Fleabites

When it comes to motherhood, few are more prolific than the lowly flea. In just a few months, a single pair of fleas can produce up to 2,000 eggs. Nearly all the eggs are laid on your pet and then fall off to hatch in your carpet, furniture, bed sheets or elsewhere around your home or in the yard. Then each new female can hatch thousands of its own offspring.

This population explosion translates to a heck of a lot of fleabites. While Fido or Kittypuss is their main choice of entrée, your ankle or foot also makes a tasty treat when pets aren't around.

Fleabites leave you with redness or a rash as well as severe itching. But here's how to turn the tables on fleas and take the itch out of their annoying nips.

Cool the itch with cold. If you've had fleas noshing on your ankles and legs, you probably headed for a hot shower to wash them off and stop the itching. It's the wrong approach. "Cold is one of the best ways to stop any itch," says Charles H. Banov, M.D., clinical professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and past president of the American College of Allergy and Immunology. "When people go right into a hot shower, that only brings blood to the area and aggravates the itching. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend a shower, because the pressure of the water might trigger itching. I'd advise a cool bath or applying a cold towel to the area."

Use lotion to kill their motion. Calamine lotion is the old standby for itch relief from fleas, but another household regular may be good at keeping them away. Avon's Skin-So-Soft, a bath oil, has long been known as a mosquito repellent. Now researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville have found that it works just as well on fleas. In tests, flea counts dropped 40 percent in just one day after dogs were soaked with a solution of 1 1/2 ounces of Skin-So-Soft in a gallon of water. The researchers believe that fleas, which have a keen sense of smell, don't like the product's woodland fragrance. Advice: Smear Skin-So-Soft on flea-bitten areas of your body to prevent repeat bites.

A Flea-Free Pet Is Your Best Insurance

The easiest way to prevent being bothered by fleabites is to make sure your pet isn't bothered by fleas. For a flea-free dog or cat, try these tried-and-true treatments.

Give pets a dip. "A flea shampoo kills only the fleas that are on your pet at that time. But as soon as your dog or cat goes outside, it picks up a new bunch of fleas. So flea shampoos aren't enough--you also have to give your pet a flea dip," says Paul Donovan, V.M.D., a veterinarian and director of the Alburtis Animal Hospital in Alburtis, Pennsylvania. Dips last anywhere from 10 to 30 days (depending on the product). "The idea is to pour the dip while the animal is still in the tub. Let the animal drip-dry for a couple of minutes, then turn it loose, so the product dries on the coat."

Add garlic to their Gravy Train. While there's no scientific proof, many pet owners swear that adding garlic or brewer's yeast to a pet's daily diet-or even rubbing it directly on the animal's coat--is a surefire flea zapper. Fleas don't go for the flavor, it's said, and they'll go elsewhere for their meals.

Don't rely on flea collars. They are one of the least effective methods of flea control because they usually don't deliver what they promise.

"They have little or no repellency, so they work too slowly to do any good," says David Thompson, D.V.M., a veterinarian and director of the Animal Hospital of Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. "Authorities in the field suspect the fleas are killed so slowly that they can grow to reproductive age, lay their eggs and keep on infesting your pet and home even in the presence of the collar."

Take extra care with kitty. Because most cats dislike water and are not fond of hissing sounds, you can guess that cats don't like flea-control sprays, says Marvin Samuelson, D.V.M., director of the Animal Dermatology and Allergy Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.

Dips are generally effective if your cat will tolerate a soaking. You might try using a flea-killing foam made especially for cats. (A dog preparation may be too potent.)

Sock it to 'em. To determine if your pets have brought fleas into your home, walk across the floors (particularly carpeted areas) wearing white socks. The fleas will go for the socks, since they are attracted to vibrations and warmth, says Jeffrey Hahn, assistant extension entomologist for the University of Minnesota Extension Service and University of Minnesota Department of Entomology in St. Paul. You'll be able to spot them easily before they get to your skin. If your socks are dotted, you've got fleas. So give rugs a good regular vacuuming, then apply a flea-control product made especially for rugs. Various brands are sold in pet shops.

Debug with some earth. Spread a little diatomaceous earth in the nooks and crannies and under furniture where you can't reach by vacuuming, suggests Richard Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D., a veterinarian at the Animal Natural Health Center in Eugene, Oregon, and coauthor with Susan Hubble Pitcairn of Dr Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Diatomaceous earth is a natural earthlike substance, the residue of microscopic animals that once lived in the sea. Its crystalline structure cuts through the waxy coating on fleas, causing them to dry out and die. Don't use the type used in pool filters, however. It is ground too fine and may be dangerous if inhaled. A natural, unprocessed form--Diatom Dust--is available from Eco-Safe Products, 7000 U.S. Route 1 North, St. Augustine, FL 32095. Be sure to wear a dust mask when you spread it.

Wash all bedding--yours and your pet's--in hot water. If you have indoor pets, it's just a hop, skip and flea jump from your pet's hide to your snowy sheets. And once a flea or two are in bed, you'll get bitten while you sleep. So once a week, carefully roll up your bedding (to avoid dropping fleas or their eggs on the floor) and wash it in a hot, soapy cycle in your washer. Then dry it in a hot cycle of your dryer, says Dr. Pitcairn. This is especially important in the summer, when flea activity is highest.

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