The Good Old DOG FLEA 

Female dog fleas work up a good egg lay within two days of a good blood feast. Interestingly, the common dog flea may actually wind up being a cat flea. It's embarrassing, but it needed to be said. Dog fleas, it is said, are more common in the finer halls of Europe, while cat fleas are more common to the colonies, ergo, America.

The best news about the dog flea, is that one female can be the progenitor of exactly one trillion dog flea babies in 9 months. That's exactly 3 months short of one year. In contrast, you'd be far better off to have one Godzilla than one dog flea, for Godzilla has only reproduced once in known history, asexually producing one Godzooky. The dog flea, on the other hand is busy taking over the world a trillion dog fleas at a time!

What Does Flea Poop Have To Do With Bowser?

If you are facing a lazy day, why not look for dog flea feces. They are easier to find than you might suspect. Roll ol Bowser over, and while promising him a good belly scratch, proceed with a good light to go on your dog flea poop hunt. The feces look like dirt. Actually, it may really be dirt, because Bowser loves a good dirt bath...but then again, it may not. Should you find some little dirt looking grains, then gather up as many as you can, and rub them between your fingers. If you're fingers turn red, then you've struck pay dirt! That red stuff is Bowser blood. Maybe even some of your own blood, if you and Bowser like to share!

Dog Flea Eggs

After mama flea lays her precious cargo of dog flea eggs, she hops off to make some more. In the meantime, the dog flea eggs sort of split up. Some remain on ol Towser, while others drop off to hang out in his bedding or in the deepest darkest recesses of your carpet. After a time, they toss their egg shell and spin a cocoon. Here they can laze about for up to a year if they have to. The bad news is that long after the comet destroys all of mankind, the dog flea egg will still be in he carpet, snug as a bug in a rug. The good news is that without mankind, Towser will starve, and within a year the dog flea will also pass. But, if mankind does survive, and thus, faithful Towser, so will the dog flea egg, all but impervious to all the flea sprays and bug bombs that we can throw at it. We may get some...but others lurk ready to spring their bouncy cargo upon us.

Delivering the coup de grace to the unsightly dog flea...

Ok, you've got a dog flea. So how to kill the little bugger and (if it's a she) her one trillion grandchildren? Let's check the list:

• Dog Flea Powder - Flea powder probably contained a little sniff of DDT at one time. Now that might actually have put a dent on ol mama dog flea. But, today, flea powder is old news. How would you like to go to work covered in talcum powder? How about talcum powder that smells of medicine cabinet? Well, Poochie doesn't care much for it either. It might make you feel better, but better stuff is available.
• Dog Flea Combs - Snake oil. While you are busy combing Pookie's fur over here, the sneaky dog flea will be over there. More, even though the common dog flea only sees light and dark, they weren't born stupid. When the "see" that dog combing coming at them, all they have to do is jump. Could be a jump up, down, or over on you. If you are preening Poochie in the house, you'll only wind up making a really great dog flea hotspot wherever you are standing. If you are in the yard, I'd walk well around that spot for the forseeable future.
• Dog Flea Shampoo - Now you're talking. Dog flea shampoo leaves Scruffy feeling sensuous and soft! It may also leave you without as much blood for the dog flea to siphon off if Scruffy doesn't want a bath and decides to bite you. But, it's all for a good cause. Dog fleas HATE bath time even more than Scruffy and you.
  It's worth noting that not all doggie shampoos are alike. Dogs, even more than humans, can have allergy problems that only show up at bath time. While Scruffy wouldn't like it even if you were bathing him in beef fat, he might doubly not like it if his bath leaves him sore and blotchy. Be very careful to watch him to see if he shows signs of allergies to your chosen shampoo. There are several different kinds to choose from, so if one doesn't work, try another. Don't be stubborn and leave old Scruff in worse shape than he was in before by using the wrong kind of suds. Also, whatever you do, DO NOT get the soap in his eyes or ears. Blindness and deafness can result. Scruffy probably won't care, but you will. And don't overdo it! Bathe ol stinky Scruff not more than a couple of times a month.
• Dog Flea Pills - Vet prescribed medication works. Check out our pet places over on the right hand side of the page.
• Dog Flea Topicals - Vet prescribed medicine works. Over the counter meds, less so. For best results we're talking Frontline and Advantage. It doesn't get much better than this. Not as cheap as flea powder, but infinitely better results. Turn Scruffy into a flea killing machine!
• Dog Flea Collars - Ahem. Ahem. (Clearing throat.) The old standby is the dog flea collar. Like flea powder, dog flea collars are something of a throwback to the past. They have their uses, but for serious results, you are better to use the dog flea pill or Frontline and Advantage.

Ok, old Yowler is dog flea free. Now what about my domicile??

We're talking three...no, four basic remedies, if you include throwing a lit torch into the living room...

• Dog Flea Powders - There are powders and dusts that you can use to treat your home. Personally, I think they are more appropo for the dog kennel or barn, but you be the judge. Dog flea powders are said to inhibit the inexorable movement of dog flea pupae into dog flea adults that bite. However, no matter how many times you vacuum, can you be sure to remove all that flea powder? Regardless, you can't use that vacuum cleaner enough. Each and every time you run it across the carpet, you are going to pick up some fleas and flea eggs. Every flea you whack saves you at least one trillion more in a few months, so it's a real good thing to suck them up into your vacuum bag. Just keep in mind that after each use, burn, or at least seal up your bag or your whole vacuum cleaner, because those nasty dog fleas will escape if they get half a chance. Ouch!
• Dog Flea Spray - Dog flea spray comes in handy containers. You have seen them, with their dandy little spritzers on their plastic lines. Personally, I think this is some of the best stuff you can do. This stuff actually works, if you keep up your spray schedule. You must keep in mind that it won't kill all the pupated dog fleas, so you need to spray again in a week or so and keep it up until all dog flea danger is past!
• Dog Flea Bombs - This stuff is NEAT! If you have a heavy infestation, your average dog flea bomb will commit large scale Armageddon on the little rascals. Wholesale slaughter of the most personal kind. HOWEVER, with that said, it won't get them all, and over time, I find it becomes less and less effective.
  If you are just beginning your dog flea massacre, totally bug bomb your hacienda, then follow up with dog flea spray. You will be happy with the results.

Fighting fleas is a protracted business, my friend. Some years you'll be relatively dog flea free, and in others, you'll be infested up to your eyebrows in the little blood suckers. Persistance pays, and it's a good thing to know that even though they infest in the trillions, little old mankind is still around, while they, in their googleplexes are dead and rotting in the carpet! Endeavour to persevere. Never give up. Never say die! Onward dog flea soldiers!