Flea season is worse than I thought - looked up the numbers on my state's vet records

I was just curious how bad flea season really gets around here (Ohio). Found a PDF from the state vet board that said 1 in 3 dogs in my county tested positive for fleas last July. That's way higher than the 1 in 10 I guessed. Now I'm paranoid about every stick my dog drags in the house. Anyone else find stats like that and suddenly see fleas everywhere?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_palmer1mo ago

My neighbor swore her cat was flea-free until she found a whole colony living in the couch cushions. Now she vacuums twice a day and still checks the cat for hitchhikers before letting it inside. Pets really know how to bring the outdoors in, don't they?

jason1121mo ago

You ever try a flea comb with a bowl of soapy water next to you? That thing saved my sanity last year when my dog brought in a batch from the park. I just comb her real good after every walk, dip the comb in the soap water, and the fleas drown immediately. It takes maybe five minutes but beats having to treat the whole house later.

johnh821mo ago

Yeah I read somewhere that fleas hate soap because it breaks the surface tension so they can't float and just sink. Makes total sense when you see them wiggle for a second then go still. My buddy tried that method with a cheap comb from the dollar store and said it worked way better than the expensive flea treatments he was buying. Just gotta be consistent about it or they'll get a foothold in the carpet pretty quick.