Yesterday was a very, very long day that started at 8 o'clock in the morning with the arrival of the workmen to replace our entire heating and air system.
Even knowing that Todd would have wanted to be here barking and barking (and barking) at the workmen, I made appointments for he and Charlie to be groomed. Charlie and Todd went from this ...
To this ...
However, a little bit of 'panic' set in at the groomers when looking at Todd's coat, a flea was spotted! I got a warning from the groomer about how hard they can be to get rid of, which in turn put me into high gear and cleaning mode! I took all the dog beds, all the blankets and rugs and anything else that could be washed to the laundry mat. While I was gone, Carl vacuumed everything and anything in the house, and emptied everything into the outside trash. We treated the area rugs with
'20 Mule Team Borax' (it kills fleas and their eggs on contact) vacuumed again, and then because I'm obsessive compulsive and because I just
knew Carl may have missed a spot or two, I vacuumed every nook and cranny
again. Then we gave all the dogs a bath (with Dawn dish-washing liquid that also kills fleas on contact) and we have all crossed our fingers and paws that what was on Todd was just an anomaly; which is what the groomer said afterwards because she never saw another one on him or Charlie--And I never saw any on the other dogs, and believe me, I really looked!
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| Lucas |
So you can see why I was just a little worn out. I think everyone else was too. But for the first time in a long while, our house is comfortably cool and even though last night we could have slept with the windows open, they are going to remain closed tightly and locked--I don't want a flea to get in!
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| Sheba & Toby |
Even knowing that Todd would have wanted to be here barking and barking (and barking) at the workmen, I made appointments for he and Charlie to be groomed. Charlie and Todd went from this ...
To this ...
However, a little bit of 'panic' set in at the groomers when looking at Todd's coat, a flea was spotted! I got a warning from the groomer about how hard they can be to get rid of, which in turn put me into high gear and cleaning mode! I took all the dog beds, all the blankets and rugs and anything else that could be washed to the laundry mat. While I was gone, Carl vacuumed everything and anything in the house, and emptied everything into the outside trash. We treated the area rugs with '20 Mule Team Borax' (it kills fleas and their eggs on contact) vacuumed again, and then because I'm obsessive compulsive and because I just knew Carl may have missed a spot or two, I vacuumed every nook and cranny again. Then we gave all the dogs a bath (with Dawn dish-washing liquid that also kills fleas on contact) and we have all crossed our fingers and paws that what was on Todd was just an anomaly; which is what the groomer said afterwards because she never saw another one on him or Charlie--And I never saw any on the other dogs, and believe me, I really looked!
I did not know that about the 20 mule team. Good tip!
ReplyDeleteThat stinkin' flea probably jumped on him at the groomers!!
ReplyDeleteThose boys sure look handsome. Once I finish with my bushel of beans I need to attack Piper.
xo
Lynn
Oh fleas!! I hope you were able to get rid of them! Looks like you did a lot of work to do so! Hope you have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteWell.... sounds like you got your fall cleaning done anyways! LOL! And look at how pretty those pups are! Cute!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very flea free weekend Kim!
xo Catherine
No flea could get through that routine Kim.......whew! I was exhausted just reading the extent of what you did!!
ReplyDeleteRubies mum xxx
Hi Kim! Boy, can I relate to this post!! But poor you.. there are so many dogs to bath and check.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly, Gracie has only had 2 fleas so far this summer and 1 tick. These were discovered during grooming. I immediately went into my extermination mode and met Gracie each evening with my cup of dawn/water combo, q-tips, and my head light. We are not using any protection this year... but I'm doing a check every night. When I say lets check for bugs, Gracie will stop, drop and roll over. lol It sounds like you have this all under control. You go girl!!
Oh, and Todd and Charlie, you look great!!
ReplyDeleteMy poor sister is dealing with the flea nightmare!! She has one kitty...it seems they are in their yard! So she's doing the vacuming and all the rest...
ReplyDeleteWe have not had fleas for years..but I so well remember the days before frontline...it was horrible...
I guess they are developing a resistance to some of the products...
Our vet says she is seeing more cases lately....we have been so lucky..thanks for the borax tip...did not know that!
Hope the one was it!!
We went several blessed years of no fleas... now we have fleas. Evidently one of the neighbor dogs brought them into the yard. Will have to treat everything... including the yard again.
ReplyDeleteTodd and Charlie look really spiffy with their new cuts!
Glad you are getting that troublesome HVAC taken out! Yay!
So it's a "No Flea Zone" then Kim...lol. I guess the workmen finished completely and hope all is working efficiently.
ReplyDeleteAs always, you got her done, girl! May that be the end of that!
ReplyDeleteThe crew is lookin' good!
I had never heard about Borax or Dawn but it's good to know! I keep the dogs on a low dose garlic, but fleas freak me out. We have a lot of carpet!
ReplyDeleteGlad you caught everything in time.
For anyone saying thanks about the Borax tip -- please double check on that. Our exterminator says Borax can kill cats and it is an ugly death. I didn't get the impression that putting it down and vacuuming it up is especially dangerous, but the product itself is if cats ingest it.
ReplyDeleteDo not want to be an alarmist, but knowing how much everyone on this site (I seldom comment, but read regularly) loves their animals, felt it wise to mention this.
Mary
Maybe the flea lived at the groomers. Could have come off another dog there. I couldn't even imagine getting fleas off Samson. And you have so many dogs to worry about. Todd and Charlie look great in their new cuts. And I love how happy Luke looks. I was rooting for him to fit in with your crew and I'm glad he has.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say Lucas, of course.
ReplyDeleteFleas are very scary. Thankfully Roscoe has never had one. I too bathe him with dawn antibacterial detergent. I heard that when I got him and have never used anything but that. I also bathed Roscoe yesterday and when I was almost done it poured on both of us. BUt we were already wet so I continued. I laughed so hard when I read the part that maybe Carl missed a spot, I do the same thing when my husband cleans something. LOL. Glad to know everything is back to normal at Golden Pines. Ana
ReplyDeleteWe know how scary that can be - hopefully he just picked one up on the way into the groomer!
ReplyDeleteSam
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMary, THANK YOU for your thoughts about the '20 Mule Team Borax,' although everything I've read never indicated that it would or could be fatal to a cat, but I know that any powder can be a problem if a cat inhales to much of it.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wants to use '20 Mule Team Borax' on their carpet, I highly suggest to do as we did and that was to vacuum very well (!!!) afterwards! :-)
a lot of work, but i bet it is nice knowing all the bedding is clean and everything's vacuumed doubly well! :)
ReplyDeleteTodd and Charlie look great and thanks for the flea tips.
ReplyDeleteFinally catching up! The fleas are supposed to be very bad this year. We have to treat the dogs for fleas and ticks since they spend so much time out in the field. I am looking forward to winter.
ReplyDeleteTodd and Charlie sure look nice after being groomed. I guess the side benefit of the lone flea is that you have a spotless house...something I can only dream of...
Fleas and ticks were terrible this year with the heat!We use Advantage on everyone every 6 weeks. And also spray the dog yard with an organic mixture that J conjures up!
ReplyDeleteAbout 15 years ago, I had a tick nightmare that I have never written about but should. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about it!
The kids look so nice all spiffed up :) Have a great weekend!
xo, misha
I hope you can relax now. I have never had a flea, keeping paws crossed I never do. The bonus side, I hope, is that the house is so clean that you can really enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteCharlie and Todd look GREAT!
Blessings,
Goose
Hi Kim, Fleas are one thing I don't miss from California; so glad we don't have them here! I'll have to remember your treatment though in case we ever move to another area(North Carolina had been a possibility this year but not now). Hey my friend, dog expert-do you have any special way to treat potty accidents(other than avoiding them)from puppies. I use Resolve and sometimes just white vinegar but could use more tips-although Hunter is doing well this week.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Noreen
There's always fun and games in your house Kim! We use 'Frontline' on Bella.It kills fleas..and ticks as well.You just part the fur on the dog's neck and squeeze the liquid on the skin.
ReplyDeleteHope you're all flea free now. :0)
I hope your pack remain flea free! That was a huge effort. Did you or Carl remember to clean the fabric and carpet in the car where your dogs travel? At least give your closed car a good dose of fly spray just in case there are any fleas hiding there using the warm space to multiply. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you have a comfortably cool, clean and flea-free house :o)
ReplyDeleteCharlie and Todd looked fabulous after grooming. Your flea story reminded me of when we were new dog owners and lived on the humid east coast. We found a flea (or two) on one of our dogs, and we went completely berserk, cleaning dogs, cleaning the house, washing everything, just like you did.
ReplyDeleteNow, I am pleased to say that the air is so dry in Colorado that fleas can't survive long. We've never seen one in all the years that we've lived here...
I hope that you don't see any, and it was just one that jumped on Todd at the groomer's.
The Battle of the Fleas. Remember it well from the hot humid summers in Sydney.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, we rarely see one here...it's too dry.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Charlie and Todd's hair cut looks so cool and cute on them. They must feel so spiffy now!
ReplyDeleteSheba. Toby and Lucas are probably glad they do not have long hair!
And isn't it wonderful to be nice and cool now? Yea!
We put a fine line of borax down along the edges of our carpet to help keep some bugs away! (like spiders)!
Thanks for the tip on Dawn soap- its a good thing to know!
Have a great weekend at Golden Pines- being flea free!
love
tweedles
Oh my dog... that would have been quite a job!!
ReplyDeleteglad you're nice and cool (and clean) now though!
I know what you mean about launching into battle mode at the first sight of a flea. There is nothing more disturbing in a multi-dog household. Good job to you and Carl. Knock on wood, we haven't had any flea issues for a very long time. Happy weekend, relax, take a break!!
ReplyDeletetwo very smart young men there!!
ReplyDeleteGill
Hope the flea was just a hitchhiker from the groomers. The boys look great after their hair cuts.
ReplyDeleteCindy
Charlie and Todd look just excellent!
ReplyDeleteKim, You are not just a little bit
fleaophobic, are you? I have heard the fleas come from squirrels and since none are foolish enough to get into our fenced in backyard, Stella doesn't seem to have any at all. Our state bird is the mosquito and I am more phobic about them, then anything else! Tonights news said neighboring Fargo, ND has West Nile Disease mosquitos around. Now that is bad!
Cheers and hugs all around,
Jo, Stella and Zkhat
Wow! No wonder you were pooped! I didn't know Dawn dishsoap would kill fleas; I've been agonizing over the chemicals in all of this "stuff" we just hand over our money for, and what is it? Disguised agent orange?
ReplyDeleteIck.
Thanks for the tip. One time, we had fleas in the house; it was awful. Got them from a neighbor! We had to use those nasty chemicals and it was not cheap. Good thing there isn't a stitch of carpet in this 122 year old house. Just the wood floors. Sigh, glad that's behind us.
Stay cool (and arid!) and enjoy your weekend!
Woof! Woof! Only TODD ... BTW wh is looking good along with Charlie. YES Flea is very hard, so sad many dogs here have fleas, YAK! so sad. I am well protected by flea preventive meds. LOVE LOVE Lucas expressions ... can totally picture how you feel. Golden LOVE to the Golden Pines Gang. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
ReplyDeleteYou are so funny!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that I decided to check out a few blogs tonight...
Have a nice, relaxing weekend!
Never knew that about Dawn dishwashing liquid. I'll have to see wgat it's called in Europe or do other brands work ?
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that flea was waiting at the groomer's and jumped on there. We've had a problem with ticks this summer. Those things make my skin crawl.
ReplyDeleteSue
Ha! I LOVE the before and after photos. Good to know about the Borax and Dawn.....just in case. :)
ReplyDeleteWE are so lucky here cause fleas don't last long in our environment. So even if a flea comes into Utah, it doesn't take long before the little buggers die.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine how exhausted you are.
Oh and, I love the quote from your vet about dogs and cats.
I was very worried that Ryker might get fleas during our vacation. The cats next door to us were being treated. We don't have any in Alaska and did not want to bring any home. Luckily we didn't have a problem, whew!
ReplyDeleteI kinda like the before pictures better, silly me. I loved Charlies eyebrows and mustache.
yes! i can see why you would be worn out!! i use heart worm medication that has a flea growth regulator so if they get fleas they don't multiply! didn't know that about Dawn dish soap....good to know! gad, i remember years ago "bombing" the house...arg!
ReplyDeletexoxo
love the new hair do's!
yes! i can see why you would be worn out!! i use heart worm medication that has a flea growth regulator so if they get fleas they don't multiply! didn't know that about Dawn dish soap....good to know! gad, i remember years ago "bombing" the house...arg!
ReplyDeletexoxo
love the new hair do's!
fleas and a pack of dogs!
ReplyDeletesheeeeesh
scary!
Wow, what a lot of work, but it paid off in the end.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have that air conditioning working again I bet.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Always good info from you, Kim even if you have to go through what you did this w/e...Borax...check and Dawn....need to buy!!! Haircuts are looking spiffy!!!Sophie gets sheared on Wed....dum dum, dee dum dum, dee dum dum, dee dum!
ReplyDeleteR
We treat the dogs with Frontline Plus and that seems to keep the fleas and ticks off of them. With all of the furry kids you have, I imagine keeping fleas out of the house is a major concern. Todd and Charlie look so handsome.
ReplyDeleteOh yuck, I'm going to go do a flea check right now! Glad everyone is fit and clean. Enjoy that new cooling system!! the heat is still here expected to be 95 today.
ReplyDelete