Flea Fighters

In addition to all the supplies needed to make pets look their best, a salon must stock products for controlling of fleas and ticks. A salon should have products on hand to solve all of the various challenges in combating these common pests while remaining true to the business’s vision and identity. 

The flea basics have been the same for many years–treat fleas on the pet and in the environment, and prevent re-infestation. For the salon, those basics break down into: being able to kill any fleas on pets brought in for grooming and to alleviate any skin damage or itching from fleas, getting rid of any fleas that may have been shed by animals entering the store, and selling products that will help clients control and prevent infestation at home.

There are all kinds of products designed to kill fleas on a pet, including sprays, powders, pills, shampoos, dips and topically applied drops. In all cases, make sure the manufacturer’s instructions are followed carefully.

Sprays and Powders–Sprays are handy to quickly kill fleas as a pet enters the shop. Powders, although effective, are pretty much out of vogue these days. They pose somewhat of a risk, as they are easily inhaled.

Pills–Oral tablets have become fairly popular with groomers, as they are non-prescription, considered quite safe to use, and available for cats as well as dogs. They begin working within 30 minutes and have a high kill rate within just hours. 

Dips–Dips, like powders, have become less popular, probably due to the bad reputation gained years ago when fairly high-potency pesticides were their main ingredient. There are dips available today with both good effectiveness and low toxicity to mammals.

Topical Products–Topically applied drops are still popular, although opinions are divided as to whether they should be applied to freshly cleaned coat and skin or not, since shampooing removes the natural body oils on which the product is carried.

Shampoos–Shampoos remain most salons’ first choice in their flea-killing arsenal. Groomers using flea shampoos, especially those with bathing systems, need to be certain that they are employing the recommended dilution rate. Results can be ineffective at too high a dilution rate, or even potentially toxic at too concentrated a rate. Some precede shampooing with an oral tablet or follow with a spot-on, but beware of using too many pesticides at once.

Fleas can cause itching and discomfort, dry skin and flaking, and in cases of severe flea dermatitis, secondary skin conditions. Products abound to help groomers alleviate these problems. Many flea products tend to be somewhat drying, so using a good conditioner is always a good idea. Oils, oatmeal, aloe, vitamin E, hydrocortisone and lidocaine are all ingredients designed to soothe skin and reduce itching. With any animal that has irritated skin or itchiness, good salon practice is to use tepid temperatures both in bathwater and while drying, as high temps can exacerbate itching.

Ensuring that there are no fleas left alive in the salon is important. While some salons seem to do pretty well with making sure there are no fleas on the pets themselves, it is a boost to your credibility to be able to tell a client that it is extremely unlikely that their animal picked up parasites in your establishment because you not only clean and disinfect regularly, but use products specifically to eradicate any fleas.
 

Educating Clients
Probably the most important item on a business’ must-have list of flea items for pet owners is an education. Pet-care specialists must help clients understand what they really need for their particular situation. Make sure they understand the lifecycle they are working against. Refer them to websites that have information you have reviewed and agree with, or offer information in the form of booklets, posters or handouts at the salon. Many manufacturers are happy to provide print materials.

Ask your clients questions that will help you to guide them to their best solutions. For example, finding out that a client has toddlers may send you in the direction of a less-toxic fogger. Ask about the animal’s habits to determine where the pet is picking up fleas. If it competes in agility trials every weekend, your suggestions will be different than the yard treatment you might recommend if the animal doesn’t go away from home at all. Are cats present? Owners tend to forget that even if cats and dogs don’t sleep together, the fleas are happy to share them as hosts.

Even if the salon does grooming only and no retail, it is a good idea to keep a few flea products on hand for resale. Most of the products offered to consumers for flea control and prevention are proven money makers. It is a courtesy to clients, as well as good business.  If they have a flea problem and you have taken the time to help educate them about the problem, why should the store or veterinarian down the street get the money you have just worked for? Sprays for the home, yard treatments and prevention products are easy sales if a pet has come in with fleas, but don’t forget the more peripheral items as well. Flea combs, nutritional supplements and oils are all good sellers.

Flea and tick supplies are a tricky purchasing challenge whether for salon use or resale. Which type of flea control is best to use tends to be a hot-button issue for many people. Arguments abound on which are the best/safest/most effective ingredients. Costs can range from next to nothing to barely believable, and the same goes for effectiveness. Keep in mind when soliciting peer advice at trade shows or online, or when talking to distributors, that needs vary depending upon geographical location, climate and time of year. A product suitable for an area where pests are winter-killed may not be the best for a more humid, year-round warm climate.


Educating Clients
Keep the salon’s image in mind when selecting from the many products available. If you’re your marketing has tended toward an eco-friendly impression, then flea products should be compatible with that philosophy. Benign, biodegradable alternatives such as nematodes for the yard and boric acid or diatomaceous earth products for indoors will be good choices in this situation, as will herbal or all natural flea shampoos and sprays. If the salon is more oriented toward instant definitive flea killing, then the more traditional pesticides in foggers, sprays, shampoos and topical products may be the right choice. It’s important to use and sell products that you believe in and are comfortable using.

If your beliefs lie with all natural/herbal/ remedies, caution must still be used. Natural and herbal do not automatically mean safe and benign. As with any product, they may have potential hazards, so they should be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Beware, also, of recommending home remedies. Even if you know they work, if you have recommended an off-label use for a product and it does not work, or the owner believes it to have been toxic, you could be held liable.

A word about ticks: while many of the pesticides in flea products will also kill ticks, some will not. Ticks are not in the same class of animals as fleas and not necessarily susceptible to all the same chemicals. Read labels carefully.

As always, make sure that you and your clients are ever mindful of the differences in dog and cat products. Many, including the all-natural/herbal/essential oil offerings, can be extremely toxic to cats while providing safe and effective treatment for dogs.


Carol Visser is a Nationally Certified Master Groomer and Certified Pet Dog Trainer. Formerly a pet product expert for PetEdge, she and her husband Glenn now own Two Canines Pet Services in Montville, Maine, which provides grooming, boarding, training and day care services to Waldo County.