Fleas

One of dilemmas of dog/cat owners have with their pets is the nonstop scratching that are usually associated with allergies, skin disorders, fleas and the like. A large percent of dog/cat population in USA alone suffer from these problems. Dog/cat owners usually think instantly that their dogs/cats have allergies but in reality there are about 160 or more skin disorders that your dog/cat might have. Although cats are more prone to fleas, flea infestation in dogs is also one problem a pet owner should also give attention.

One of the most annoying problems that most dog/cat owners share is dog/cat fleas especially during summer season. Fleas are more than just a summer problem to some areas of the country. One reason how your dog acquire fleas is through contact with other dogs/cats, other animals or environment.

Fleas 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.

Your dog/cat feel itchy when they are bitten by fleas but there are dogs/cats that are allergic or sensitive will have severe itching that can lead to hair-loss, inflammation or even to secondary skin infections. A dog/cat that is hypersensitive to flea’s saliva will itch all over from the bite of a single flea.
There is a lot of information on the internet that can help you solve this problem. But still your veterinarian will be your best source for flea information and how to eliminate them.

Here are some steps that you can follow to get rid of fleas

1. Contact your vet to treat your pet if your flea problem has already started.
2. Clean the areas where your pet always hangs out. You need to treat not only the pets but the indoor and outdoor environment.
3. Thoroughly vacuum everything from carpets, rugs, furniture, mattresses and etc. After vacuum don’t forget to dispose the bag.
4. Use flea treatments. Ask your vet what is the most effective product to use.
5. Avoid contacts to other dogs or pets that are suffering from flea problems.
6. You can also use flea products such as flea shampoos, powders, sprays, mousses, dips, collars and spot-on products.

There is no over night solution to flea problem. Controlling or getting rid of fleas is an on going battle. It is better to treat your pet early when you see some fleas than solving a flea infestation.

  Life Cycle of the flea:
To combat fleas, it is important to understand their life cycle. There are 4 stages to the flea life cycle, known as metamorphosis.

The image below shows a break up of the population of fleas & their life cycle. As you can see, only 5% are actually adult fleas which would live on your cat, the remainder are found in the environment in the form of eggs (50%), larvae (35%)  & pupae (10%). It is absolutely vital to treat both your pet & hour environment (home & garden) if you are to combat fleas.

1) Adult flea: The adult flea emerges when it is stimulated by environmental factors such as vibrations, warmth or breath of the host. The flea can come out of it's cocoon within seconds of stimulation. The lifespan of an adult flea is around 2 - 3 months. The adult flea is around 1.5 - 4mm long, and dark brown or black in appearance. Adults suck blood from their host. Adult fleas begin laying eggs within 36 - 48 hours of their first blood meal. A female flea consumes up to 15 times her body weight in blood per day.

2) Egg: At .5mm in length, flea eggs are barely visible to the human eye, the female flea lays approximately one egg per hour. The flea egg is whitish, smooth & dry & easily falls off the coat into the environment. Flea eggs hatch in around 1 - 10 days, depending on conditions. Flea eggs & flea droppings are often found together. When the cat scratches the eggs along with the droppings fall off the cat. The droppings provide food to the larvae when they hatch. The eggs & droppings together have the appearance of salt & pepper.

Environmental conditions such as humidity, light & temperature determine how quickly & how many flea larvae hatch from flea eggs. The lower the temperature, the fewer larvae will hatch. Optimal conditions for flea larvae to hatch are 70% & higher & temperatures of 21 - 32 degrees C (70 - 89 degrees F).

Flea eggs fall off the cat when it jumps, scratches, moves & sleeps. Eggs are found all over the home, but in their highest concentrations in your cat's preferred spots such as bedding.

3) Larvae: The larvae are vermiform (maggot like) like in appearance & up to 6mm long, flea larvae avoid light by residing deep in carpet fibres, under furniture & rugs & in crevices. At this stage they have no legs or eyes, but have chewing mouth parts.  Flea larvae feed on adult flea excrement, food debris & dead skin.

4) Pupae: This is the transition stage between larvae & adult flea. After approximately 7-18 days the flea larvae pupate.  It takes approximately 7 - 10 days for the larvae to develop into a flea, although it may be some time before the flea emerges from it's protective cocoon.  They are at their most resilient as pupae, and resistant to  insecticides.

The flea larvae spins a sticky, protective silken (produced by the saliva of the larvae) outer cocoon, covered with particles of debris such as dust, hair, lint etc.   The pupae are found in carpet fibres, crevices etc., and are virtually undetectable.