We all know that fleas are one of the most common parasites affecting pet dogs. If you have a dog, inevitably occasionally you will have fleas as well. It is at this point that people seriously want to take steps to rid fleas.
The dog flea itself is tiny and brown. Fleas move very quickly and can be hard to kill. That, however is only the start of the various problems when you get a flea infestation. In this article we will discover a little more about fleas and how you can rid fleas from your dog, other pets and your house.
The adult fleas feed by biting your dog (or you or your other pets) and suck blood.The life cycle of a flea is four stages from eggs to the flea itself and can progress rapidly in the right circumstances. When you consider that an adult flea lays hundreds of eggs each day and those eggs quickly become egg-laying adults themselves Then you can see how just one flea can become a big problem very quickly!
So how can we tell if our dogs have fleas?
If a dog has fleas it wll scratch and bite iself excessively, most frequently in these places: the ears, the base of the tail, the belly, and the the skin between its leg and belly.
The saliva rather than the bite will cause the itching, and some dogs have a genuine allergy to this saliva (as opposed to a standard irritation). Dogs with allergies suffer much more significant negative reactions to a flea infestation, and usually develop “hot spots”. These are areas of sore, red, skin caused by the flea saliva and can bleed and become infected easily. Constant scratching may cause the dog to develop bald spots too. It is important to check your dog by grooming with a special flea comb (available from vets, petstores or pharmacies). While you are combing his fur you may notice flea droppings – like tiny black pepper grounds. This can be confirmed by wiping the comb onto some white paper. The spoor should look red when smeared on the paper.
Even if your dog shows no eveidence of having fleas, you should prevent an infestation instead. If you are reading this article out of curiosity or you have assertained your pet does not have a fleas problem, then this is what to do: Scheduled flea treatment is the best prevention. Use prescribed treatment products according to a calendar and stick to the schedule. Your vet will recommend the best product for your size and weight of dog.
OK, so if it’s a tad late for prevention and you notice that your dog does indeed have a flea problem, then it means that you will have a household problem very soon too, if you don’t have one already. Don’t panic, there are many ways you can deal with this – you will simply need to methodically follow through with your efforts to rid fleas. Also remember there is no shame in getting a flea infestation, it can happen to anyone with a pet.
Not only will you need to treat your dog but you will also need to treat it’s bedding, your bedding, carpets and soft furnishings. Also you will need to look for fleas in the garden and yrad and deal with the problem there too.
After taking the necessary action to rid fleas from your pets and house, check your dog again by grooming to see if the problem is gone. Then start on the preventative treatments mentioned earlier.
There are one or two things to remember:
Flea treatments can be quite toxic, make sure that you have the right treatment for the size & age of your dog and do not use more than one type of treatment at any one time.
If there are other animals like cats in the house, they will have to be treated too
Be consistent. If you get halfway through getting rid of the fleas and stop, then they will be back in full force again soon.
The war against fleas is win-able but you need to get the best possible
advice. At Poochdogs, there is a comprehensive how-to guide to rid fleas from your pets, your house, your life! Click on the highlighted text to get it today.
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