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Fleas
Fleas are more than a nuisance - they can cause illness in our pets. Below we’ll go into a little detail on the life cycle of fleas, some of the diseases associated with them, and how to prevent them from setting up shop on your cat or dog or in your home.
Flea Life Cycle
Fleas are the most common external parasite of dogs and cats. Generally, an infestation is the result of contact with a flea-ridden environment rather than another flea-infested animal. This is because the adult stage of the flea stays on the animal for their whole lives, while the immature stages are in the surrounding environment. Eggs are laid on the dog or cat, which fall off into the surrounding environment, mature and wait for a host. This aspect of their life cycle means that vigorous cleaning of the environment around a flea-infested pet is very important to getting rid of fleas!
How do I know my dog or cat has fleas?
It’s not uncommon to never actually
see an adult flea if your pet is infested. Cats are fastidious groomers, so they often lick the fleas off before we can find them. Rather than seeing fleas themselves, often we find “flea dirt”. Flea dirt is the term for flea poop, which is digested blood. Flea dirt looks like little specks of dirt on the coat and skin. Since it’s digested blood, if you take some of it and put it on a damp paper towel, it should turn a rust color when smeared. Some animals are itchy, but not always.
Aside from being a nuisance, fleas can make your pet sick
Some animals are allergic to flea saliva, and even just one bite can make them intensely itchy and lead to significant skin inflammation and infection. Fleas tend to hang out on the rump and along the back, so if that’s where your pet is especially itchy, you should be on the lookout for fleas. Ingestion of a flea can lead to infection with tapeworms, which is an intestinal parasite. If a pet is infested with a large number of fleas for long enough, they can consume enough blood to lower the animal’s red blood cell count causing anemia, which can be fatal.
How do I treat a flea infestation?
It takes 3 months to break the flea life cycle and involves treating the animal and the environment. Washing of linens and frequent vacuuming are important - be sure to empty the vacuum of its contents so flea eggs cannot recontaminate your home! There are premise sprays and products that can be sprinkled into carpet to help kill the eggs and immature fleas. Using a flea preventive routinely is imperative to control the current infestation and prevent them in the future.
Preventing fleas
The best way to treat a flea infestation is to never have one in the first place. To prevent fleas, there are three types of products: oral chewables, topical spot-on solutions, and long-lasting collars. Flea prevention should be used all year round - flea infestations can happen in the winter! Fortunately, most products on the market provide protection against both fleas and ticks. There are some products that only confer protection against fleas, so be sure to closely check whatever product you are using. It’s a good idea to confirm with your veterinarian that the product or combination of products will work well and troubleshoot as needed.
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