Dog Fleas

07 Apr 2009

Pet Dogs


How to Prevent – Treat – Kill Dog Fleas



dog fleas

dog fleas

Prevention is always better than medication, so it is best to prevent occurrences of dog flea infestations. If your dog gets fleas, you not only have to worry about getting the fleas off of your dog, but you have to get the fleas out of the environment. That means everywhere your dog has run, jumped, rested or thumped is full of flea eggs that you have to eliminate.

The animal and its environment must be treated simultaneously, and that treatment must be combined with regular sanitation efforts. For effective treatment, both the host animal and the environment must be treated at the same time. Control of fleas on the pet generally requires the use of insecticides. Although flea combs can remove some fleas (the combs of a dog flea consist of 8 pairs of spines), combing should be thought of as a method for detecting fleas rather than removing them.

The working area should be appropriate for containment of the pesticide and should be resistant to caustic materials. Pregnant or nursing animals and certain parts of the pet’s body (such as the eyes) may be sensitive to the insecticides and must be shielded during application. Young animals may also require treatment with insecticides of lower toxicity than adult animals.

Some on-animal formulations contain insect growth regulators (IGRs) that kill flea eggs on the animal. Insect growth regulators prevent flea larvae from developing to the adult stage. Growth regulators may also inhibit egg hatching. A good flea larval control program will incorporate sanitation, contact insecticides and growth regulators for good results.Remember, using excessive aerosols is illegal and may cause fires and even explosions.

Read all product labels carefully, and to follow all precautions and dose directions. Do not overexpose your pet by combining too many treatments at one time, such as a collar, a shampoo and a dust. Pesticides have a cumulative effect. Be aware of each product’s toxicity and do not endanger yourself or the animal by using excessive amounts of any one product or by combining products. The label may call for the use of gloves and other protective equipment during application and suggest the pet not be handled with unprotected hands until the treatment dries. All personal protective equipment listed on the label must be worn.


A wide range of insecticides are available for flea control. The pyrethrins and pyrethroids have the lowest mammalian toxicity. These insecticides come in many formulations including shampoo, dust and powder, mousse, aerosol and non-aerosol mist or spray, dip, spot-on, roll-on and collar. Organophosphate drugs for oral use are available, by prescription from veterinarians.

Two products that are highly effective are available on the market. One of these is Frontline. This is an especially good treatment because it can be used on young dogs – even as young as 8 weeks old. This product works well, even when the dog has already been bathed and can last for as long as a month. Your dogs would not be irritated with this medication, as it is generally gentle and harmless. Another good medication is Advantage. This, on the other hand, can be used for both cats and dogs, and has the distinct ability to kill fleas within a 12-hour period of time.

Another method is the use of proper sanitation. Animal on board must be subject to a flea bath, to effectively eradicate traces of fleas before they permanently reside inside our homes. Vacuuming carpets and other potential sources of dog flea eggs and larvae should also be done. Also, regular pet maintenance is required.

Using a vacuum with a beater bar and immediately disposing of the waste bag effectively eliminates up to half of the larvae and eggs in carpet. You should also launder animal bedding and thoroughly clean areas the animal frequents and dispose of the vacuum waste bag after every cleaning. Do not put insecticides in the vacuum cleaner bag. This is an illegal and dangerous use of the products and can harm you, your family and pets by creating dusts or fumes that could be inhaled.

Carpet shampooing or steam cleaning can rids the carpet of blood feces, an important food for the larvae, and may also remove eggs and larvae. In outdoor areas, cleaning up the places where animals like to rest reduces eggs and larvae and removes blood pellets. In yards and kennels, flea larvae can be found in cracks at wall-floor junctions and in floor crevices. These areas must be thoroughly cleaned and then maintained to prevent another infestation.

After all this, you may think that the flea problem has gone forever but there may still be pupae that has survived the insecticide due to their protective cocoon, taking the same measurements as noted above two weeks later, should help the full removal of all things flea related and your dog will be able to sleep again

If the problem persists, please contact your vet or other professional advice. You can always consult a veterinarian if you have questions. They will have accurate information on insecticides and their use for flea control on pet animals.

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Dog Flea

07 Apr 2009

Dog Flea


Understanding Dog Fleas



dog fleas

dog fleas

Fleas belong to the insect order Siphonaptera.

Although many species of fleas feed primarily on one type of animal, the common cat and dog flea will readily take blood from a variety of animals, including man.

Dog fleas, like human fleas, are parasites and are generally detrimental to the health of our pets. Dog fleas can also affect us humans and can feed off us. Removing dogs from the house, therefore, is not a healthy solution if ever one is having a major dog flea problem in the house. This would only cause the fleas to feed off us humans instead.

Fleas can’t reproduce without a blood meal from your dog or another animal but can survive for long periods of time (2 months to a year) in hibernation without a meal but usually they will die off within one week without hibernation. Starved fleas will readily seek other sources of blood and more often than not, man is the alternate host.

The female flea is generally 2.5 mm long-with the male flea being slightly smaller, brownish to black insects which are characteristically flattened from side to side. Adults have strong back legs that let them jump from one dog to another or the environment. They don’t have wings for flying but their strong back legs are enough for them to find their next host. Adults feed exclusively on blood with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. When not actively feeding, adult fleas often hide in locations frequented by the host animal such as your dog bedding, sofas, or carpeted areas.


After feeding and mating, the female deposits her eggs, usually on the host. Female version of these small little pests can reproduce at the alarming rate of 50 eggs a day max and an average egg count is normally around 20- 30 a day. Fleas can start to lay eggs as soon as 48 hours after having their first blood meal which makes getting rid of these fleas early on essential. Several eggs are laid daily and up to several hundred over a lifetime. Eggs normally fall off the host into bedding material or similar areas and hatch within two weeks.Flea eggs accumulate in areas where the host spends most of its time.

Fleas undergo complete metamorphosis, that is, they pass through four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Immature fleas do not resemble adults at all. Around half of the flea population are eggs, 30% larvae, 15% pupae and only around 5% of the population are biting adults. These larvae take anywhere from a week to a month to become biting fleas and as you can see by the stats, the key to stopping your flea problem and letting your dog get a good night sleep again is through getting rid of the eggs.

The larvae of a dog flea is double the length of the adult and it generally feeds on particles of dry blood, excrement, and various organic substances collected in corners of infested premises.Flea larvae are tiny, light colored, and, worm-like, without legs.

Flea larvae occur indoors and outdoors, wherever the eggs have fallen off the host. In houses, flea larvae live in carpeting, furniture, animal bedding and other protected areas with high humidity. Flea larvae also live outdoors in areas where animals spend time such as under porches in and around dog houses, etc.

Because flea larvae depend on the adult’s fecal pellets of dried blood as a food source, they cannot live in lawns or other outdoor areas unless the pet visits those areas enough to provide this food.

The pupa is contained within a loose silken cocoon which is often covered by bits of debris. Under average conditions, the life cycle of the flea normally requires between 30 and 75 days but may take much longer. Adult fleas inside the cocoon, called pre-emerged fleas, will stay in that condition for weeks to months if no external cues from a host is available.

Persistent attacks from fleas can cause severe allergic responses in some people and pets. Once sensitized, a single flea bite may produce symptoms including hair loss, usually around the base of the tail, dermatitis, and intense itching. In worse cases, puppies and young kittens can also died from serious fleas infestations.

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