- As with nearly all parasites, fleas prey on the malnourished, the sick and the weak. Without exception, animals that are infested with fleas are in some way unhealthy despite appearances. Fleas will often further deteriorate poor health, but they are not the cause of it. It is important to determine the root cause in order to convince fleas to go elsewhere. The first step, then, is determining what the animal's health problem is that is causing it to attract fleas.
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The most common cause of animal flea infestation is poor diet. Many people feed their animals poor quality, high fat, high filler food that is akin to a human eating solely cheeseburgers and fries. It is energy, to be sure, but it does not provide the nutrients animals need. If your dog eliminates as much or nearly as much food as it ingests, it is likely that your dog's food is not providing the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
If your animal is stressed due to human neglect or human abuse, even fighting within the pack that is not directed at the animal, your dog may be more susceptible to fleas. Take the fights with your spouse elsewhere. If your dog slinks away when you are conversing, there is a good chance the dog is stressed. Dogs have been found to have the comprehension level of a 2-year-old child. They know when mommy and daddy are fighting. Give them the same respect you would your child, and your dog's health is likely to improve.
Keep yards free of debris and feces. It is as bad for the dog to have feces left unchecked in the yard as it is unsanitary for humans to defecate all over the house, leaving it until one gets the urge to clean it up. Clean up your animal's environment and your animal will be healthier. Once you have addressed your animal's health you will have solved 90 percent of the flea infestation problem. - Your animal is now healthy and presumably closer to being flea free than before. There are sill fleas breeding in your yard and even in your carpets. In order to eliminate the flea infestation, you have to take measures to eliminate them from your pet's environment. One of the best ways to treat the home and the yard is by using a flea hormone product (Precor is the most popular) that uses the flea's natural hormones to keep it from entering a biting and breeding stage. When the flees die without breeding, the problem goes away. Fleas typically live for about 3 months, but without a willing host, they die more quickly. When they aren't biting, during the induced hormone cycle, they die very quickly. May your healthy animal and you enjoy a flea free environment.
