Ava Williams
Dog fleas are tiny pests that not only cause painful bites in your dog but in some cases also transmit diseases to humans. A flea infestation is uncomfortable but controllable.
Their brown bodies are tiny, but they have long jumping legs with powerful claws. Their diet consists entirely of blood. Contact between dogs and fleas is almost inevitable.
Fleas like it warm. In autumn they like to hide in the dog’s fur, use it as a “ride” and get into your apartment. There they multiply explosively. A female flea can lay up to 40 eggs a day, and four weeks later the offspring are adults. First, the fully developed fleas remain in the pupal stage. If a suitable victim approaches, they will catapult themselves out of their waiting position and go in search of food. Fleas are patient hunters. In the (pupa) waiting position, they can survive half a year and longer. That makes fighting it so difficult and that’s why it should never come to that.
If you don’t want to share your sofa with fleas, you should get active. Suitable for combating dog fleas is the combination of preparations that capture or repel adult fleas as well as eggs and larvae. If fleas have already established themselves in the apartment, these must also be included in the control measures. Vacuuming alone is usually not enough.
Biting and sucking are what fleas live for. Flea bites can cause serious allergic skin infections in dogs. Fleas also transmit many diseases or other parasites, such as cucumber seed tapeworm, to humans and animals. That’s why fleas have no place in their home and have to stay outside.
You’ll know your dog has fleas when it scratches and bites extensively or develops a rash. Eggs or flea droppings – dark, hard granules of digested blood – are also a clear indication of an infestation. They can be found either directly in the dog’s fur or at its sleeping place.
Your vet can recommend a variety of treatments that will get rid of fleas and their eggs fairly quickly. These usually work by instantly killing the adult fleas – at the same time turning your dog into a kind of “flea trap”. Since each drug usually only affects the fleas in one phase of their life, it is important to combine the treatment with a thorough cleaning of the dog’s sleeping area.