The Dirty Truth About Fleas
If there is one pest I absolutely despise, it's fleas! I have no idea why God even made them because as far as I'm concerned they do nothing except be a nuisance to us and our pets. Now that the weather is warm, the fleas are out and in full effect and problems related to flea infestation are common for those of us who work in the veterinary clinic. Flea-related issues range from skin allergies and hair-loss, to transmission of parasites, to anemia. Some clients say that their pet is scratching constantly but they don't see any fleas. When these pets are brought in for an exam, no fleas may be visible, but evidence of their presence is there. Have you ever noticed something in your pet's hair or bed that looks like black pepper or when you give your pet a bath the water looks a little red? Well, what you are seeing is flea feces, commonly known as flea dirt. Fleas eat blood, therefore they defecate blood. So if flea dirt is there, a flea has been on your pet at some point or the other. Believe it or not, some pets are actually allergic to fleas. Flea Allergy Dermatitis, as it is called, is common in both dogs and cats and can appear as a scabby or crusty, sometimes moist and red area of hair loss, near the base of the tail, lower back and inner thighs, although anywhere on the body can be affected. If your pet is allergic to fleas, it is not the presence of the flea that makes them itchy, but rather a hypersensitivity to the flea saliva. That means even if the flea bites your pet, then hops off, the reaction will still occur. Corticosteroid injections or pills are used to stop the itchiness and sometimes antibiotics are needed due to the secondary skin infection that occurs as a result of the constant scratching, biting or licking. Fleas are also the transmitters of a parasite called tapeworms which look like little pieces of rice which you can can see in their stools or around their anal area. When pets bite themselves to scratch, they sometimes end up swallowing the flea which is how they get the tapeworms. Occasionally a pet becomes so infested with fleas they become anemic and have to have a blood transfusion. I see this mostly in cats and kittens but I have seen it happen in a dogs and puppies as well. In order to prevent flea infestation, monthly flea prevention, year-round is a must. One female flea lays thousands of eggs and if your pet lives indoors, these critters are lurking around your home, in your carpet, bedding, clothes or anywhere else that your pet frequents. So proper environmental flea treatment is also necessary. If you find yourself dealing with this problem, you should wash all your rugs, sheets and pet bedding and vacuum the carpet daily for at least one week. Be sure to empty the contents of the bagless vacuum in the garbage can outside the house after each use, and change the bag daily if you have a regular vacuum cleaner. Even with this decontamination of your home, you may find that the fleas are still there and you may have to use a flea bomb in order to kill them. For me, the Raid Fogger and Flea Bomb work best. For the outside, you can use an insect killer that you can get at Home Depot or a similar store that you place around the perimeter of your house. As always, be sure to keep your pets away from the areas in which it is applied. "Dr. Bain, I use flea prevention monthly, but lately it seems to have stopped working, why is that?" This is a question I am asked frequently by many pet owners and I did not have a definitive answer for them so I decided to ask an expert. One of my clients who is an Entomologist (Insect Specialist), suggests you change your flea preventative every few months because the babies can become resistant to a particular type from chronic use. Flea preventatives are available in topical as well as pill form and can be purchased at every vet hospital. Advantage, Advantage-Multi, Advantix, Frontline Plus, Comfortis, Trifexus and Revolution are a few products available for dogs and Advantage, Frontline Plus and Revolution are some products for use in cats. One application of these products is effective for about 30 days. When pets are extremely infested, there is a pill called Capstar, which will kill all fleas present within 24 hours, but it does not have a lasting effect so another 30 day acting product must also be used concurrently. When choosing a product, be sure to use the dog products on dogs and cat products on cats only and follow the instructions on how to apply these products correctly. Your pet should not be given a bath or allowed to go swimming for at least 24-48 hours before or after application. Getting rid of these dirty creatures is no easy task, proper use of prevention and environmental control is key for keeping them out of our pet's hair - and that's the truth!
what do flea eggs look like - News
Fleas are also the transmitters of a parasite called tapeworms which look like little pieces of rice which you can can see in their stools or around their anal area. When pets bite themselves to scratch, they sometimes end up swallowing the flea which
Your vet will need to do a test on your dogs stool to make a diagnosis. Read more. Tapewormshave segments are a quarter to half an inch long and generally look like uncooked rice, and they move! I will tell you, I have dealt with this one a lot through
Female chiggers can lay a dozen eggs per day in grassy or bushy areas once they get going. Within two weeks, the eggs will hatch and start to look for a meal. Males live only a month or two, but females might live a year. In warm areas like Arkansas,
Vacuuming will pick up about 60 percent of the flea eggs, about 27 percent of the flea larvae and some adult fleas, as well. Discard the vacuum bag outside immediately when done. 3. Treat indoors with an insecticide registered for flea control.
For the cool evenings, he will have stowed a sweatshirt or leather jacket in his compact Tumi bag or the vintage duffel bag he bought in a flea market 10 years ago. For business, he can do Europe for a week or more with a single suit.
what do flea eggs look like - Bookshelf
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What Do Dog Flea Eggs Look Like? | eHow.com
What Do Dog Flea Eggs Look Like?. Dog flea eggs are difficult to see, but their presence indicates a parasite infestation that can jeopardize a dog's health.
What do flea eggs look like (on a cat)? - Yahoo! Answers
What do flea eggs look like (on a cat) ... When found in high numbers along with flea fecal matter, the eggs are "salt" in the "salt and pepper" look of these tiny particles. ...
Flea Pictures - What do Fleas and Flea Infestations Look Like.
4) Flea pictures through the microscope - what do fleas look like under the microscope? 5) Echidnophaga gallinacea - stickfast or sticktight flea pictures. ...
What Do Dog Flea Eggs Look Like? | DailyPuppy.com
Dog flea eggs are difficult to see, but their presence indicates a parasite infestation that can jeopardize a dog's health.
what do the eggs of fleas look like?
having severe flea problems with my dog this summer; wondering if there are flea eggs in her fur.