There are many videos online that demonstrate different methods of flea treatment on cats and dogs. The following are some examples. In most of the videos, the fleas are clearly visible on the animal.
This video demonstrates just how many fleas can infest an animal at one time. The kitten shown in the video is a rescue kitten. Cats and dogs left to live on the street become infested with fleas, as they are not under a flea prevention regimen. The rescue kitten shown in the video is so infested with fleas that they are crawling all over her little face.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hRYxjed3lJg%3Frel%3D0
This feral kitten was infested with hundreds of fleas. A few strokes through her fur with a flea comb reveal just how many fleas are feeding off of her little body. Revolution, a spot-on flea treatment, was applied to the kitten, but because she was infested with so many fleas, it was not enough to rid her of the parasites. The kitten was then given a bath using Dawn dishwashing soap, which killed hundreds of fleas. Unfortunately, Dawn can also dry out your pet’s skin and, if ingested, can burn her throat and stomach. Dawn should therefore be used with caution and proper techniques should be followed when bathing your animal (refer to videos below for tips).
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UrB_lgZVFu0%3Frel%3D0
A stray cat, who has been sedated in preparation for spaying, has also been sprayed with fipronil. Fipronil is a slow-acting, broad spectrum insecticide that disrupts the nervous system of insects, causing hyperexcitation of nerves and muscles of the insects. It is also the active ingredient in both Frontline and PetArmor, which are two spot-on flea treatments. Spraying the cat with fipronil has caused the fleas, which once lay hidden in the coat of the cat, to emerge and migrate towards the head, which was not sprayed with fipronil.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CxDQmd2JTrM%3Frel%3D0
A feral kitten is submerged in water, likely to try and drown as many fleas as possible off her body. The video shows a flea jumping from the kitten to the side of the bucket and it also shows how the water changes colour, which is a result of the flea dirt running off the kitten and into the water. She is then bathed (the specific product is not mentioned) and fleas begin to emerge from beneath her coat. The groomer started by shampooing around the neck of the cat, which creates a ring of soap and prevents the fleas from moving up onto the cat’s head.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kel0RaOpWhQ%3Frel%3D0
These feral kittens were severely infested with fleas. The infestation was so severe that they were in danger of dying from flea anemia. When animals are infested with fleas, they can lose a lot of blood because fleas feed off the host’s blood; this can result in anemia. The woman who trapped and rescued the kittens spent 3 hours treating the kittens (methods not mentioned) and succeeded in eliminating the fleas.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mi4FTxhiApE%3Frel%3D0
This video shows a severe case of flea infestation on a dog. A large number of fleas and flea dirt are shown running off the dog and into the sink by the use of water alone. Once the dog has been under the water for a while, you can see the fleas migrating towards the head of the dog to escape the water flow and jumping off the dog onto the side of the basin. A flea dip (specific product not mentioned) was then applied to kill as many adult fleas as possible before bathing the dog.It is usually recommended that the dog be bathed with a mild shampoo prior to applying a flea dip. Because an animal’s coat naturally repels water, simply wetting the dog without first bathing her will cause the water to run off the coat and prevent the dip from penetrating into the coat where the fleas thrive.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OIkPljV3jbU%3Frel%3D0
Also, while the groomer applies the flea dip quite liberally all over the dog, including her head, flea dip should be used with extreme caution because it can be very dangerous to both animals and humans. The next video in this article outlines the proper method to apply a flea dip.
This is a video demonstration by a veterinarian outlining the proper method to apply a flea dip to your pet. While the dog in the video is not infested with fleas, it is a very thorough explanation of all the steps and precautions you should follow when applying a flea dip, as it can be very dangerous to both you and your pet. Ointment should first be applied to the dog’s eyes to protect them from the shampoo and the flea dip. Cotton balls should also be placed in the ears to avoid shampoo and dip from draining into the ears (remember to remove the cotton balls afterwards!). It is important to protect your skin from the flea dip, so gloves should be worn. The animal should first be bathed with a gentle shampoo to allow the dip to penetrate into the coat, as mentioned above.
