DOG DIP DAY: LOCAL FIRMS SPONSOR DIPPING FACILITIES FREE

The dog days of summer are here -- in more ways than one.

In addition to muggy weather, canines and their owners are "dogged" by pesky fleas.

Pet owners in America spend about $900 million a year on flea-control products.

That's almost $2.5 million a day. Well, actually it's $2,438,353.44 a day.

Veterinarians say that during a highly infested environment a pet is capable of picking up fleas faster than medications can get rid of them.

And there are a number of treatments available -- flea collars, flea pour-ons, flea pills, powders, sprays.

And dips.

"Fleas are a serious problem this year, because of the abundance of rain during the spring," said Tom Parrish, who is a buyer of pet health supplies for Tractor Supply Co., headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. "This type of weather is conducive for fleas to lay a great number of eggs."

Tractor Supply, to combat the flea problems, will hold a "Dog Dip Day" Saturday, at Cape Girardeau and a number of other TSC dealers throughout 22 states.

TSC, 501 S. Kingshighway, provides the dip and tank, eye protection goggles and gloves. Pet owners dip their own dogs in the tank of Farnum Flea Stop Citrus Dog Dip free.

TSC also provides a dog kennel so that owners may leave the dog to dry, or so owners with more than one dog can leave them while dipping another dog.

Parrish says, "You can never defeat the flea totally, but you can slow him down to a crawl and wait for the first hard freeze." Fleas are not only a nuisance to pets, but also in the home, said Parrish.

When fleas are not feeding off a pet, they are looking for the perfect environment to reproduce. Unfortunately, that's usually the carpet.

A home can become infected in a hurry.

If only 10 fleas are brought into the house, they can multiply to 250,000 in a short while. The adult flea spends nearly its entire life on a dog or cat.

The female flea will lay from 25 to 40 eggs a day on the pet. Fortunately, the eggs are smooth and many fall off. But some remain and will hatch into adult fleas in one to four weeks.

Dips won't repel fleas. It isn't unusual for fleas to require two or three days' exposure before they die. During these two of three days pets pick up new fleas. It is possible for the well-dipped pet to continuously have new fleas.

This is true even though the dip is functioning effectively. This statement is equally true for flea collars, flea pills, powders and most sprays.

Veterinarians will design a flea-control program for your pet. And, if the pet is a house pet, veterinarians suggest vacuuming often. One pass with the vacuum can pick up half of the flea eggs. After vacuuming, homeowners are urged to discard the vacuum bags immediately.

Flea eggs can remain dormant for a year before they hatch. If these little bugs sound tough, believe it, they are.