Giving your dog a bath to eliminate fleas can be stressful but it needs to be done. This article has been put together in order to help you discover how to bathe a dog with fleas so without further ado, let’s jump right in.
Make bath time for your dog enjoyable
Your dog is likely NOT going to like the bath, but there are ways that you can make it a little more enjoyable for him/her. Take your dog to places where there are ponds and other places where they can enjoy the water safely.
Allow your dog to go and play in the water when it feels ready to do so. When your dog is used to the water, this will make bath time much less stressful for them. Take your dog for a nice long walk before bathtime, this should help to calm the pooch and also tire him/her out.
You can use treats before, during and after the dog’s bath. After a short period of time, your dog will be more well behaved in the bath because of the rewards associated with it. You can also let your dog take their favourite toy into the bath for some added comfort.
Choose a high-quality shampoo
It is important before you actually bath your dog, you have an anti-flea shampoo chosen out and ready to use. You should ideally look for a shampoo that works on both the fleas and the flea eggs. With all the dog shampoos available it can be hard to choose so if you need more help with this, you can find a great article on the best dog shampoos here.
Bath your dog in a well-ventilated area
If you using products to kill fleas on your pet, you should bath them in a well-ventilated area. Whether you want to use an inflatable pool blown up outside or you would prefer to bathe your dog inside but with all the windows open so there is plenty of oxygen.
It’s time to bathe your pet
Now that you are well prepared, it’s time to get down to business. Have a few inches of lukewarm water in the bath and put your dog inside. Before you apply any shampoo to your dog, you need to get him/her nice and wet. You might need to use a bucket to help your dog get completely wet, especially if they are a bigger breed. Once your dog is wet, apply the shampoo by following the instructions on the packaging.
Lather your dog all over and try and get him/her completely covered. Be very careful when washing your dog’s face because you don’t want to get any shampoo in his eyes or mouth. Rinse your dog thoroughly with clean water, you might need to do this several times to ensure that all the shampoo has been removed.
Dry off your dog
Once you have removed your dog from the bath, it’s time to dry them off. You can do this with a towel or with a hair dryer if you want to quicken the process or he/she has particularly thick fur. Providing that you use a low setting, using a hair dryer on your dog is completely fine.
Praise your dog
After you bath your dog, it is so important that you heap plenty of praise on him/her. Give your dog a treat and more importantly, plenty of cuddles and kind words.
Invest in other flea prevention methods
Hopefully, your dog will now be flea free but you might need to give them several flea baths before they are gone for good. You should also get a flea collar for your dog and there are even certain medications that can stop your dog getting fleas, but you will need to consult a vet on this one.
Conclusion
You should now know how to bathe a dog with fleas successfully. Once you have done everything correctly, you should also ensure that you have eliminated fleas from the home, or they will just jump back onto your dog.
You can vacuum each room thoroughly, clean upholstery/bedding and you can even get flea prevention sprays which are known to be really effective.