Did you know the most common cause of itching in the dog and cat is fleas? Fleas are parasites that live on our pets and feed off their blood. If your pet is scratching more than normal, has areas of hair loss, sore patches, spots, or redness, it is possible that fleas are the cause. Sometimes, as an owner, you could have signs of bites on your own skin.

Fleas themselves are small and black and they can sometimes be seen scurrying around in the fur. White areas are easier to see signs of fleas, such as under the armpits and on the tummy area; however, they can often be found around the neck region and at the base of the tail.

The flea faeces, known as flea dirt, is much easier to see than the fleas themselves, so if you can’t see the fleas but you can see flea dirt, then fleas must be present. Flea dirt looks like small brownish/black specks of dirt on the pet’s skin. A flea can jump more than a hundred times its own length so they are not easy to catch, but if you do catch one, it can be cracked between your thumbnails to kill it.

One way to confirm your pet has fleas is to take a flea comb and give their coat a thorough comb through, then wipe the debris from the comb onto a piece of damp cotton wool. The black flea dirt is actually dried blood so if you see streaks of red blood coming from the black dirt this indicates a presence of fleas.

Once you have an infestation of fleas, it is not an easy task to get rid of them and it can take up to 6 months to eliminate them completely. This is because in an ideal temperature range (26 - 32 degrees C) fleas can survive anywhere from 18 - 21 days right up to months, and the flea larvae can remain dormant for many months. This is why it is so important to treat all areas where your pets have been including carpets, beds and furniture. Often people forget to treat their car but if your pets’ travel in the car it is vital to treat this too!

Vacuuming floors, upholstery and beds; both yours and your pets; and washing pet bedding in hot water will remove fleas and eggs that are buried deep in the fibres. One helpful tip is to put the central heating on full and place damp towels on the radiators, this creates a warm moist environment and brings the flea to the surface of carpets and furnishings making it easier to kill them with the flea spray.

Because of the difficulty in overcoming a flea problem, prevention is better than cure, which is why vets are keen for you to use recommended, good quality products that will kill adult fleas, pupae, larvae and eggs. There are a lot of cheaper products on the market, but these usually work out more expensive in the long run as they are not as effective as a prescribed, reliable product direct from your vet.

Lastly, fleas can transmit tapeworms, so it is important to treat your pets with a reliable worming product as well to keep your pet free from tapeworm.

We hope this article is useful in helping you to identify and effectively manage a suspected case of fleas on your pet. If you are still unsure about what to do, you can call us on 01665 252 250 for further advice and information on the prescribed flea treatments that we recommend at Coquet Vets.