Have you ever encountered fleas? If you haven’t, count yourself lucky. A flea infestation is something you definitely don’t want in your home or on your pet. Keep reading to learn more about fleas and how to help keep them out of your life and off your pet.
What are Fleas?
Fleas are tiny, reddish-brown, wingless parasites that feed on mammals and birds. Dogs and cats tend to be infested by cat fleas specifically. Despite the name, this species of flea likes both cats and dogs and will bite people as well, especially when there are a lot of fleas.
These blood-sucking creatures are the most common external parasite of dogs and cats.* Once fleas find a host like your pet and start feeding, they’ll stay on your pet and lay eggs.
Each female flea can produce as many as 50 eggs in a day.
The eggs fall off the pet into the environment (your home and backyard). Usually within a few days, the eggs hatch into worm-like larvae, which feed and form cocoons. The immature fleas (pupae) lie in wait inside these protective cocoons until they sense a host, and then they emerge as adults to feed.
Fallacies About Fleas
Keeping your house clean and tidy won’t keep out fleas. Fleas don’t discriminate when it comes to where they take up residence. It’s a common myth that fleas infest dirty, messy homes.
Fleas don’t just hide in carpeting. The growing stages of fleas (eggs, larvae, and pupae) hide in bedding, in clothing, under furniture, and along baseboards.
If you’ve heard the myth about garlic keeping fleas away, don’t believe it. Feeding pets garlic can hurt them, and there’s no scientific proof that garlic repels fleas.
There is no “flea season.” Fleas can infest your pet and your home at any time of year.
Flea Infestations
Fleas can survive throughout the year in the right conditions, with your home being a perfect place for them to thrive. Once a flea infestation is established in your home, the parasites can multiply quickly and can be frustrating and extremely difficult to get rid of.
It’s also a time-consuming process because the flea life cycle has to be broken, and that can take weeks or longer. You don’t just have to kill the adult fleas; you have to destroy all the flea stages, and that means waiting until the fleas emerge from their cocoons. Immature fleas can’t be killed with insecticides while inside these protective shells. Preventing infestations is far better than having to treat them.
Flea-borne Diseases
Fleas can make dogs and cats miserable:
- When fleas bite, they can cause flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) in dogs and cats. FAD is an allergic reaction to certain components in flea saliva, which is why this condition is also called “flea bite hypersensitivity.”
- Not only can fleas cause intense itching and skin inflammation, but when infested pets scratch, they can damage their skin and cause skin infections.
- Fleas can lead to life-threatening blood loss (anemia) in puppies and kittens.
Fleas can also cause illnesses like cat scratch disease and plague in people, and they can even transmit tapeworms to both pets and people.
Unfortunately, just because you don’t see fleas doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
Signs & Symptoms of Fleas in Pets
Itching is often the main symptom of flea infestations, causing pets to:
- Scratch
- Rub against furniture
- Shake their head
- Frequently lick, chew, bite, or groom themselves, sometimes to the point where they cause hair loss or hot spots (painful, raw, inflamed areas on the skin that may bleed)
Vet-Recommended Prevention is Key
Fleas are a problem year-round in Jacksonville and throughout Northeast Florida. Don’t wait until you see these parasites on your pet to take action!
We can help prevent these parasites and the problems they cause by keeping pets on flea control products. As an added bonus, many of these products also provide protection against ticks and other parasites. Give us a call to make sure your pet’s protected or to refill your pet’s prescription.
Flea infestations are FAR easier to prevent than to treat.
Some pets are so allergic to fleas that only one or two can cause a reaction and intense itching. If your pet is scratching or you think your pet might have fleas, let us know so we can check for these parasites and other possible causes of itch—and help get your pet relief.
All Jacksonville Community Pet Clinics carry several options for flea control, including Bravecto, Comfortis, NexGard, Sentinel Spectrum, Revolution, Cheristin and Trifexis. For rebates and other cost-saving offers on these parasite preventives, check out our specials page.
Reference
*Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). CAPC parasite guidelines: fleas. https://capcvet.org/guidelines/fleas. Accessed May 14, 2020.
