and effective treatment in our facility. If bathing at home, what shampoo you use will depend upon how severe the flea infestation is and whether there is any inflammation or irritation of the skin as a result of this. If it is bad then you may need to rinse the shampoo through twice to get rid of all the dirt and the fleas.

2

Start your dog on a course of flea treatment. Use a spot-on treatment that kills the whole cycle of the flea, not just a flea collar and powder. Flea treatments contain a variety of chemicals that kill fleas but do not harm the dog. As we don’t know exactly what long-term effects these chemicals have on the dog’s body through absorption into the skin, it might be a good idea to cease the treatments once you are confident that the fleas have been completely eradicated.

Dog Flea Shampoo

There are many dog flea and tick shampoos on the market today and sometimes, it can be confusing as to which one will give your dog the best wash.

You will first need to determine the following:

1

How bad your dog’s flea or tick problem is. Are they running all over the dog or is there just a few at the dog’s backend?

2

Is there any flea or tick allergy apparent on the dog’s skin and, if so, how bad is the inflammation?

3

Is your dog allergic to any particular type of dog shampoo?

4

Do you prefer to use a medicated-type flea and tick shampoo or perhaps you prefer a more natural one to soothe the dog’s skin?

If you’re interested in using a natural treatment, there are a variety of new topical products available on the market that effectively replace the typical store brands as well including sprays, oils and shampoos.

Note: When using any topical spot-on flea treatment, you should not bathe your pet 48 hours before or after application. The oils of the skin and coat help to distribute the product properly, ensuring that the product will be more effective.