Fleas

"now fumigating the house!"
You have to, because the fleas lay their eggs in soft furnishings, including carpets and mats. Ready to hatch out and jump on the poor animal carriers like your DG dog.
We had to burn all our mats ( no fitted carpets TG.)

We have a regular extra dog, yes, she belongs to one of our adult children. Just as we were leaving on holiday last week, we had a phone call to say the dog has fleas. Yes, she'd been with us for a week but then gone to stay with her owners, friends and cats. It's always cats.
no doubt the fleas will be cosy in our dog beds, furniture etc, ready for fumigating when we get home. Sorry - we just forgot to use the stuff from the vet they said ?

They seem to be really bad this year. Hopefully next year will be better!

Is it the moment? (Please pretty please ?)

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on;
While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on

Probably been covered by others but in my experience the only really effective treatment IS from the vet and it is costly but well worth it! Have tried shop bought in past but never eradicated it. I give my dog three-monthly tablets (each one costs over £30) I also use a spray (again from my vet at about £30 also) and spray my whole house every six months, especially where dog/cat sleeps. There ARE different types and if your dog is sick after one, they can try another.

Like headlice, fleas do become resistant to treatment in time and with houses being carpeted and warm all year long now, the lavae thrive.

Fleas do infest soft furnishings and even if you do all this, your dog (or cat) can still pick up 'riders' from other peoples houses or where birds/hedgehogs have been outside etc. Fleas seem to be able to lie in abeyance a long time until a juicy looking host comes along......

So long as you keep the process up the situation should ease. I don't treat my dog seasonally, but all the time. Any fleas he picks up do have to feed off him before they die but generally they do not lay eggs.

I was told by my vet that this year has been a very bad year for abundance of fleas - said she has had owners crying at her surgery. Touch wood we have been ok.

Good luck

I'm with yo Bluegal. I accept many people don't want to over use chemicals on their dogs. I had one flea infestation almost forty years ago - Talk abou scarred for life.