How to Remove Fleas, Ticks, and Mites from a Pet

Don't despair if your pet has fleas, ticks, or mites.  There are safe and natural ways to overcome these problematic parasites.

Removing Fleas

An external parasite, fleas use their mouth to attach themselves to their host (your pet), sucking their blood to survive.  Contrary to popular belief, fleas do not have wings, but are able to move and jump very quickly.  Fleas cause intense itching and inflamed skin, and can transmit infectious disease to humans. 

How do I determine if my pet has fleas?  Separate their fur by using a flea/tick comb, examine the back of their neck and tailbone area first.  If you see dark spots on your pets skin, this is flea dirt (also known as flea feces), your pet may have fleas.  If you see movement on your pets skin, this too could be fleas.

Lets take a look at how to remove fleas from your pet.

Step 1: You will need a flea/tick comb, protective gloves, Defendex shampoo (100% natural and safe shampoo), triple antibiotic ointment, wash tub, bowl with dish detergent, vinegar, and baking soda.

Step 2:  Place your pet in a wash tub, and put protective gloves on. Start by combing your pet with the special flea comb; as the comb pulls fleas out of the fur, place them in the bowl you have prepared with the dish detergent (this will kill the fleas).

Step 3: After you have combed through your pet, bathing with Defendex shampoo will help soothe their irritated skin caused by the flea's saliva.  Depending on the severity, it will be important to repeat Step 2 for about 6 weeks, as adult fleas lay eggs that hatch every 7-10 days.  Bathing your pet once or twice a week may be needed to help the skin.

Step 4: Use Triple Antibiotic Ointment where needed on severe lesions

Step 5: Discuss Flea Prevention with your vet

Step 6: Decontaminating your home and yard is next.  Fleas live in everything, leaves, grass, wood, blankets, rugs, bedding, crates, and many other areas.  Use baking soda (work into the fibers) on rugs, and furniture, prior to vacuuming.  Washing blankets and bedding in hot water and drying on high heat will be required once a week until the fleas are gone.  Next, a good yard clean up will be important, removing debris, and dead leaves will help disturb the fleas habitat.

Besides using Defendex shampoo, here are some other tips for natural remedies to help your pet ward off any fleas.  Using a mixture of vinegar and water, spray the areas where your pet lives indoors and outdoors.  Also, add a small amount of fresh garlic to your pet's food to help repel fleas (the garlic is unappealing to the fleas with brewer's yeast).

Removing a Tick

Ticks embed their head into a pet's body and suck blood from their host (your pet) to survive. During their time on your pet, they secrete infectious fluids from their saliva into your pets skin and body, causing the skin to become irritated, itchy, red, and sore.  It's important to remove all ticks from your pet's body, as they carry infectious disease that can also be passed onto humans. 

How do I determine if my pet has ticks?  Separate their fur by using a flea/tick comb, examine their entire body.  You will be able to see a tick very easily.

Lets take a look how to safely remove a tick from a pet. 

Step 1: You will need a pair of tweezers, protective gloves, Defendex shampoo (100% natural and safe shampoo), triple antibiotic ointment, jar with lid, rubbing alcohol

Step 2: Treat the area where the tick is with rubbing alcohol, then, using your tweezers, grab the tick by the head, do not use your fingers.

Step 3: Pull straight upward, without twisting, tugging, or pinching the body of the tick.  If, after removing the tick, the head is still left inside your pet's skin, don't worry and don't try removing the head, instead, follow the next steps

Step 4: Once you have the tick, place it in jar, add rubbing alcohol and seal it. Do not flush the tick down the toilet or rinse it down a sink. Further, pinching them between your fingers and squishing the tick unfortunately will not kill it. Keep the tick for the vet. If pet begins to display symptoms, this will help in diagnosis.

Step 5: Once all the ticks are removed, it is time to give your pet a bath to help soothe the skin and calm the irritation caused by the tick's saliva during the attachment to their host.  Using Defendex Shampoo, helps with this step.  Depending on the severity, bathing your pet once or twice a week may be needed to help the skin. 

Step 6: Use Triple Antibiotic Ointment where needed on severe lesions.

Step 7: Bring the tick to your vets office for them to determine the species, and to find out if the tick is carrying any diseases

Step 8: Continue to treat your dog with Defendex shampoo to soothe the skin over the next few weeks.  Wash any bedding or blankets used by your pet with the Defendex shampoo in hot water and dry on high heat.

Removing Mites

Skin mites (mange) is more common in dogs then cats.  There are two kinds of mange, Demodectic (Demodex or Red Mange), and Sarcoptic (scabies).  The Sarcoptic mites burrow into the skin, and the Demodectic mites live in hair follicles.  Both mites cause intense itching, hair loss, and crusting of the skin.  Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious between dogs, and a dog that has this should be immediately separated from other pets in the household.

How do I determine if my pet has mites?  Mites cannot be seen by the human eye.  However, hair loss, dry patches of skin, crusted areas on your pets body are clues that they could be suffering from mites.  A vet can only determine if your pet has mites by performing a skin scraping.  This procedure does not hurt your pet.  The vet will take a skin sample and look under a microscope to see if indeed your pet has mites.

Step 1: You will need a flea/tick comb, protective gloves, Defendex shampoo (100% natural and safe shampoo), Neem Oil, and wash tub.

Step 2: Place your dog in a wash tub, and put on protective gloves.  Wet your dog thoroughly, and using the flea/tick comb, separate your pets fur.  Using the Defendex Shampoo, massage thoroughly into your pets skin, leaving on the dog for 10 minutes (avoid eye area), thoroughly rinse with warm water.

About Defendex Shampoo

If you are interested in learning more about Defendex shampoo, please click here: Defendex

Although fleas and ticks can be a pet-parents worse nightmare, it doesn't mean there isn't hope in rectifying the situation.  I hope the tips above help your pet quickly recover from flea, tick  or mite infestation. 

Resources:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/how-to-remove-a-tick-from-your-pet.aspx

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=62

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=60

http://www.ehow.com/how_2124093_remove-fleas-from-dogs-vinegar.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5662078_kill-mites-dogs.html