My mom thinks a regular bath will kill fleas on my pets?

Question

My cat & dog have fleas and my mom washed them both with people shampoo... She said they would all die. How do I convince her to get flea medicine? I don't want them in my room but she always takes her dog in here and its disgusting. I hate bugs and I heard fleas will go on humans and they also live in your carpet. =[

Answer 1

you can convince her by buying a flea comb at the pet store and after she bathes the pets which she thinks kills the fleas use the comb and run it through their coats and show her the fleas on the comb and that they are still alive. by the way you are right they do live in your carpet and furniture where they lay their eggs they only feed on your pets not live on them so vacuuming and treating the house is also very important.

Answer 2

People shampoo will NOT kill fleas! The fleas just run up to the pet's head and they can survive a lot of time underwater. People shampoo will however cause SKIN PROBLEMS on both your dog and your cat, which will result in vet bills, so if your mom is trying to save money she is not going about it wisely.

Break down and buy either Advantage, Frontline or Revolution at any vet or pet supply store. They are the ONLY effective flea medications and they kill 100% of all fleas. The cheap stuff at Wal Mart is full of pesticides that will hurt your pets and not kill all the fleas. And yes, fleas do bite humans and once they're in the carpet they can live there a very long time.  

Answer 3

what you can do is show her that even after they get a bath from your mom they still scratch themselves and if it is because of money if they get on the family the hospital bill is much higher also carpet cleaner.  

Answer 4

Your mum is wrong. Human shampoo is not going to kill fleas. Problem is that grown fleas hatch in your carpet and in other furniture. Fleas hatch after 3 to even 9 months and then you have a problem again. Best result is to buy an ampule against flees and rub it on your pets neck. After few mounts you do that one more time and then you are sure that grown fleas are dead and if fleas hatched from furniture  attack your pet again he is safe. To prevent flea hatching from the eggs, try to wacume and clean places where your pets are the most. After wacuming be sure to throw awey in trash wackum bag or wash the bag so you'll be sure that fleas eggs are gone for good.

Answer 5

Fighting fleas is something that is hard and ongoing, i moved into a house which had fleas here.

I use Advantage once a month, use flea spray on furniture and carpets and their bedding.

Believe me it is the best way to get them - even using the "flea" shampoo doesnt kill the fleas - it just stuns them so you can comb them out.

Answer 6

No human shampoo will never work on fleas. Fleas spread and multiply so very quickly.  They literally jump off the animal onto furniture carpets people...anything!  They can be difficult to get rid of even with flea shampoo. The proper way to treat fleas is with flea shampoo and a flea comb.  Both are not expensive.  If it is not properly treated it will be a problem that only continues to worsen because the fleas will be everywhere in your house.  For example lets say your mom did let this go for even a week, and the dog and cat have been all over the house the fleas will be in the carpet and on the furniture.  Then lets say a week from now your mom gives the dog and cat a flea bath and then the dog and cat sit or lay or even walk on the carpet where there are now fleas...they will both have fleas again.  It is very hard to treat and it just a never ending cycle sometimes.  They best way is to bathe them in flea shampoo and brush them with the flea comb right away.

I would reccomend going to google and simply typing in fleas and let your mom over some of the various websites on the issue.  They will explain in great detail why it needs to be treated properly and quickly.  

Answer 7

DO NOT LET YOUR MOTHER WASH YOUR PETS WITH HUMAN SHAMPOO AGAIN!!!

it is only made for humand and can have a horrible reaction to your pets skin as it is more sensitive than our tuff nuts.

pet shampoo is inexpensive and much healthier. you can get flea rinses too but you must be careful to follow the instructions and make sure you get it all off as it can be poisonous to your pet if swallowed.

also, prevention is best of all! you can get spot-ons, tablets, collars, sprays.....the list goes on. i find that spot-ons work best, but if you want to protect from ticks too you will have to apply it more often.

please for the sake of your pets health.....take your mum to a vet or pet store and show her what is available and how inexpensive it can be.

your pets will love you for it :)  

Answer 8

Your mom's wrong.  A bath will only kill SOME of the fleas currently on the animal.  The rest of them are living in your carpets.  Fleas only hop on animals to feed.  To kill them you need a reliable, safe spot treatment like Frontline, Advantage or Revolution.  This will kill the adult and the hatching fleas and end their breeding cycle.  Yes, the fleas will hop on you and bite you as well.  They're nasty.

If your mom thinks the flea treatments are too expensive show her 800petmeds online.  Very good prices compared to pet stores and vets.  Note, though, that Revolution requires a prescription.

Answer 9

No, fleas survive bathing with shampoo. Show her the answers you get on here, we all have experience in this. Spray them with Frontline. If she won't listen, go buy a bottle of Frontline spray with your allowance -it's not very expensive - and spray the pets. Just make sure you don't spray their face and they don't l**k it off until it dries.

Answer 10

They will not kill fleas.  Sometimes for young puppies, you can use the diluted dishwashing soap as a shampoo, but it's not recommended as they get older.

In order to battle fleas you need to understand that instars can last for years in your home dormant, and then hatch to the adult stage.  Vacuuming your entire house and then throwing out the bag is step 1 of getting rid of fleas.

Then you need to wash your pets with an anti-flea shampoo.  I'd look around on reviews for some, as usually the cheapest is not always the best.

After that, you can have some temporary preventative care to kill off the stragglers that may have survived.  I'd do a test spot first to make sure your pet isn't allergic to it.

Good luck.

Answer 11

Human shampoo will not kill fleas. It doesn't have the chemicals that kill fleas in it. And you don't want to use flea shampoo on cats, either. Cats are much more sensitive to chemicals than dogs are. I distinctly remember a case at the animal hospital I worked at, where the owner rushed her two cats in because they were seizing. She had bathed them both in flea shampoo. The one cat died, the other was hospitalized in ICU for a week or more, to the tune of several thousand dollars.

The best thing is to purchase Advantage from your vet. It can only be applied once monthly, and it will take at least 3 months to eradicate the fleas from your house. I would use it for at least 4 months to make sure. But it will clear the fleas out of the house.  

Answer 12

no you need to wash all your bedding or any blankets the dogs have been on with hot water and bleach. your pets really need mediciation because they can get anemia from chronic fleas and die. check the color of your pets gums every day. if they look pale, they need a vet asap.

also these bugs transmit lifethreatening illnesses to you and your pets such as heart worm, lyme disease, etc..it's so much more money to treat a sick pet, then just prevent it all together. can you show your mom the answers you got here?

Answer 13

Actually people shampoo can irritate an animals skin especially a cats though I haven't had any problem with Johnson's baby shampoo but it will do absolutely nothing to kill the fleas. If they have fleas I would recommend getting a flea treatment like advantage or revolution from your vet but make sure you get a feline one for your cat and a canine one for your dog as they are NOT INTERCHANGEABLE and using a dog flea treatment on a cat can be deadly. Yes fleas will jump onto and bite humans and if allowed to exist in the carpet reproduce very quickly but proper treatment of the animal will usually take care of the house as well unless the house is invested . My cat is only out a little so I only end up having to use revolution a few months during the summer.

Answer 14

Ok.  You've most likely got several answers like this already, but I'm going to say this.

People shampoo has not been designed for pets (clearly, but I have a point!), and it can result in itchy flakey skin, which can also make them scratch.

You can by special flea shampoo, but this is really strong and only kills the fleas on the body at the time.  Wash with this shampoo, wait 48 hours (so the natural oils can build up, so the flea stuff sticks to the skin and works), then apply your chosen flea stuff.

I'm using Advantix on my dog, and Advocate on my cats.  These work very well, but talk to your vet/ pet store person about what type is best for your situation.

Reguarding fleas in your carpet, if you dislike bugs that much, you can also buy stuff called a "flea bomb" which is designed to be used in the animal's enviroment, and kills the fleas there.  I'd also recommend using it on the dog's bed if you find fleas there.

Answer 15

well people shampoo does absolutly nothing to prevent the fleas, all it does is wash a few of them away. flea medicine is not that costly and you might spend $15 on some good shampoo and a flea collor or two. she knows what needs to be done im sure, its probably not even about convincing her, its just not one of her concerns as long as there is a little something that can be done (like the ppl shampoo). as far as the carpets they have a powder thing in the store that your sprinkle down and depending on which one i think your supposed to vaccum it up, but you could try that vs. carpet cleaning