All dogs pick up fleas, ticks, and chiggers at one time or another, usually during the warm weather months. Even a pampered city pet can pick up a stray flea from a potted plant. Hunting dogs often return home with a collection of chiggers or ticks. Fleas hop from one dog to another with amazing speed and agility. Your pet only needs to greet one flea infested friend in order to acquire the beginning of a flea colony of his own.

External parasites are not a special affliction of dogs. The dog is simply a convenient host for them. We would probably have them too, if our bodies were covered with hair and we ran around without shoes and clothing and sat or slept on the ground. Fleas are the most common, the easiest to detect and to get rid of. Fleas appear as black specks on a fine tooth comb, and a single one can drive a dog crazy.

The worst part of fleas is that they act as hosts to tapeworm larvae, and if your dog swallows one you may end up with a worm problem too. You can trap fleas in a silky smooth coat with a flea comb, but fleas that nestle in the dense undercoat of double coated dogs must be treated with a product that penetrates the skin, and a regular mild treatment is safer than an occasional severe one.

Dog fleas treatment

In one day a single flea can bite your pet 400 times, while consuming more than its own body weight in blood. Some dogs can contract flea allergy dermatitis, an allergic reaction to the flea’s saliva. The severity and length of the flea season varies depending on what part of the country you live in, but it is best to treat your pet in early spring, (April – May). In northern climates, flea and tick season usually lasts approximately 4 months, but in the extreme south, fleas can live all year long.

There are more than 2000 species of fleas in the United States alone, but the one that attacks most pets is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides Felis. A cat flea can lay up to one egg per hour, and within two days, a wormlike larvae will hatch from those eggs. The eggs are oval, smooth, and about 0.5mm in size. The hatched larvae will range from 1.5 to 5mm in length. The complete cycle from egg to adult takes approximately 30 to 75 days depending on temperature and humidity.

Adult fleas are about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, are dark reddish brown, wingless, hard bodied, have three pairs of legs and are flattened from side to side. Fleas can jump vertically up to seven inches, and horizontally up to fourteen inches. They have piercing – sucking mouth parts and spines on their body. Adult fleas cannot survive or lay eggs without a blood meal, but may live from two months to one year without feeding.

In order to effectively control an infestation, fleas must be removed from the pet, the home, and the yard. Starting with the pet, there are shampoos, topical treatments, sprays, collars, and oral medications. The least recommended is shampoo, due to the grooming the pet does to his own coat. The pesticides can be toxic if they are consumed in quantity. Topical treatments are better, along with sprays and collars, but the best and most recommended is the oral medication Lufenuron called “Program” from your veterinarian.

To clean the home, all areas frequented by the dog should be cleaned thoroughly by vacuuming, washing bedding and rugs and possible treatment by insecticides. Treating your carpet with a Borate powder such as “Borax” laundry powder works as a poison upon ingestion by the flea, simply sprinkle the powder on your carpets and leave it for a few h ours before vacuuming will rid most homes of their fleas. A second treatment can follow if necessary. It’s cheap, you can do it yourself and there are no insecticides used.

To treat the lawn and around the homes exterior, pyrethroids such as “Archer” or “Nylan”, as well as fenoxy carb such as “Logic” or “Torus” can be effective. Outdoor treatment is usually only done in extreme or severe cases of flea infestation and may not be necessary. You should however keep your lawn trimmed to create a drier, less ideal environment for flea larvae. If you don’t want to handle the pesticides yourself, any licensed professional pest control operator can do the treatment for you.

In summary, you should check with your veterinarian before using any form of flea treatment. Never use products for dogs on a cat, as cats are more sensitive to the pesticide and they groom themselves more thoroughly. Never apply pesticides to young, pregnant, or sick animals, and use alternative methods to control fleas, such as combing frequently with a flea comb, vacuum your home frequently and dispose of the vacuum bag, wash all pet bedding regularly, and bathe your pet with a pesticide free shampoo. Prevention is much easier than dealing with an infestation.

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Dog flea life cycle

If you find yourself with a flea problem, you’ll probably need to try a couple of different flea control methods before you get rid of all of the fleas on your dog and in your home.

Its up to you to choose which treatment you think is best for your dog, you, and your home. Treatments may include using flea collars, flea combs, flea dips, flea powders, flea exterminators, and other flea control methods.

In addition to treating your dog and your home, you may also have to treat your yard.

Taking care of a flea problem doesn’t mean only getting rid of the adult fleas or just the fleas you can see. You also have to get rid of all the fleas in their various life stages throughout your home and your yard. This will require diligence on your part to get rid of all the fleas, but it is well worth it for your dogs health.

Choosing a safe, as well as effective, method of flea control is critical.

Different levels of danger accompany all flea control products and methods and you should choose only the safest and most effective method for your dog and you.

Be careful when applying chemical flea treatments to your dog, as these will irritate any open sores she may have. Also, chemical flea medicines should not be used on kittens under the age of four months. These are two good reasons for trying to stick with natural flea control products, as they are generally less irritating to your dog and her skin, and overall, less dangerous for your dog, the environment, and you.

Controlling Fleas is Critical to Keeping Your Dog Healthy

Dog flea infestation

Uncontrollable itching and scratching. Allergies. Tapeworm. Hair loss. Major discomfort. Even anemia and more serious health problems. Fleas hurt your dog.

Controlling fleas on your precious dog and in your dogs environment is so important in helping you deal with one of the worst external parasites your dog will ever face. Keeping your dog and your home flea-free is not only important for your dogs health, but for your own health, as well.

At the worst, even one single flea bite can lead to serious problems for your dog. Uncontrolled fleas, flea infestation, and flea bites can lead to allergies, tapeworm, anemia, etc. Diligence is an important part of taking care of your dog.

Indoor Dogs Need Protection, Too!

Flea control is critical for all dogs, even those dogs who never go outside. As a matter of fact, your indoor dog and dog environment can have an even worse flea problem than your outdoor dog.

We often make the mistake of thinking that just because our dog lives indoors, he will never have any fleas. Wrong! Fleas can be brought into your home from various sources, such as other animals and even you. Fleas are excellent hitchhikers! They can hop on your clothes when you’re outside and jump off once inside your home.

One flea can lay up to 20 eggs at a time and at their worse, they can lay eggs every day! So by the time you realize you have fleas, your home may already be severely infested.

Weak Dogs Have Worse Flea Problems

Fleas are parasites. They prey on weakened and less healthy dogs. Veterinarians commonly observe that dogs in the poorest health attract the most fleas. So the healthier your dog is, the less likely you’ll have flea infestations on your dog and in your home.

And if you end up with a flea problem, your healthy dog will be in a stronger position to deal with your flea control efforts.

To keep your dog healthy, feed him a diet of the highest quality dog food you can afford, make sure he gets regular exercise with safe and interactive dog toys, and keep his environment clean.

Add regular grooming to these preventative measures and you should be able to keep your dog in excellent health and flea-free.

How to Tell if Your Dog Has Fleas

The most obvious sign of a flea is the flea body itself. These are reddish-brown little guys about the size of a pinhead. They have incredible jumping ability. Fleas are often easily found around your dogs neck and base of the tail.

But just because you don’t see the body, don’t assume there aren’t any fleas. Fleas go through various life cycle stages, and they can be present in your home in different (almost invisible) stages.

To check your dog for fleas, part his hair around his neck, back, hind legs, and near the base of his tail. You can also use a special flea comb and run it gently through these areas to check for fleas.

In addition to actual fleas, you are also looking for any tiny black flecks. These black flecks are flea excrement (or flea dirt) and are a sure sign that these pesky parasites are around. To be extra sure that these black flecks are flea dirt, you can place the flecks on a wet paper towel. If you see a reddish brown circle form around the fleck, you’ve got yourself some flea droppings and a flea problem (the flecks are your dogs digested blood).

And although not every itch means that your dog has fleas, you should suspect fleas if your dog is doing a good deal of licking and chewing around her hind legs and back, especially near the base of the tail. This is often accompanied by hair loss. If your dog is licking and chewing a lot, be sure to give her a thorough inspection.

Inspecting your outdoor dogs for fleas should be a regular part of your flea control efforts.

Photo source:animalsearths.blogspot.com, catfleaandticktreatment.blogspot.com

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Dog Fleas Treatment

Fleas feed on animal blood and can cause problems in a dog or puppy including skin irritation, allergic reactions, anemia, tapeworms and in some cases, death. So it is important to keep your home flea free and dog free of fleas.

There are many different ways fleas can be treated, however fleas can some times be hard to get rid of with one treatment. There are flea dips, flea collars, flea shampoos, flea sprays and monthly medications applied to a dogs neck to kill fleas.

Prevention of fleas is important to make sure you do not end up with a flea infestation. If a dog has fleas bad it can take several treatments to remove all fleas because, just because they are killed on the dog does not mean they are not present outside or inside.

An adult female flea can lay up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime, which means fleas can get out of hand fast if not treated. When you see a flea on your dog, it is an adult flea and has probably already laid eggs. Flea eggs hatch and can develop into adults within only three weeks.

Carpet and bedding can be infected by fleas! When fleas are present in your carpet they will lay eggs and multiply like crazy. If you are having an issue with fleas in your carpet or have had an issue with fleas on your dog, there is help!

Advantage – Blue Box  for Dogs kills fleas on dogs fast. Zodiac Flea Spray Treating your dog is only half the battle for flea infestations. Hartz UltraGuard Plus Flea & Tick Home Spray (my favorite) can be used on the pet’s bedding, carpets, furniture as well as directly on the pet. Hartz Ultraguard Plus Flea &Tick Dog Collar Kills & Repels: fleas, ticks. Kills & Prevents: flea eggs for up to 7 months.

There are lots of options for flea treatments on dogs.

The Natural Flea Treatments:

• Give your dog a bath and rinse with apple cider vinegar. Fleas do not like the smell or taste.
• Apply lemon oil on the dog collar. I have heard this works well but have never tried it.

Commercial Flea Treatments:

Advantage – Blue Box Advantage Blue kills fleas on dogs fast. Advantage kills 98% of fleas within 12 hours and continues to work for up to one month per application.

Zodiac Flea Spray is my favorite quick flea killer besides De Flea. It literally starts to kill fleas in no time. Zodiac Flea Spray will kill the fleas on a dog but it is not a monthly flea preventative.

Hartz UltraGuard Plus Kills fleas, ticks and flea eggs as well as roaches, silverfish, earwigs, ants and other insects on contact.

Frontline Flea & Tick Spot On.

Bayer K9 Advantix K9 Advantix is a unique combination of two proven ingredients that work synergistically against parasites.

Once you are able to treat your home for fleas, you may also want to treat your yard for fleas to prevent the fleas from being a problem again. Also a monthly flea preventative is smart to prevent flea infestations.

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