Puppy Fleas

Your dog may have fleas even though you can’t see them.

Keyhole desexing surgery

Fleas are very small reddish-brown external parasites that live on the skin of your puppy or dog and feed by sucking their blood.

Adult fleas live on your dog’s skin with females laying up to 50 eggs a day. The eggs drop off into your home and garden, or wherever your dog spends time. These eggs then hatch into larvae which eat dead skin cells and flea dirt until transforming to pupae inside silk cocoons.

As pupae, fleas can remain dormant until perfect conditions occur for re-infestation. This can be from 3 weeks to 350 days.

Unfortunately, perfect conditions for pupae are warm and humid, much like our homes. The pupae then transform into adult fleas waiting to jump onto you or your pet from up to a metre away.

Keyhole desexing surgery

1: Fleas are not fussy eaters! Not only will they feed on your dog but they will bite you too.

2: Flea bites often leave an itchy red bump on us, similar to a mosquito bite.

Q: how can I tell if my dog has fleas?

A: Your dog may have fleas even though you can’t see them.

Flea dirt, or flea droppings, are detected more easily than the flea itself and can be seen on the skin over your dog’s rump and back. It looks like black specks of dirt.

When combed onto a damp white sheet of paper, flea droppings will turn red as they contain the blood ingested by the flea as it feeds.

Because fleas are so small, they can be difficult to detect, much less eliminate from your home.

Signs of fleas you might notice on your dog:

  • Scratching.
  • Chewing.
  • Restlessness.
  • Scurf over the tail base.
  • Flea dirt.
  • Anaemia – if the flea infestation is large enough it can literally drain your puppy or dog’s blood supply, making them ill.
  • Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) – some pets are allergic to flea saliva and can itch for several weeks after a single flea bite. Through self trauma this can lead to skin infections.
  • Tapeworm infection – ingested fleas can also transmit tapeworm.

how do I prevent fleas?

Because fleas are so small, they can be difficult to detect, much less eliminate from your home.

Flea collars and powders are outdated, as they only kill the adult fleas on your dog at the time of treatment.

Fleas can only be brought under control effectively by treating your dog, and any other household pets, with an effective flea treatment such as Advantage. Advantage comes in an easy to apply monthly ‘spoton’, which is absorbed through the skin and continues to protect your puppy or dog for a month after application, killing any fleas that they come into contact with.

Regular treatment is the key to ridding your home of these parasites. An adult flea can live for up to a year without a blood meal!