I hope this is in the right section...Apologies if not.

My vet has just advised me to spray the house with a household flea spray.....Not because we have fleas but to eliminate house dust mites! Now I know the stuff kills spiders, beetles, ants and all manner of things but hadn`t realised that dust mites would be killed too and gives 12mths protection against them.

Sorry if everyone already knew this but just thought it could help all those people out there with poor doggies that have dust mite allergys :)

Go to a DIY/general store and look for crawling instect killer/ant killer - kills fleas too and is cheaper than flea spray :-)  People target things at the pet owner and crank the price up.

Also,  hoover and dust regularly :-)

Ooooh thats a good idea, thanks for that,I assume dust house mites will be zapped too with the crawling insect killer?

I'm no expert here but you are not going to get rid of house dust mites unless you vacuum frequently, they will  always come back.

I'd also be careful about using a flea or fly spray around the house, yes it will kill creepy crawlies but it is also harmful to humans and pets in large doses so be warned.

A lot of the good Flea sprays are harmless to humans and animals if used correctly and in controlled ways.

Most will needs to have the affected area closed off then ventilated for a length of time to be effect and safe. Yes some of them do kill house dust mites but it is advisable to vacuum as well to be the most effective way of keeping them to a minimum.

The mention of ant killers is very dangerous as most sole antkiller powders/gels are extremely toxic and poisonous and should only be used where humans and animals are kept away from the affected area.

The problem with dust mites also is that they can be in fabrics (towels, bedding, matresses) - so a good reason to wash on high temperatures.  Steam cleaning is also good :-)  Beds are one of the worst culprits I think so if you were wanting a more animal friendly solution I'd send your bedding (duvet & pillows) away to be professionally cleaned, then beat and hoover the life out of the matress.

You could spray your dog's bed and then hang it outside on the line for a good airing, I'm sure after an airing it will be fine for him to use - if he has blankets then either replace them (primark is good for this) or wash them on a high temp.

Oh dear I don`t think I have explained myself properly here :(

I DON`T have a flea problem and I DO vacuum every day and dust every other day, so I would like to think that I don`t have a dust mite problem, (having only 1 carpet in the whole house helps too).I was just chatting to my vet today as Tangle had a routine check up/ worm tablet weigh in and we got onto a subject that I had read here recently about dogs with allergies to dust mites and he advised to spray once a year with a good quality household flea spray as this eliminates dust mites too.

Its not a problem that we have in our house just merely passing on advice to others from my vet :)

Sorry for any confusion :)

Ah, sorry :-)  Think I was going OTT (at work and on CD at same time).  But if you only have 1 carpet and are hoovering every day with a good hoover, then you are really doing all you need to.  You would only need to spray your one carpet I think - but sounds like you are doing everything anyway.  Does your vet happen to sell flea spray?  As I find that vets sometimes try to encourage you to buy things from them so they get a bit of extra money.  If your dog is fine then I wouldn't bother with the spray.

lol no worries, I have a tendency not to explain myself properly.

I don`t know if my vets sells the flea spray I never asked him lol Like I said I don`t have a problem just friendly advice for people who might have a mite problem lol