To
effectively control fleas, it is necessary to understand a
little of their life cycle and habits.
Adult fleas live on the dog, where the female lays her eggs.
Flea eggs are laid on the host animal but fall off into the
bedding, carpeting, and elsewhere in the animal's environment,
These pearly white eggs are barely visible to the naked eye
and are usually impossible to find without a magnifying lens.
Flea eggs hatch into larvae in 1-10 days, depending on the
temperature and humidity; the warmer and more humid, the more
rapidly the eggs hatch.
Flea larvae feed on organic material in the environment and
on the droppings from adult fleas. They are sensitive to sunlight
and to drying, so inside the house the larvae prefer deep
carpet, bedding, and cracks in the floor boards. Outside the
house, the larvae prefer shaded areas that have plenty of
organic material (grass, leaves, etc.) or moist, sheltered
soil. As the larvae feed on adult flea droppings, they are
found in highest numbers in areas where flea-infested animals
spend much of their time.
After 5-11 days, the larvae produce a fine cocoon in which
they complete their development. During this stage of their
life cycle, fleas are resistant to insecticides. In ideal
conditions, adult fleas hatch from their cocoon in as little
as 5 days, although fleas can survive in the pupated form
for up to 5 months. Hatching is stimulated by vibration, physical
pressure, heat, and carbon dioxide; in other words, the presence
of a potential host animal.
Immediately after hatching from its cocoon, the adult flea
seeks out a host animal. It must have a meal of blood within
a few days in order to survive and produce eggs. Within two
days of her first blood meal, the female flea begins producing
eggs. Fleas can continue to produce eggs for up to 100 days.
A single flea can produce thousands of eggs.
Fleas feeding on your dog can cause several problems:
• Itching and scratching at the flea bite--in most cats,
the itching is mild and temporary.
• Some dogs become allergic to flea saliva and develop
severe itching, hair loss, and skin damage from scratching
and biting at the site. If left untreated a skin infection
can develop.
• Tapeworm infestation--fleas are an essential part of
the tapeworm's life cycle. The dog becomes infested with tapeworms
when it swallows a flea that contains immature tapeworm stages.
Tapeworms can cause anemia due to loss of red blood cells.
This occurs only with severe flea infestations, and usually
only in young or sick animals.
It
is easy to tell when a dog is heavily infested with fleas.
You can see the fleas crawling over their skin and through
the hair. If your cat has only a light infestation, you may
not see any fleas unless you look for them. A common place
to see fleas is on their belly and the inside of the thighs,
where the hair is thin or the skin is bare. Another place
to look is in the dense hair over your animal's rump, especially
near the base of the tail. Part the hair and inspect the skin
for either fleas or flea dirt.
Flea
dirt is actually flea droppings. It looks like black grains
of sand or cracked pepper on the dog's skin. If you place
a few particles of flea dirt on a white surface (e.g. a piece
of paper) and wet them, you will see a reddish brown stain
form. This is because the flea droppings contain digested
blood from the flea's blood meal. You may also notice tiny
areas of dried blood on the cat's bedding from moistened flea
dirt that has since dried.
Effective
flea control requires the three P's! Pets, Premise and Persistence
1. Pets - control of fleas on your dog.
2. Premise - control of fleas in your cat's environment.
3. Persistence - controling fleas is an ongoing battle.
Environmental control is probably the more important of the
two. Adult fleas on your dog account for as little as 5% of
the total flea population. Fleas can be shared by cats and
dogs, so if you also have a cat, it must be treated, too.
1. Control of fleas on your cat
Your veterinarian is the best source of advice on flea control
for your pet. There are many excellent products that if used
appropriately will control fleas on your pet. Your veterinarian
has carefully screened these products and can provide you
with the ones that are safe and effective.
There are many ineffective and even dangerous products commercially
available over the counter so always consult your veterinarian
for the best and safest.
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Numerous
products will kill adult fleas on your dog. However, they vary
in the duration of their effects:
• Flea shampoos, sprays, and powders--most will kill any
fleas on your dog at the time of application, but they have
no lasting effect.
• Your dog may have more fleas within 24 hours of being
treated.
• Some of the newer sprays can be safely used every day,
if necessary.
• Flea rinses (dips)--may be effective for 4-5 days, depending
on the product.
• The rinse is applied after the cat has been shampooed;
it is left to dry on the dog's coat.
• Sprays containing flea growth regulators--depending on
the product, these sprays are usually applied weekly.
• The growth regulators help break the flea's life cycle.
• Flea collars--can be effective for a couple of weeks.
• Flea collars are not very effective in warm, humid climates
(environments that are ideal for immature flea development).
• Some dogs are sensitive to flea collars and develop skin
irritation under the collar; if this happens, you should remove
the collar and use another method of flea control.
• Spot-on products--Advantage(R) and Frontline(R) are two
brand name products that are applied to a small area of the
animal's skin; they effectively kill fleas for at least a month.
• They kill the adult fleas, usually before the flea has
had a chance to bite.
• Be sure to select the appropriate package for your dog's
body weight.
• Program(R)_a tablet that sterilizes any eggs laid by
the fleas that feed on your dog.
• You must give your dog the tablet once a month
• This drug does not kill the adult fleas on your dog,
but it does break the flea life cycle by preventing hatching
of the next generation of flea eggs.
Consult us for a recommendation on what would work best for
your pet.
2.Control
of fleas in your cat's environment is fairly simple for
indoor dogs, especially if you have no other pets that regularly
go outside. It is impossible to rid the outside environment
of all fleas. Flea control in dogs that regularly go outside
or live outside can be more difficult.
Unless you have strictly indoor pets, environmental control
must target both your house and your yard:
• House--use a fogger or long-lasting spray to kill any
adult and larval fleas if
you have a particularly bad flea problem, it is often worth
having a professional exterminator treat your home.
• Fleas in the pupal (cocoon) stage are resistant to insecticides,
including foggers, so it may be necessary for you to treat your
home 2 or 3 times to get rid of all fleas.
• The second treatment should be done 2 weeks after the
first.
• You should also wash or otherwise treat your dog's bedding
on a regular basis.
• Spray your yard with an insecticide that has residual
activity for at least 30 days.
• For a difficult flea problem, consider having an exterminator
treat your yard.
• In warm, humid climates, it may be necessary to spray
your yard every 30 days during the warmer months of the year.
• Some newer products contain a growth regulator (fenoxycarb)
and need to be applied only once or twice a year.
With the new residual treatments for your dog, environmental
control is less important. In some cases, using these products
on your dog effectively controls the flea population in the
environment. Consult your veterinarian for more information
on controlling fleas in your pet's environment.
Isn't there a new treatment that guarantees a flea-free
house for a whole year?
Yes, but there are limitations. Flea BustersTM treat your carpets
with a nontoxic flea-killing powder. It is worked into the base
of your carpet so that the powder is not removed when you vacuum.
This treatment is very effective, even with heavy flea infestations.
However, it does not control fleas elsewhere in your dog's environment,
such as your yard. You can buy the chemical the company uses
(a form of boric acid) and apply it yourself. Treating your
carpets this way does not carry the 1-year guarantee.
Unless stimulated, fleas can remain in the pupal (cocoon) stage
for up to 5 months. So, if your house has been empty for several
days or weeks, the unhatched fleas will have remained in their
cocoons during that time. On your return, activity in the house
and the presence of your dog will stimulate the fleas to hatch
and reinfest your it. Newly hatched adult fleas will also jump
on people in search of a blood meal. They much prefer dogs and
cats to humans.
Fleas in the pupal stage are resistant to insecticides. Treating
your home with a fogger or long-acting spray just before you
go away may not prevent this problem. It is best to maintain
a flea control program throughout the year to effectively rid
your pets and home of fleas. On your next visit to us, ask about
flea control. We will help you develop an effective flea control
program that fits your circumstances.
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