Fleas - An Inconvenience to Our Pets

Fleas feed on the blood of dogs, cats and even the pet owner. They are tiny insects that do not fly, but can jump. They can jump as high as 200 times their body length. Their mouths are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas live on the blood of mammals and even birds. They cause not just an itching sensation. Some pets and owners are allergic to fleas. What causes the allergy is the flea's saliva, which is one of the most allergenic substances you can find on earth.

There are different species of fleas that attack dogs and cats but there are so many similarities that they may be treated as one species. People are susceptible more to cat fleas. And some fleas found on dogs can be cat fleas. Fleas are more abundant in summer. They do no like light, so they hide in the fur on your pet's belly or inner thighs. Their larvae would move deeper into a carpet or furnishings to avoid light.

Flea larvae develop within a cocoon and as soon as they detect an animal or person, they emerge and attach to the host. Fleas can wait in a cocoon for as long as two years. But they can detect pressure, noise, vibrations and heat so if the conditions are right, the whole development cycle lasts 15 days.

Fleas can survive for a few days on the ground and live up to 8 days on a host. They use 15 times their body weight of blood every day. This is why fleas can also cause anemia in some extreme cases. They can also be the cause of hair loss due to frequent scratching. Fleas also can transmit diseases to humans or other animals.

The most widely used methods to treat flea infestation is to apply Advantage of Frontline to your pet every month. Applying these drops to the skin of the animal is easy. But it is important to treat not only the animal but also to the environment. Fleas can attach themselves to skin but also to clothing. Central heating and carpets in homes offer ideal conditions for fleas to develop all the year round.

Frequent vacuuming can reduce the number of fleas but does not guarantee eliminating them completely. Insecticides can be used to kill adult fleas but cocoons are more resistant. You should repeat treatments in order to be sure to get rid of them. There are also products which contain insect development inhibitors that you may use.

Although fleas are similar for dogs and cats, treatments for fleas might not work in a similar way. There are insecticides that are safe to use for dogs but very toxic for cats. Permethrin is one such example, and it can cause death in cats.

There are natural compounds that can be used as alternatives to control infestation with fleas. Eucalyptus oil, citrus oil and tea tree oil are among them. Alternative remedies, however have not been tested thoroughly and they may not be very efficient.