Q: I have a major flea problem in my house. I’ve tried spraying with permethrin and vacuuming thoroughly, sometimes more than once a week. Our dog is covered in the things, despite getting a bath with flea shampoo about every day or so. He sleeps mostly outside the front door but roams around the yard whenever he takes a notion. Do you have any suggestions on what else to try?

A: You have to be very careful using flea sprays in the house…the usual insecticides in them are well-known to cause respiratory distress

Fleas are controlled by attacks on three fronts: the pet, the carpet, and outdoors. Make sure you are thoroughly washing the animal with shampoo and using the correct application rate of Advantage for his weight.

You should avoid any more sprays indoors but should increase your vacuuming to once every three days (you can put the vacuum bag in a black plastic bag in the sun for a day to kill fleas in it, so you can reuse it).

The only places you should spray outdoors are the areas where the dog rests. That’s where flea eggs and larvae are…not all over your yard.

If you hit them with a coordinated, three-prong attack fleas will no longer be a problem.