There is actually no difference between anti flea treatment and flea treatment.  Just as there is actually no difference between flammable and inflammable.  “Non-flammable” is how you say something will not catch fire, but there is no corresponding term in the case of fleas because there is no flea treatment which is designed to have fleas feel better.  Perhaps you think that is unfair, after all does a flea not also deserve love?  Well, actually, no.  Fleas come in the vampire classification of insects, they are parasites that live off their host’s blood... and they’re not even sexy.  What’s more, they are not even merely irritating with their bites, they can introduce diseases into your pet’s bloodstream, and your pet could also be allergic to their saliva or faeces making the reaction even worse.

In any case, in the unlikely event that you were not totally convinced of the need to get rid of these horrible little creatures, hopefully you are now totally committed to applying a course of anti flea treatment should your pet need it.  It comes in many forms, from shampoos to sprays, topical lotions to oral medication, chemical to natural.  In fact that last classification is perhaps the most important decision you will have to make in choosing your anti flea treatment.  Do you want to use chemicals or not?  The upside of using chemicals is that it is fast and effective treatment, the downside is that... well, they’re chemicals and you’re putting them on your pet, so there are all the inherent dangers of that.  There is a chance your pet will have an allergic reaction, if you have a cat you will have to be careful not to use dog flea treatment as this might contain ingredients that are harmful to cats, plus the simple fact that they are chemicals.  On the other hand, natural or non-chemical means are safer, but they are also potentially less effective, leaving your pet with a flea infestation for longer.  Only you can make this decision, and it is a good idea to talk it over with a professional animal carer, or pest controller, to ensure you make the right choice.

Whichever form of anti flea treatment you choose, however, there are two prongs of attack you will have to take.  One, the obvious one, is getting rid of the fleas infesting your pet.  The second, and in a way even more important point of attack will be getting rid of the growing fleas in the pet’s environment.  Unlike with other parasites, whose eggs are sticky so that they will not fall off their host, a flea’s eggs will fall off the host, on to the ground or carpet.  There the eggs will hatch, the larvae will eat any organic material to grow, enter the papal stage and only then, when ready, will emerge from their cocoon as an adult flea ready to attack your pet.  Therefore, it is easy to see that if you do not treat the pet’s environment as well, through hoovering your house and spraying your garden (see the sections on treating your house and garden for fleas to get more information), then even if you get rid of all of the fleas on them, a new generation will soon attack.

For more information on anti flea treatment, either contact a professional pest controller, or talk to your vet.  To gather more information about flea control in general feel free to peruse this site.  The sections on “holistic flea treatment” and the “flea lifecycle” may be of particular interest.