How to Care for Your Pet if it Has Fleas? – Fleas are a form of external parasite. They depend on the host’s blood (could be a cat or dog) for their survival. Not only will fleas feed on your pets’ blood, but adult fleas will reproduce and thrive. They will also enter your home space.
Here’s a breakdown of flea problems in pets, how to treat them, and key takeaways:
What are Fleas?
- Small, wingless, blood-sucking insects that thrive on pets (and occasionally humans).
- Extremely agile, jumping great distances.
- Cause discomfort through bites and can transmit diseases.
Signs Your Dog Has Fleas
- Flea dirt: Black specks in fur (turn red when wet).
- Flea eggs: White ovals in fur.
- Excessive scratching, licking, and biting.
- Scabs or irritated skin.
- Pale gums and weakness (in severe cases due to blood loss).
How to Check for Fleas
- Visual Inspection: Look for brown bugs in the fur, especially on belly and tail base.
- Flea Comb: Run a fine-toothed comb through the fur, checking for fleas or flea dirt.
- Towel Test: Brush your dog over a white towel/sheet and look for black specks that turn red when dampened.
Treating Your Pet and Home
- Consult your vet: They’ll recommend the best prevention/treatment, which may include:
- Oral medications
- Topical treatments
- Flea collars
- Medicated shampoos
- Treat Your Environment: Fleas lay eggs in carpets, bedding, etc.
- Vacuum thoroughly and frequently.
- Wash pet bedding in hot water.
- Consider professional home treatment for severe infestations.
- Treat Your Yard: Fleas thrive in shady, moist areas.
- Keep grass/shrubs trimmed.
- Use nematodes (beneficial worms) or pest control sprays as needed.
How Fleas Harm Pets
- Itching and skin problems: Flea bites are irritating and can lead to open wounds from scratching.
- Anemia: Severe blood loss, especially dangerous for puppies.
- Tapeworms: Fleas can carry tapeworm eggs.
Fleas Affect Humans Too
- Bites: Itchy bumps or welts.
- Potential for disease transmission: Fleas can spread rare diseases.
Home Remedies (Use with Caution)
- Dish soap/water trap: Attracts and drowns fleas.
- Herbal sprays: Citrus, rosemary, etc., can repel fleas temporarily.
- Baking soda or salt: Sprinkle on carpets, but effects may be limited.
Prevention Is Key
- Vet-recommended flea preventatives: Year-round protection is best.
- Keep your home clean and dry: Reduces flea-friendly habitats.
- Minimize access to wildlife in your yard: Other animals can carry fleas.
Key Takeaways
- Fleas are more than annoying: They pose health risks for pets and humans.
- Early treatment is crucial: Prevents discomfort, anemia, and disease spread.
- Prevention is the best medicine: Make your home and pet unattractive to fleas.
- Consult your vet: They’re your best guide for safe and effective flea control tailored to your pet’s needs.
How to Care for Your Pet if it Has Fleas? – How to Check Your Dog for Fleas?
You should regularly check your dog’s comb or brush during grooming sessions. Also, there are several ways to check your dog for fleas.
Check Visually
Adult fleas are generally small and brown and can be spotted easily by just the naked eye. You have to make your dog lie on its side and check thinly-haired areas of its body, such as the abdomen.
Use a Flea Comb
You can find fine-toothed metal combs at your vet’s clinic or local pet supply store. All you have to do is run a comb along its back or underbelly such that the comb comes in contact with the skin.
Flea dirt or flea feces resemble black specks of pepper. Always have a bowl of soapy water to drown any adult fleas that you may come in contact with.
The Towel Test
Make your dog stand on a white towel, paper, or cloth. Then, by brushing or rubbing her coat, you can check for flea dirt on the towel. Flea dirt will appear like specks of black pepper and turn red if it comes in contact with water.
Just in case you don’t find any fleas, flea dirt, or eggs but your pet is still scratching, you can have your vet check. There is a skin test for flea allergies. There is also a chance that your dog is suffering from food, atopic, or contact allergies which can be appropriately diagnosed by your vet.
How to Rid Your Dog and Home of Fleas?
Simply put, fleas are annoying. Not only will you find your dog scratching itself sore, but it can also bite people. So, to deal with the situation, first, check with your vet.
Adult fleas will continue to thrive and multiply on your dog or in your home well until you break their life cycle. However, several products such as powders, sprays, shampoos, and topical liquids are available to prevent or eliminate the fleas or treat your dog’s surroundings.
- Even soap used in a bath can act as a gentle insecticide.
- Problems like open sores from scratching or rashes have to be treated by a vet.
- Your pet will have to consume antibiotics if there is an infection
Various Methods on How to Prevent Fleas
Your vet can prescribe the right type of prevention from fleas, such as
- Topical (These are liquids and gels applied to your dog’s skin
- Oral medication (These can be taken as a treat or a pill.
- Flea collars
Your vet will also be able to guide you about how quickly these products work, how frequently they need to be used, the duration for which treatments last, and how well they work on your pet.
Fleas are not just irritating. They can sometimes even carry the eggs of tapeworm, an internal parasite. Certain pets are allergic to fleas, and their skin becomes hypersensitive. Too many bites on the skin can also make the skin hypersensitive. bites can cause Flea anemia (a dangerous loss of red blood cells)
Flea infestation is not just annoying. If left unattended, it can even have fatal consequences. Even if you’ve got rid of all the fleas from your pet. It doesn’t stop there.
Female fleas can lay 25-40 eggs a day, Which is around 2000 in their entire lifetime. These eggs drop whenever your pet hangs out. The eggs hatch and later become full-grown fleas about two weeks later.
Sometimes people can make mistakes such as not understanding what a particular product can do. For example, say you get flea shampoo, and all the fleas die. However, the shampoo is not going to keep fleas away from your pet because, by now, they must be everywhere in your house.
How to Control Fleas Outside?
If you find fleas everywhere in your house, you should know it’s time to treat your yard. Unfortunately, as your pet goes in and out of your house, these nasty blood-sucking parasites manage to get attached to your dog’s body, and the horrible situation continues.
Remember, fleas like moisture and shade. Ensure that your grass and shrubs once cut short, allow sunlight to dry things out. Get rid of clippings, leaves, and straw lying around, or they will recur. Also, discourage other animals from entering your yard as fleas tend to ride on the backs of these animals.
Fleas, in general, can be found more during the warmer months of the year, but you can get rid of them any time of the year.
Microscopic worms called nematodes eat fleas and so can be sprinkled in your yard. It is pretty safe to use them near your pets and kids. You can shop for them online or in garden supply stores.
Warning Signs of Fleas in Dogs
Certain telltale signs can indicate that your dog is affected by fleas. They are
- Flea droppings in the fur
- Flea eggs in the fur
- Excessive licking or scratching
- Scabs or hot spots on the skin
How Fleas Cause Anemia in Dogs?
Fleas can suck 15 times their weight in blood. When your dog loses too much blood, it can result in anemia which is a drop in red blood cells. Puppies are more at risk of anemia. Common symptoms are pale gums and a complete lack of energy.
How Do Fleas Affect Human Beings?
The bad news is that the problem of fleas doesn’t stop with your pet suffering. Fleas like human blood too. They can latch onto your skin from your pet’s fur or bed onto your skin. People can also have bad reactions to flea bites. Scratching can lead to skin infections. The only way you can keep fleas from sucking on your blood is by keeping your pet band house free from fleas.
How to Create a Barrier from Fleas?
- If your yard has a lot of wood, you can discourage fleas from visiting your lawn by placing a huge barrier such as a 3-foot wide barrier of gravel between the wood and the grass.
- In case you have playground toys or lounge chairs on your lawn, ensure that you keep them away from trees and edges of the yard.
Rid Your House of Fleas
When fleas lay eggs on your pet, they may fall onto your carpet, bed, or other furniture. The new fleas on hatching tend to target your pets, you, and your blood. Then they lay some more eggs.
Carpets and any humid areas are breeding grounds for fleas. So keep your home as dry as possible. Replace carpeting often and make your house less flea friendly.
Fleas can be a major cause of concern when it comes to both your pets as well as you. These blood-sucking parasites can suck so much blood that your pet becomes anemic. So, keep the problem of fleas in control by keeping your yard and any humid places in your home free from fleas.
Home Remedies For Fleas
The problem of fleas can be dealt with simple kitchen remedies as well. Some of the most common solutions to your flea problem are
Dish Soap
Just fill a plate or bowl with warm water and dish soap and keep it in all your rooms where there is a flea activity.
Herbal Flea Spray
You can create a non-toxic flea spray by mixing 4 liters of vinegar, 2 liters of water, 500 ml of lemon juice, and 250 ml of witch hazel in a large spray bottle.
Baking Soda
Rub baking soda into the fabric of your carpets and furniture.
Salt
Salt is a great remedy for fleas when used in combination with vacuuming.
Lemon Spray
Slice a lemon thin and boil it in a pint of water. Let the citrus solution sit overnight and pour into a spray bottle.
Rosemary
To make a herbal flea powder using rosemary, take some of the herbs with some rue, wormwood, fennel, and peppermint into a pestle and mortar and grind into a powder. Then, sprinkle it on your carpets, furniture, pet bedding, and window sills.
Flea Repelling Plants
Certain plants contain specific oils, compounds, and chemicals that fleas hate and will try and avoid. There is a range of different plants that repel fleas.
Fleas are not just annoying. They suck on your beloved pet’s blood and can lead to more serious health conditions such as anemia. Keep your dog free from fleas to ensure that they are always healthy.
